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 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:05:01 EST 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/2009/11/091118120307.htm Not just birds, but also a few species of bats face a long journey every year. Researchers have studied the migratory behavior of the largest extant family of bats, the so-called "Vespertilionidae" with the help of mathematical models. They discovered that the migration over short as well as long distances of various kinds of bats evolved independently within the family. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118120307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114646.htm With Bt crop acreage increasing worldwide, incorporating enhanced understanding of observed patterns of field-evolved resistance into future resistance management strategies can help to minimize the drawbacks and maximize the benefits of current and future generations of transgenic crops. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124204320.htm The world's largest species of monkey "chooses" mates with genes that are different from their own to guarantee healthy and strong offspring, according to a new research study. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124204320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106102954.htm In foods, soil samples or customs checks, plant fragments sometimes need to be quickly identified. The use of DNA "barcodes" to itemize plant biodiversity was proposed during the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Summit. Researchers have now tested this method in the tropical forest. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106102954.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120000437.htm Food production of modern human societies is mostly based on large-scale monoculture crops, but it now appears that advanced insect societies have the same practice. Our societies took just ten thousand years of (mainly cultural) evolution to adopt this habit and we are far from convinced that it is sustainable. Farming ants and termites had tens of millions of years to evolve their fungus farming systems and here monocultures are apparently evolutionary stable. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120000437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193636.htm In recent years, scientists have decoded the DNA of humans and a menagerie of creatures but none with genes as complex as a stalk of corn, the latest genome to be unraveled. A team of scientists has published the completed corn genome -- an accomplishment that will speed efforts to develop better crop varieties to meet the world's growing demands for food, livestock feed and fuel. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193636.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111413.htm Scientists have described for the first time how the telomeres and adjacent sequences of the oyster fungus are organized. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119194130.htm A massive survey of genetic diversity in maize has produced a gene map that should pave the way to significant improvements in a plant that is a major source of food, fuel, animal feed and fiber around the world. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119194130.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141211.htm A four-year, multi-institutional effort co-led by three Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientists culminated today in publication of a landmark series of papers in the journal Science revealing in unprecedented detail the DNA sequence of maize. Maize, or corn, as it is commonly called by North American consumers, is one of the world's most important plants and the most valuable agricultural crop grown in the United States, representing $47 billion in annual value. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141211.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119101209.htm Certain wild flax plants growing in poor soils have succeeded in balancing the stress in their lives -- these plants are less likely to experience infection from a fungal pathogen. The new study attempts to quantitatively explain how plants have evolved a specialization to serpentine soils and ultimately may help to explain floristic diversity in these unique environments. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119101209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119194120.htm A new study of maize has identified thousands of diverse genes in genetically inaccessible portions of the genome. New techniques may allow breeders and researchers to use this genetic variation to identify desirable traits and create new varieties that were not easily possible before. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119194120.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119144714.htm Scientists have deciphered the complete genetic code of the maize plant for the first time. The researchers, who have been collaborating for the past four years on the Maize Genome Sequencing Project, have provided the complete sequence and structures of maize genes and their locations, in linear order, on both the genetic and physical maps of maize. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119144714.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141050.htm Scientists have long known that the offspring of two inbred strains tend to be superior to both their parents. Now, a team of researchers has discovered clues to why that might be the case for one of the most important crops in the world: corn. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141050.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141046.htm The offspring of two inbred strains tend to be superior to both of their parents. Characterizing the gene-level variability that leads to this phenomenon, known as heterosis or hybrid vigor, could boost our ability to custom-tailor crops for specific traits, such as high protein content for human consumption or high glucose content for biomass fuel. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141046.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141041.htm Maize is an important crop in many countries of the world. It is widely used for human consumption, animal feed and industrial materials. It also is considered an exemplar plant species for studying domestication, molecular evolution and genome architecture. The authors of the research presented in this special collection used the first description of the B73 maize genome to probe some of the most intriguing questions in genetics and plant biology. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092633.htm The evolutionary history of New Zealand's many extinct flightless moa has been re-written in the first comprehensive study of more than 260 sub-fossil specimens to combine all known genetic, anatomical, geological and ecological information about the unique bird lineage. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092633.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122532.htm Colonies of army ants, whose long columns and marauding habits are the stuff of natural-history legend, are usually antagonistic to each other, attacking soldiers from rival colonies in border disputes that keep the colonies separate. But new work shows that in some cases the colonies can be cooperative instead of combative. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118151141.htm With thousands of stinging cells that can emit deadly venom from tentacles that can reach ten feet in length, the 50 or so species of box jellyfish have long been of interest to scientists and to the public. Yet little has been known about the evolution of this early branch in the animal tree of life. Researchers have now unraveled the evolutionary relationships among the various species of box jellyfish, thereby providing insight into the evolution of their toxicity. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118151141.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173632.htm In this year, 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of ‘On the Origin of Species’ a UK scientist has used Darwin’s seminal work on Natural Selection in helping to define the biological essentiality of the second (silicon) and third (aluminium) most abundant elements of the Earth’s crust. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103439.htm Infectious organisms that become resistant to antibiotics are a serious threat to human society. They are also a natural part of evolution. In a new project, researchers in Sweden are attempting to find substances that can slow the pace of evolution, in order to ensure that the drugs of today remain effective into the future. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103439.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116203140.htm Researchers have discovered that several species of microbes, at least one found prominently in the deserts of the Southwest, have evolved the trait of rope-building to lasso shifting soil substrates. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116203140.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. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110135411.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111123606.htm The most extensive DNA study to-date of Africa's rarest monkey reveals that the species had an intriguing sexual past. Of the last two remaining populations of the recently discovered kipunji, one population shows evidence of past mating with baboons while the other does not, says a new study. The results may help to set conservation priorities for this critically endangered species, researchers say. Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111123606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111092047.htm Although plants have the ability to sense and respond to other plants, their ability to recognize kin and act altruistically has been the subject of few studies. A new study explored kin recognition in Impatiens pallida (yellow jewelweed). By moving their resources into leaves, these plants not only positively affected their own growth, but also negatively affected their competitors' growth. This is the first instance where researchers demonstrated that a plant's response to an aboveground cue is dependent upon the presence of a belowground cue. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111092047.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111130942.htm If humans are genetically related to chimps, why did our brains develop the innate ability for language and speech while theirs did not? Scientists suspect that part of the answer to the mystery lies in a gene called FOXP2. When mutated, FOXP2 can disrupt speech and language in humans. Now, a new study reveals major differences between how the human and chimp versions of FOXP2 work, perhaps explaining why language is unique to humans. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111130942.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110202853.htm Were dinosaurs "warm-blooded" like present-day mammals and birds, or "cold-blooded" like present day lizards? The implications of this simple-sounding question go beyond deciding whether or not you'd snuggle up to a dinosaur on a cold winter's evening. In a new study, researchers have found strong evidence that many dinosaur species were probably warm-blooded. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110202853.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105102722.htm New research by European scientists is a first step towards forecasting the expression of all genes in a given organism and demonstrates that the genetic regulation that is crucial for correct embryonic development is more flexible than previously thought. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105102722.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029160739.htm New anti-flu drugs could become a reality as a result of a new study. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029160739.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112104.htm Why do so many animal species -- including fish, birds and insects -- display such rich diversity in coloration and other traits? New research offers an answer. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121338.htm Evolutionary biologists argue in a new article that high cooperation and low conflict between components, from the genetic level on up, give a living thing its "organismality," whether that thing is an animal, a plant, a bacteria or a colony. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121338.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101553.htm Research in the UK into the finger length of primate species has revealed that cooperative behavior is linked to exposure to hormone levels in the womb. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101553.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132658.htm Organisms ensure the survival of their species by genetically adapting to the environment. If environmental conditions change too rapidly, the extinction of a species may be the consequence. A strategy to successfully cope with such a challenge is the generation of variable offspring that can survive in different environments. For the first time scientists have now observed the evolution of such a strategy under lab conditions in an experiment with the bacterial species Pseudomonas fluorescens. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132658.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143710.htm Breaking up may not be hard to do, say scientists who've found a population of tropical butterflies that may be splitting into two distinct species. The cause of this particular break-up? A shift in wing color and mate preference. In a new study, the researchers describe the relationship between diverging color patterns in Heliconius butterflies and the long-term divergence of populations into new and distinct species. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143710.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030125054.htm Unnoticed by the nearby residents of St. Johnsbury, Vt., tiny leaf beetles that flit among the maple and willow trees in the area have just provided some of the clearest evidence yet that environmental factors play a major role in the formation of new species. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030125054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143708.htm Scientists have decoded the genome of the domestic horse, revealing a genome structure with remarkable similarities to humans and more than one million genetic differences across a variety of horse breeds. In addition to shedding light on a key part of the mammalian branch of the evolutionary tree, the work also provides a critical starting point for mapping disease genes in horses. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143708.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/2009/11/091102111839.htm New insights into the biology of the platypus and echidna have been published, providing a collection of unique research data about the world's only monotremes. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102111839.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/2009/11/091104122538.htm A long forgotten fossil skull in the collections of the Natural History Museum in London has now provided crucial clues to the early stages of the lengthy evolutionary history of Tyrannosaurus rex and related large carnivorous dinosaurs. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121449.htm Ever since the Falklands wolf was described by Darwin himself, the origin of this now-extinct canid found only on the Falkland Islands far off the east coast of Argentina has remained a mystery. Now, researchers who have compared DNA from four of the world's dozen or so known Falklands wolf museum specimens to that of living canids offer new insight into the evolutionary ancestry of these enigmatic carnivores. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121449.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171726.htm A major conclusion of the work is that for some organisms, possibly including humans, continued evolution will not translate into ever-increasing fitness. Moreover, a population may accrue mutations at a constant rate --- a pattern long considered the hallmark of "neutral" or non-Darwinian evolution --- even when the mutations experience Darwinian selection. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171726.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/2009/10/091027170853.htm Isotopic measurements performed on fossil land snail shells found in ancient soils on the subtropical eastern Canary Islands resulted in oxygen isotope ratios that suggest the Spanish archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa has become progressively drier over the past 50,000 years, according to new research. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027170853.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029125532.htm Biologists have shown that independent but similar molecular changes turned a harmless digestive enzyme into a toxin in two unrelated species -- a shrew and a lizard -- giving each a venomous bite. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029125532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030125046.htm Paleontologists have discovered a new species of dinosaur that lived 112 million years ago during the early Cretaceous of central Montana. The new dinosaur, a species of ankylosaur is the biological version of an army tank. It is protected by a plate-like armor with two sets of sharp spikes on each side of the head, and a skull so thick that even 'raptors' could leave barely more than a scratch. Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030125046.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/2009/10/091026192905.htm While nepotism may have negative connotations in politics and the workplace, being surrounded by your relatives does lead to better group dynamics and more cooperation in some animals. That seems to be the case for spiders. Researchers found that Stegodyphus tentoriicola spiders are far more efficient at foraging for food and cooperate better when they're related to each other. Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026192905.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029113756.htm Spanish researchers have confirmed that the largest bat in Europe, Nyctalus lasiopterus, was present in north-eastern Spain during the Late Pleistocene. The Greater Noctule fossils found in the excavation site at Abric Romani prove that this bat had a greater geographical presence more than 10,000 years ago than it does today, having declined due to the reduction in vegetation cover. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029113756.htm