http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/evolution/ Evolution. Read about natural selection in a flask and genetic variation in flowers. Consider the evolution of human social behavior, and more. en-us Sun, 11 May 2008 21:05:01 EDT Sun, 11 May 2008 21:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/evolution/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222417.htm Researchers from the United States and Switzerland have developed mathematical and statistical tools for reconstructing viral populations using pyrosequencing, a novel and effective technique for sequencing DNA. Mon, 12 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222417.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506195605.htm An event as simple as the world's first bite may have sparked an ancient "explosion" of life 500 million years ago that led to the rise of the broad groups of animals that are still alive today. A Harvard professor suggests that it was an increase in interactions between species, such as predation, that drove an escalating evolutionary process that led to the development of teeth and claws and the wide variety of characteristics that we see among Earth's animals today. Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506195605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507131453.htm The duck-billed platypus: part bird, part reptile, part mammal -- and the genome to prove it. Scientists have decoded the genome of the platypus, showing that the animal's peculiar mix of features is reflected in its DNA. An analysis of the genome can help scientists piece together a more complete picture of the evolution of all mammals, including humans. Wed, 07 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507131453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506110733.htm The origin of the centrosome has been controversial for many years. The theory of symbiogenesis as a mechanism of evolution has also stirred debate since it was introduced in the 1920s and subsequently elaborated in the 1960s by Lynn Margulis of University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Today, only two cellular components -- the mitochondria and the chloroplasts -- are generally accepted by evolutionary biologists as having a symbiogenetic origin. A new paper suggests that centrosomes are another likely candidate. Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506110733.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504194238.htm Bacteria that cause the bubonic plague may be more virulent than their close relatives because of a single genetic mutation, according to research published in the May issue of the journal Microbiology. Mon, 05 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504194238.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125451.htm Male seahorses are nature's real-life Mr. Moms -- they take fathering to a whole new level: pregnancy. Although it is common for male fish to play the dominant parenting role, male pregnancy is a complex process unique to the fish family Syngnathidae, which includes pipefish, seahorses and sea dragons. Fri, 02 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428200309.htm Similarities between half-billion-year-old and recent food webs point to deep principles underpinning the structure of ecological relationships, as shown by researchers from the Santa Fe Institute, Microsoft Research Cambridge and elsewhere. Analyses of food-web data suggest that most, but not all, aspects of the trophic structure of modern ecosystems were in place over a half-billion years ago. Thu, 01 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428200309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428154720.htm Scientists have unveiled some of the evolutionary intricacies of rickettsial pathogens by analyzing over a decade's worth of genomic data. Some species of Rickettsia cause such disease as epidemic typhus and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, while other species have been identified as emerging pathogens and organisms that might be weaponized. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428154720.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140418.htm Putting more meat on the theory that dinosaurs' closest living relatives are modern-day birds, molecular analysis of a shred of 68-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex protein -- along with that of 21 modern species -- confirms that dinosaurs share common ancestry with chickens, ostriches, and to a lesser extent, alligators. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423131624.htm Researchers have produced a first draft of the papaya genome. This draft sheds new light on the evolution of flowering plants. And because it involves a genetically modified plant, the newly sequenced papaya genome offers the most detailed picture yet of the genetic changes that make the plant resistant to the papaya ringspot virus. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423131624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422171449.htm While waiting for colleagues at a small natural history museum in the state of Chiapas, Mexico last year, Cornell paleontologist Greg Dietl chanced upon a discovery that has helped rewrite the evolutionary history of crabs and the shelled mollusks upon which they preyed. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422171449.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417130603.htm Female mice can steer clear of inbred males on the basis of their scent alone. Biologists found that female mice chose to associate with males producing a greater diversity of major urinary proteins. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417130603.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420112351.htm Scientists are embarking on a study to index the useful genetic variation of more than 2,000 accessions in the Agricultural Research Service, USDA, grape germplasm collection. Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420112351.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417112433.htm In 1971, biologists moved five adult pairs of Italian wall lizards from their home island of Pod Kopiste, in the South Adriatic Sea, to the neighboring island of Pod Mrcaru. Now researchers have shown that introducing these small, green-backed lizards, Podarcis sicula, to a new environment caused them to undergo rapid and large-scale evolutionary changes. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417112433.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414145645.htm Researchers have uncovered the first clues about the ancient origins of a mother's intricate lifeline to her unborn baby, the placenta, which delivers oxygen and nutrients critical to the baby's health. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414145645.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409205136.htm When Charles Darwin first set foot on Patagonia, he was a fresh-faced 22-year old yet to finesse his revolutionary theory of evolution by natural selection. But traveling around the tip of South America aboard the HMS Beagle--part of an epic, five-year scientific expedition--the young naturalist had his eyes opened to the immense diversity of species and landscapes. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409205136.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410153648.htm A new study mapping the evolutionary history of animals indicates that Earth's first animal -- a mysterious creature whose characteristics can only be inferred from fossils and studies of living animals -- was probably significantly more complex than previously believed. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410153648.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409174609.htm Researchers have found a new type of molecule -- a kind of "micro-switch" -- that can turn off genes in rice, which is the primary source of food for more than half the world's population. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409174609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408085508.htm Evolution has taken another step away from being dismissed as "a theory" in the classroom. A new article documents the automation of evolution: researchers have produced a computer-controlled system that can drive the evolution of improved RNA enzymes -- biological catalysts -- without human input. In the future, this "evolution-machine" could feature in the classroom as well as the lab, allowing students to watch evolution happen in their biology lessons. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408085508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408163236.htm The Human Genome Project revealed that only a small fraction of the 3 billion "letter" DNA code actually instructs cells to manufacture proteins, the workhorses of most life processes. This has raised the question of what the remaining part of the human genome does. How much of the rest performs other biological functions, and how much is merely residue of prior genetic events? Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408163236.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407190606.htm Geneticists discover that insecticide resistance genes work together in mosquitoes, increasing their survival rate with important consequences for pest management. Mosquitoes harboring two insecticide-resistance genes have been found to survive unexpectedly well in an insecticide-free environment where carrying such genes would normally expected to be a burden. This results from the genes interacting with one another to the advantage of the host and to the detriment of pest management strategies affecting human health. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407190606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404114428.htm Selenium, an 'essential trace element' often included in multimineral supplements, may not be as important as once thought. Although this trace element is essential in the diet of humans, it seems that we have lost some of the need for selenium, which occurs in proteins and is transported in blood plasma, when our evolutionary ancestors left the oceans and evolved into mammals. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404114428.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402071538.htm In the first experiment of its kind conducted in nature, evolutionary biologists have come up with strong evidence for one of Charles Darwin's cornerstone ideas -- adaptation to the environment accelerates the creation of new species. Sun, 06 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402071538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402145746.htm Birds and bees may do it, but the microscopic animals called bdelloid rotifers seem to get along just fine without sex, thank you. What's more, they have done so over millions of years of evolution, resulting in at least 370 species. These hardy creatures somehow escape the usual drawback of asexuality -- extinction -- and researchers are finding out how. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402145746.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330212514.htm Evolution can lead to greater biological diversity, and particularly to improvements in the functioning of ecosystems. New research shows evolution as a structuring force for ecosystems, and it open new paths to interpreting the relationship between the diversity of living beings and the functioning of ecosystems. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330212514.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331172503.htm Higher organisms do not have a "cost of complexity" -- or slowdown in the evolution of complex traits -- according to a new article in Nature. Biologists have long puzzled over the relationship between evolution of complex traits and the randomness of mutations in genes. Some have proposed that a "cost of complexity" makes it more difficult to evolve a complicated trait by random mutations, because effects of beneficial mutations are diluted. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331172503.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401081956.htm Researchers studied the genetic and epidemic characteristics of influenza A viruses circulated in humans in Fujian Province, south of China from 1996 to 2004. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out for hemagglutinin1 gene. The study revealed that the mutations of HA1 genes were limited to some key codons at or near antibody binding sites. The mutations at the antibody binding site B or A or sialic acid receptor binding site 226 were critical for antigenic drift. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401081956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328070108.htm As the scope of genome research expands on an almost daily basis, researchers confront increasingly large volumes of data. Now biologists are developing software that enables researchers to analyze millions of DNA sequences faster and with greater accuracy. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328070108.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326200653.htm Mankind triumphed in a recent "competition" against nature when scientists succeeded in creating a new type of enzyme for a reaction for which no naturally occurring enzyme has evolved. This achievement opens the door to the development of a variety of potential applications in medicine and industry. Enzymes are, without a doubt, a valuable model for understanding the intricate works of nature. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326200653.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325203450.htm Consider the possible effects of the peculiar lifestyle of numerous spider species, which live, feed, breed and "walk" in an upside-down hanging position. According to new research, such "unconventional" enterprise drives a shape in spiders that confers high energy efficiency, as in oscillatory pendulums. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325203450.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324100050.htm A team of scientists has succeeded in creating a new type of enzyme for a reaction for which no naturally occurring enzyme has evolved, by using a combination of novel computational methodologies and molecular in vitro evolution. This achievement opens the door to the development of a variety of potential applications in medicine and industry. Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324100050.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324173459.htm It turns out ants, like humans, are true farmers. The difference is that ants are farming fungus. Entomologists are providing new insight into the agricultural abilities of ants and how these abilities have evolved throughout time. Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324173459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320150030.htm Plants may cluster the genes needed to make defense chemicals, which may provide a way to discover new natural plant products of use as drugs, herbicides or crop protectants. Using a gene cluster that makes an antifungal compound in oats as a template, they uncovered a previously unknown gene cluster making a related compound in a different species, and now want to extend the search to other plants. Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320150030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080323210220.htm Researchers have identified a language feature unique to the human brain that is shedding light on how human language evolved. The study marks the first use of diffusion tensor imaging, a noninvasive imaging technique, to compare human brain structures to those of chimpanzees, our closest living relative. Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080323210220.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320120708.htm Researchers have found that, although tuatara have remained largely physically unchanged over very long periods of evolution, they are evolving -- at a DNA level -- faster than any other animal yet examined. Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320120708.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319093106.htm A new tool for rice genetics allows rice breeders to surgically inactivate genes that confer unwanted properties. Imagine you are a rice breeder and one day within a large field you discover a plant that has just the characteristics you have been looking for. You happily take your special plant to the laboratory where you find out that the spontaneous, beneficial event was due to inactivation of a single gene. This is a great observation; however, there are many different strains grown in different parts of the world, well adapted to the particular region they grow in. How can you now transfer the inactivated gene to other strains of rice? Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319093106.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318121556.htm Scientists have come up with a mathematical approach for analyzing a protein simultaneously in a set of ecologically distinct species to identify occurrences of natural selection in an organism's evolution. The new method determines the "selective signature" of a gene, that is, the pattern of fast or slow evolution of that gene across a group of species, and uses that signature to infer gene function or to map changes to ecological shifts. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318121556.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318094610.htm The major egg yolk genes, those that express vitellogenins, appear to have progressively lost their functionality during mammalian evolution, probably due to the emergence of the mammalian-specific developmental nourishment resources, lactation, and placentation. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318094610.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317131642.htm According to researchers, fruit flies are more like humans in their responses to many sweet tastes than are almost any other species, including some species of monkeys. The findings demonstrate the critical role of environment in shaping the evolution of taste preferences and feeding behavior. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317131642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317152324.htm New research may explain why eating royal jelly destines honeybee larvae to become queens instead of workers -- and in the process adds new weight to the role of environmental factors in the nature/nurture divide. Scientists have discovered that a copious diet of royal jelly flicks a genetic switch in young bees that determines whether they'll become a queen, or live a life of drudgery. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317152324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317094851.htm Fungi do not have sexes, just so-called mating types. A new study shows that there are great similarities between the parts of DNA that determine the sex of plants and animals and the parts of DNA that determine mating types in certain fungi. This makes fungi interesting as new model organisms in studies of the evolutionary development of sex chromosomes. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317094851.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317171027.htm Scientists have revealed what may well be the first pervasive 'rule' of evolution. Researchers have found evidence which suggests that evolution drives animals to become increasingly more complex. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317171027.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311103904.htm Far from being a model of social cooperation, the ant world is riddled with cheating and corruption -- and it goes all the way to the top. Ants have always been thought to work together for the benefit of the colony rather than for individual gain. But new research has shattered this illusion. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311103904.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312141228.htm The productivity and biodiversity of an ecosystem is significantly affected by the rate at which organisms move between different parts of the ecosystem. When there is little or no dispersal, populations of species that remain in harsh areas of an ecosystem are unable to adapt to their environment due to a low population size and lack of genetic variation. Conversely, when there is too much dispersal in an ecosystem, species evolve to be 'generalists' that can survive in many habitats, but fail to thrive in any given one. The scientific team behind this new research found that both the biodiversity and productivity of an ecosystem are at a peak when there is an intermediate rate of dispersal of species - not too little and not too much - between different parts of the ecosystem. Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312141228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312172608.htm Scientists have identified 25 genes regulating lifespan in two organisms separated by about 1.5 billion years in evolutionary change. At least 15 of those genes have very similar versions in humans, suggesting that scientists may be able to target those genes to help slow down the aging process and treat age-related conditions. Thu, 13 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312172608.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311151203.htm There's new evidence supporting the idea that bigger brains are better. A study of a tropical wasp suggests that the brainpower required to be dominant drives brain capacity. Researchers have found that key processing regions in the brains of both males and females of one wasp species not only increased in size with age but were also associated with being dominant. Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311151203.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310131535.htm When exotic species invade new territory, they often present a major threat to the other plants and animals living there--that much is clear. In addition to their destructive tendencies, invasive species can also have a surprisingly "creative" side. Researchers discovered that an invasive population of the freshwater snail harbors a tremendous amount of genetic variation for key life-history traits, such as fecundity, juvenile size, and age at first reproduction. And that means they have a remarkably large potential for evolutionary change. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310131535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310131532.htm Researchers have made what they say is the first experimental demonstration that a primate other than humans conveys meaning by combining distinct alarm calls in particular ways. They provide evidence that the various "hacks" and "pyows" of male putty-nosed monkey contain at least three types of information: the event witnessed, the caller's identity, and whether he intends to travel, all of which are recognized by other monkeys. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310131532.htm