http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/origin_of_life/ Research into the origin of life. Learn how certain small molecule interactions may have been responsible for the life itself. You will find scientific theories and findings here. en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:05:02 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/origin_of_life/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111130952.htm The global ocean covering the Earth 3.4 billion years ago was far cooler than has been thought, according to researchers who analyzed isotope ratios in rocks formed on that ancient ocean floor. Instead of a hot primordial soup, much more tepid temperatures prevailed. Cooler temperatures may have had effects on the evolution of the early atmosphere and could have opened the door to an earlier spread of photosynthetic life forms across the planet. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111130952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110135411.htm Penguins that died 44,000 years ago in Antarctica have provided extraordinary frozen DNA samples that challenge the accuracy of traditional genetic aging measurements, and suggest those approaches have been routinely underestimating the age of many specimens by 200 to 600 percent. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110135411.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132706.htm Scientists have an ambitious new strategy for untangling the evolutionary history of humans and their biological relatives: Create a genetic menagerie made of the DNA of more than 10,000 vertebrate species. The plan, proposed by an international consortium of scientists, is to obtain, preserve, and sequence the DNA of approximately one species for each genus of living mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132706.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103145603.htm A painstaking genomic and proteomic analysis has found a new evolutionary mechanism that accounts for some of the biological complexity of human beings. The scientists who found the mechanism say it helps humans cope with the consequences of inefficient natural selection. It fosters complexity by enabling human proteins to become more specialized over time. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103145603.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027101415.htm When Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species 150 years ago, he deliberately avoided the subject of the origin of life. This, coupled with the mention of the 'Creator' in the last paragraph of the book, led us to believe he was not willing to commit on the matter. An international team now refutes that idea and shows that the British naturalist did explain in other documents how our first ancestors could have come into being. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027101415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152816.htm Why do crosses between two species often yield sterile or inviable progeny (for instance, mules emerging from a cross between a horse and a donkey)? New research suggests that the solution to this problem lies in the "dark matter of the genome": heterochromatin, a tightly packed, gene-poor compartment of DNA found within the genomes of all nucleated cells. Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029141217.htm Geoscientists have corroborated evidence that oxygen production began in Earth's oceans at least 100 million years before the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). The researchers analyzed 2.5 billion-year-old black shales, which revealed that episodes of hydrogen sulfide accumulation in the oxygen-free deep ocean occurred nearly 100 million years before the GOE. Scientists have long believed that the early ocean was characterized by high amounts of dissolved iron. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029141217.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016224153.htm The Cambrian Explosion is widely regarded as one of the most relevant episodes in the history of life on Earth, when the vast majority of animal phyla first appear in the fossil record. However, the causes of its origin have been object of debate for decades. A novel theory formulates that the geologically induced increase on marine calcium, as a result of volcanic activity, might be the key for understanding this important stage in evolution. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016224153.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021115147.htm Researchers have carried out molecular genetic analysis of the Y chromosome (transmitted only by males) of the aboriginal population of the Canary Islands to determine their origin and the extent to which they have survived in the current population. The results suggest a North African origin for these paternal lineages which, unlike maternal lineages, have declined to the point of being practically replaced today by European lineages. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021115147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026132932.htm Researchers here have discovered the pivotal role that volcanoes played in a deadly ice age 450 million years ago. Perhaps ironically, these volcanoes first caused global warming -- by releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When they stopped erupting, Earth's climate was thrown off balance, and the ice age began. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026132932.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020094100.htm Genetic information from an extinct species of bison preserved in permafrost for thousands of years could help improve modern agricultural livestock and breeding programs, according to researchers. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020094100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020203420.htm Researchers report the oldest archaeological evidence of early human activities in a grassland environment, dating to two million years ago. The article highlights new research and its implications concerning the environments in which human ancestors evolved. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020203420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029151443.htm Change in language can be compared with evolution in the world of animals and plants. According to a Dutch researcher, an individual user of language can spark off an evolution of his or her language. His new approach, comparing linguistic change with evolution, offers a number of advantages for the study of linguistic change. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029151443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091018141716.htm A 21-year experiment that distills the essence of evolution in laboratory flasks not only demonstrates natural selection at work, but could lead to biotechnology and medical research advances, researchers say. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091018141716.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016121827.htm Researchers have identified the first fish known to have switched from ultraviolet vision to violet vision, or the ability to see blue light. The discovery is also the first example of an animal deleting a molecule to change its visual spectrum. The findings on scabbardfish link molecular evolution to functional changes and the possible environmental factors driving them. Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016121827.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013201749.htm Researchers have identified a new type of flying reptile, providing the first clear evidence of an unusual and controversial type of evolution. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013201749.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091011184428.htm The strikingly banded rocks scattered across the upper Midwestern United States and elsewhere throughout the world are actually ambassadors from the past, offering clues to the environment of the early Earth more than two billion years ago. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091011184428.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008143001.htm An international team of paleontologists has discovered a new species of mammal that lived in China's Liaoning Province 123 million years ago. This remarkably well preserved fossil offers important insight into how the mammalian middle ear evolved. Such exquisite dinosaur-age mammals provide evidence of how developmental mechanisms have impacted the evolution of the earliest mammals. Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008143001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002132350.htm Scientists have shown that, in ancient times, the Earth's magnetic field was structured like the two-pole model of today, suggesting that the methods geoscientists use to reconstruct the geography of early land masses on the globe are accurate. The findings may lead to a better understanding of historical continental movement, which relates to changes in climate. Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002132350.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928205415.htm A fossil of a bird-like dinosaur with four wings has been discovered in northeastern China. The specimen bridges a critical gap in the transition from dinosaurs to birds, and reveals new insights into the origin evolution of feathers. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928205415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090927145354.htm The retroviruses which gave rise to HIV have been battling it out with mammal immune systems since mammals first evolved around 100 million years ago -- about 85 million years earlier than previously thought, scientists now believe. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090927145354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143335.htm Researchers have found that evolution can never go backwards, because the paths to the genes once present in our ancestors are forever blocked. The findings come from the first rigorous study of reverse evolution at the molecular level. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143335.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916223911.htm German scientists investigating the complex chemical mixture thought to be present in the early Earth's oceans have found that amino acids can be 'cooked' into many other important chemical building blocks of life when embedded in salt crusts. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916223911.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916133515.htm A new analysis of extinct sea creatures suggests that the transition from egg-laying to live-born young opened up evolutionary pathways that allowed these ancient species to adapt to and thrive in open oceans. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916133515.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914111102.htm An international team of researchers has discovered evidence at the molecular level in support of one of the key tenets of Darwin's theory of evolution. As a model system, the research focused on one specific molecular machine, the TIM complex, which transports proteins into mitochondria. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914111102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911133656.htm The smell of death proves to be an ancient warning signal to safeguard against predators and disease contagion. Researchers found that corpses of animals, from insects to crustaceans, all emit the same death stench produced by a blend of specific fatty acids. Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911133656.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909133020.htm Analysis of a rock type found only in the world's oldest oceans has shed new light on how large animals first got a foothold on Earth. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909133020.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904071650.htm Biologists report new evidence for evolutionary change recorded in both the fossil record and the genomes (or genetic blueprints) of living organisms, providing fresh support for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The researchers were able to correlate the progressive loss of enamel in the fossil record with a simultaneous molecular decay of a gene, called the enamelin gene, that is involved in enamel formation in mammals. Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904071650.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163902.htm Analysis of ancient DNA suggests that Europe's first farmers were not the descendants of the people who settled the area after the retreat of the ice sheets. Instead, the early farmers probably migrated into major areas of central and eastern Europe about 7,500 years ago, bringing domesticated plants and animals with them. DNA analysis reveals little evidence of a direct genetic link between the hunter-gatherers and the early farmers. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902133629.htm Scientists have traced the evolution of the four-chambered human heart to a common genetic factor linked to the development of hearts in turtles and other reptiles. The research shows how a specific protein that turns on genes is involved in heart formation in turtles, lizards and humans. Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902133629.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901172832.htm Humans and chimpanzees are genetically very similar, yet it is not difficult to identify the many ways in which we are clearly distinct from chimps. In a new study, scientists have made a crucial discovery of genes that have evolved in humans after branching off from other primates, opening new possibilities for understanding what makes us uniquely human. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901172832.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827202513.htm The ability to digest the milk sugar lactose first evolved in dairy farming communities in central Europe, not in more northern groups as was previously thought, finds a new study. The genetic change that enabled early Europeans to drink milk without getting sick has been mapped to dairying farmers who lived 7,500 years ago between the central Balkans and central Europe. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827202513.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090829091049.htm In 1952, Stanley Miller filled two flasks with chemicals assumed to be present on the primitive Earth, connected the flasks with rubber tubes and introduced some electrical sparks as a stand-in for lightning. The now famous experiment showed what amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, could easily be generated from this primordial stew. But despite that seminal experiment, neither he nor others were able to take the next step: that of showing how life's code could come from such humble beginnings. Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090829091049.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819135436.htm Humans might not be walking on Earth today if not for the ancient fusing of two microscopic, single-celled organisms called prokaryotes, new research has found. By comparing proteins present in more than 3000 different prokaryotes, a molecular biologist shows that two major classes of relatively simple microbes fused together more than 2.5 billion years ago. The research reveals a new pathway for the evolution of life on Earth. Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819135436.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818130425.htm A newly formed Earth was warmed by a weak young sun, a sun too weak to keep water fluid on Earth. Now a professor in atmospheric chemistry explains how a powerful greenhouse gas helped keep young earth warm enough to be a cradle for life. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818130425.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806141706.htm As letters of the alphabet spell out words, when amino acids are linked to one another in a particular order they "spell out" proteins. But sometimes the cell machinery for building proteins in our bodies makes a mistake and the wrong amino acid is inserted. The consequences can be devastating, resulting in a garbled protein that no longer has the correct function, possibly leading to cancers and other diseases. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806141706.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728223022.htm Genetic evidence is revealing that human populations began to expand in size in Africa during the Late Stone Age approximately 40,000 years ago. Scientists have found that sub-Saharan populations increased in size well before the development of agriculture. This research supports the hypothesis that population growth played a significant role in the evolution of human cultures in the Late Pleistocene. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728223022.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730141658.htm Comets have contained vast amounts of liquid water in their interiors during the first million years of their formation, a new study claims. The watery environment of early comets, together with the vast quantity of organics already discovered in comets, would have provided ideal conditions for primitive bacteria to grow and multiply, experts argue. Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730141658.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626084425.htm Paleontologists have discovered one of the oldest modern ungulates related to the elephant order. Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626084425.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191919.htm Evidence buried in the chromosomes of animals and plants strongly suggests only one group -- mammals -- have seen their genomes shrink after the dinosaurs' extinction. What's more, that trend continues today. Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191919.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191732.htm Researchers studying ancient rock samples in South China has found that the first animal fossils in the paleontological record are preserved in ancient lake deposits, not marine sediments as commonly assumed. The research gives scientists a glimpse into where some of the early animals lived and what the environmental conditions were like for them -- important information for addressing the broader questions of how and why animals appeared when they did. Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191732.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721214628.htm Genetic research indicates that Australian Aborigines initially arrived via south Asia. Researchers have found telltale mutations in modern-day Indian populations that are exclusively shared by Aborigines. Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721214628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720163734.htm Sea lampreys, which arose from the jawless fish that first appeared a half-billion years ago, dramatically remodel their genomes during embryonic development. This is believed to be the first recorded observation of a vertebrate reorganizing its genome during normal development. Evolutionary biologists are interested in how and why the lamprey re-organizes its genome because the animal is a living fossil with millions of years of evolutionary history. Its closest ancestors were among the first vertebrates on earth. Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720163734.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090713131552.htm The mode of reproduction seen in modern sharks is nearly 400 million years old. That is the conclusion based on the discovery of a so-called "clasper" in a primitive fossil fish earlier this year. Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090713131552.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090711153156.htm For perhaps 1.8 billion years after life first emerged on Earth, a sort of evolutionary writer's block stalled the development of organisms more complicated than single cells. Then, a burst of experimental creativity about 1.7 billion years ago brought the cell nucleus onto the scene, stashing the cell's genetic material inside a protective inner membrane and setting the stage for the evolution of more sophisticated creatures from yeast, say, to plants and human beings. Now research shows that one of the most basic design principles of this new eukaryotic life-form -- the gatekeeper to the cell nucleus known as the nuclear pore complex -- is largely shared across the most distantly related eukaryotes. Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090711153156.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709201849.htm Southern elephant seals responded rapidly to climate and habitat change and established a new breeding site thousands of kilometers from existing breeding grounds, according to new research. Scientists found that when the Antarctic ice sheets of the Ross Sea Embayment retreated in the Holocene period 8,000 years ago, elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, adopted the emergent habitat and established a new population which flourished. Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709201849.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090708153235.htm Earth's 4.5-billion-year history is filled with several turning points but one of the biggest is the Cambrian explosion of life, roughly 540 million years ago, when complex, multi-cellular life burst out all over the planet. Now, researchers believe they have found the trigger for the Cambrian explosion. Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090708153235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630215938.htm Scientists have performed the first DNA-based reconstruction of the giant extinct moa bird, using prehistoric feathers recovered from caves and rock shelters in New Zealand. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630215938.htm