evolutionary biology

Researchers Wake Up Algae That Went Dormant Before the First Pyramids

Scientists have revived 7,000-year-old algae from Baltic Sea sediments, pushing the limits of resurrection ecology.

Some 31 million years ago, these iguanas rafted over 5,000 miles of ocean

New research reveals an extraordinary journey across the Pacific that defies what we thought was possible.

Punk and Emo in Prehistoric Seas: Fossils Rewrite Mollusk Evolution

Put the My Chemical Romance mixtape on. It's time.

Crocodile Scales Form in a Surprising Way That Has Nothing to Do with Genetics

The surprising way crocodile scales form offers a glimpse into how evolution works beyond genes.

The hands of great apes tell a story about our own evolution

Take a closer look at your hands—they carry millions of years of evolutionary history, connecting you to our closest primate relatives.

A Wild Theory Suggests Kissing Started as Ape Grooming — and the Science Is Fascinating

Could kissing be a relic from our ancestors' grooming practices? A new study explores the origins.

Newly Discovered 237-Million-Year-Old Fossil in Brazil Could Reveal How Dinosaurs First Took Over

The ancient reptile could shed new light on the evolution of the first dinosaurs.

This Benjamin Button-like Jellyfish Can Age in Reverse, From Adult to Juvenile

Scientists discover a comb jelly that can reverse its aging process, challenging traditional views on aging.

Tiny fern has the world's largest genome. It contains 50 times more genetic information than humans

The New Caledonian fern's genome is 50 times larger than the human genome.

Comb jellies could be the earliest ancestors of all animals

With their eerie, translucent and soft bodies, their translucent and intricate shapes and bizarre bioluminescent displays, comb jellies are among the biggest beauties and mysteries in the oceans. Now, according to a biologist from Vanderbilt University, these delicate marine predators have another important story to tell about the origin of animals; a 550 million year […]

Human activity drives evolution of bigger brains in animals

It’s clear that humans are now, more than ever, a driving force in evolutionary biology. Early domestication efforts through breeding and training have changed some species to the point that they’ve grown to be as we wanted them to become. The effects of climate change, a great part of which is anthropogenic, actually influence animals […]

Carnivorous plant disposes of "Junk" DNA, hinting it may not be necessary

Only 2% of the human genome is comprised of genes, while the vast majority of genetic material is known as noncoding DNA – that is to say DNA that doesn’t code proteins. A complex plant, the carnivorous bladderwort plant, known as Utricularia gibba, recently became the center of attention for evolutionary biologists after a recently published paper by […]

Reversible evolution demonstrated for the first time after dust mite genetic study

A rather well rooted idea in evolutionary biology says that evolution itself is non-reversible. Simply put, once an organism has specialized certain traits, it can not return to its ancestral traits – this is commonly referred to as Dollo’s law. In a way, you could say that by looking at Dollo’s law, evolution isn’t ever […]