Tag: evolution

The great escape: Birds fly away from disease

New study reveals how birds avoid disease by migrating and colonizing new habitats.

When is genetic diversity lost?

How many individuals of a given species are needed to maintain genetic diversity in the long run?

Genetics have remained constant for 8,000 years in world’s melting pot

There is surprising genetic stability in one of the world's most culturally diverse regions: the meeting point between Europe and Asia.

Extinct species of giant amphibians discovered in Greenland

A 210 million years old skull found in East Greenland tells a story of a gigantic salamander-like amphibian sporting a set of large fangs.

Ice age bacteria may reveal where to look for life on Mars

Scientists have cracked many evolutionary puzzles of how life on Earth originated under the sea. The results provide clues for where we may find life on Mars.

World’s oldest fossil plants could rewrite life's early history

Scientists have discovered the fossilised remains of 1.6 billion year-old red algae from India. Advanced multicellular life began much earlier that previously thought and the timing of the tree of life should be revised, they say.

Discovery in the Bay of Aarhus can solve the puzzle of our primordial origin

Scientists have discovered what could be our closest living relative among the microbes, casting new light on the origins of our species.

Dinosaur colours and surroundings recreated from fossils

Fossilised colours breathe new life into theories on how and where dinosaurs lived.

5,000-year-old cob reveals the origins of corn

Genetic analyses of a 5,000-year-old corncob shows how early farmers modified what would go on to become one of the world’s most important crops.

Inuit hunted whales 4,000 years ago

Fossil DNA from kitchen midden deposits reveal masses of whale blubber, leading scientists to believe that Greenlanders hunted the ocean’s giants 4,000 years before anyone else.

New evidence that early chimps and bonobos interbred

Chimpanzees and bonobos have not always been able to keep their hands off each other. A new discovery could change our perception of how new species form.

Scientists do away with Darwinian tradition

Scientists suggest a completely new way of classifying organisms that does away with conventional idea of species.

Cave paintings and bones reveal origins of European bison

Fossil DNA from bison bones reveals that the European bison was a cross between aurochs and bison. Cave painters depicted the species in detail, 15,000 years ago.

Bird study reveals a key assumption in evolution theory is false

A new study of fifty bird species from the Andes now rules out any possibility of predicting evolution on a single genetic mutation.

‘Penis worm’ is the ancestor of almost all living animals

Newly discovered fossils show that the now almost extinct ‘penis worm’ is the answer to understanding the origin of almost 90 per cent of animal life today.

Islands make large animals shrink and small animals grow

Mammals change size when they become isolated on islands. The phenomenon has been discussed for many years but is now confirmed by a new study.

Grizzly-polar bear hybrids spotted in Canadian Arctic

Call it a 'pizzly' or a 'grolar bear', this new hybrid may be here to stay, say scientists. But is this the end to the polar bear as we know it or the start of a new bear species?

Evolution will make our wisdom teeth disappear

A simple mathematical formula explains why our teeth look the way they do and suggest that our wisdom teeth will eventually disappear.

New evidence that environmental change can outpace genetic adaptation

DNA analyses of a now extinct population of butterflies shows they could not adapt fast enough to habitat loss during the 20th century.

Wild horses lost their camouflage because of humans

Scientists find the genetic mechanism that determines the colour patterns of wild horses.

The Black Death has been hiding among us for thousands of years

Fossil DNA reveals that the plague is much older than previously suspected. The discovery could shed new light on the evolution of a deadly disease.

The enamel on your teeth came from prehistoric fish

A new study combining genes and 420 million year old fossils reveals that our tooth enamel developed from fish scales.

Discovery of new whale species fills evolutionary gap

Scientists discover a previously unknown ancient whale species--helping them understand how whales evolved into the many species that exist today.

Alzheimer’s prevention can vary between populations

A gene variation that protects against Alzheimer’s is missing in most Danes but not in other Nordic populations.

Scientists solve the riddle of eel evolution

European and American eels emerged as separate species 3.5 million years ago -- yet they can still breed with each other. Scientists can now tell us how.

Why dinosaurs avoided the equator for 30 million years

Researchers have discovered why it took the dinosaurs 30 million years to capture the equator.

Birds on the Galápagos Islands have developed new eating habits

New study on the eating habits of birds on the Galápagos Islands have surprised scientists.

Birds on the Galápagos Islands have developed new eating habits

New study on the eating habits of birds on the Galápagos Islands have surprised scientists.

Killer whales and walruses more closely related to wolves than each other

New study shows how some animals ended up looking very similar yet share almost none of the same genetic mutations.

Scientists warn: creationism is on the rise in Europe

More and more people in Europe are beginning to believe that a god -- not evolution -- shaped life on Earth and there are no signs this development will stop.

Groundbreaking genome sequencings reveal how birds became birds

Scientists have sequenced the genomes of 48 different species of birds. Their findings reveal how birds developed, how all bird species are related, and what made them develop special characteristics.

Scandinavians are the earliest Europeans

Scientists have sequenced a 37,000-year-old genome. The results show that present-day Scandinavians are the closest living relatives to the first people in Europe.

Prehistoric humans were far smarter than previously assumed

325,000-year-old stone tools go to prove that our forefathers were far better at collaborating and planning than we thought.

Darwin treasure found in Denmark

A handwritten document by Charles Darwin has been discovered at the Natural History Museum of Denmark. The document led researchers to another Darwin artifact hidden in Denmark.

Why does poor mimicry work?

Hoverflies mimic the appearance of wasps to avoid being eaten. But even to our untrained eyes they seem to be doing a shoddy job. So why does it work anyway?

Swedish ferns stuck to their Jurassic game plan

A remarkable finding from Skåne County in the south of Sweden shows that the royal fern has not changed genetically in the past 180 million years.

Animal origin theory challenged: Early animals needed almost no oxygen

The first animals on Earth could get by with much less oxygen than previously thought, new study reveals.

Ageing: Theory needs to be revised

The existing evolutionary theories of ageing need to be revised, according to a new study, which shows that many of Earth’s plants and animals grow old in surprising ways.

Hummingbirds can fly with almost no oxygen

The hummingbird’s super-fast wing beats are among the most energy-intensive movements in the animal kingdom. Still, the birds can fly 4,000 metres above sea level, where there is very little oxygen. Scientists have now figured out how this is possible.

DNA links Native Americans with Europeans

Ancient DNA reveals that the ancestors of modern-day Native Americans had European roots. The discovery sheds new light on European prehistory and also solves old mysteries concerning the colonisation of America.

Chimpanzees catch yawns from humans

Chimpanzees yawn when they see a human yawn, but not until they reach a certain age, shows study, which hints at a new explanations of the development of empathy.

Surviving ash trees help to address evolutionary riddle

A pathogenic fungus is killing thousands of European ash trees every year. Danish researchers are now trying to uncover the genetics behind the unknown defence mechanism in ash trees. Not only to save the ash trees, but also to address an evolutionary mystery in trees.

Extreme rituals enhance social cohesion

Physically and mentally exhausting rituals promote the spirit of community in society, according to a new study. This is the first time that this hypothesis has been confirmed experimentally.

Ancient fish face bears signs of modern jaw

A smiling fish that lived in China 419 million years ago revolutionises our conception of the origin of humans and most other vertebrate animals.

Oxygenated Earth much older than we thought

The discovery of the world’s oldest soil suggests that Earth’s atmosphere contained oxygen as early as three billion years ago. That’s 700 million years earlier than previously thought.

Ants in gladiatorial combat reveal unique collaboration

Defenceless ‘farmer ants’ receive help from heavily armed venomous ants when their colony is attacked. This unique collaboration has now been documented through gladiatorial combat between the ants.

Microscopic arms race rages on the seabed

The ocean floor contains viruses and bacteria locked in a constant struggle for survival. This has a great effect on the carbon cycle in the ocean and thus also affects how much CO2 is released into the atmosphere.

Apes can relive their past through ’mental time travel’

Humans are no longer the only primate capable of recalling their own experiences from the past, claim scientists.

Hunger increases support for social welfare

If we are hungry when we’re asked about our attitude towards welfare, we are more likely to show support for a social welfare policy. This is a biological impulse which ensures survival, new research suggests.

Why leprosy is still going strong

Scientists have mapped the genome of the bacterium that causes leprosy. The findings reveal why the disease still manages to infect more than 200,000 people every year.

Butterfly with four eyespots spooks big predators

The eyespots on this butterfly's wings are big enough to scare full-grown chickens.

How bacteria adapt to human hosts

Researchers have mapped how bacteria go from living in topsoil to living in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients.

Overlooked life on seabed gorges on fish faeces

Bacteria are not the only organisms that feed on dead plankton and fish faeces. The so-called ‘archaea’ also play an important – and hitherto overlooked – role in carbon cycling in the seabed.

Sea snakes break rules of evolution

Evolutionarily speaking, sea snakes are some pretty weird creatures. They have evolved both large and small heads very quickly and apparently without being separated geographically.

Three in four chimpanzee species live in European zoos

Danish researchers have found three out of the four existing subspecies of chimpanzees in the European zoo population. The chimpanzees can be used to consolidate existing breeding programmes and launch new ones.

Anus-mouthed worm looks like our earliest ancestor

Scientists have finally succeeded in studying the development of a tiny Swedish worm. Its mouth and its anus are in the same spot and the worm is a primitive form of man.

Butterflies fly 3,500 km by compass

Monarch butterflies fly from Canada to Mexico using only an internal compass and the landscape to guide them. Now researchers can explain how.

Evolution: giant leaps or half measures?

New statistical analyses suggest that evolution does not happen gradually through intermediary generations, but in a large single leap to new species.

Bacteria thrive at the bottom of the Mariana Trench

Scientists have found bacteria in one of the world’s most hostile and extreme environments 11 km below sea level.

Live bacteria found deep below the seabed

Scientists have found live microbial communities in the earth’s crust deep below the seabed. The discovery may affect our conception of Earth's orbit.

Butterfly hangs on for dear life

A century of strong winds on a tiny island in the Baltic Sea has created butterflies that are especially adapted to keep from blowing away.

Global warming also affects palm trees

Palms are slow to adapt or disperse in response to man-made climate change. This could spell the end for several palm species.

How the heavy plough changed the world

New technology ploughed its way to prosperity in medieval Northern Europe.

Science has always been driven by money

New project seeks to uncover the influence that money has had on history’s great scientific discoveries.

Prehistoric fossil preserved in a leech cocoon

For the first time ever, scientists can see the nucleus of an animal that lived at the same time as the dinosaurs.

Parrots use sounds like people use names

Parrots use their ability to mimic sounds to address specific individuals in a dynamic communication network.

Tree-jumping taught dinosaurs to fly

The earliest dino-birds had wings that could only be used for passive flight between treetops, new fossil analysis reveals.

Humans have added new bones to the pig

A mapping of the pig genome sheds light on how pig farming has changed the animal over time. The new findings could be of great benefit to medical research.

Bizarre penis shaved by scientists

The most terrifying penis in the animal kingdom has now been under the laser. Here, scientists found the answer to an evolutionary mystery.

Your muscles determine your vote

Men with big muscles try harder to get their hands on tax money or to hold on to their own income, while physically weak men shy away from such conflicts, new study suggests.

Living fossil lives only on two rocks

A small herb from the past has miraculously survived on two adjacent vertical cliffs with the help of ants.

Oysters are more complex than we think

Scientists have finally mapped the genome of oysters. This has given us new knowledge about life on the sea bottom and provides insight into the creation of pearls.

Children of older men have more DNA mutations

The father’s age is decisive in determining how many mutations a child has in its genome – the older the father is, the higher the number of mutations is, and the greater the risk is that the child will develop e.g. autism and schizophrenia.

Hybrid fungus threatens agriculture

A new breed of fungus appeared less than 500 years ago, when the genes of two different types were accidentally mixed. Such hybrid fungi may be a threat to agriculture.

DNA reveals new picture of dog origins

Many different civilisations transformed wolves to dogs thousands of years ago. It was previously thought that only the Chinese had bred man's best friend.

Animals and bacteria evolve together

Scientists have discovered that bacteria evolve in a similar way to the animals they inhabit. This finding will make it easier to study animal evolution.

Carnivorous killer algae found in Danish waters

We know that fish eat plankton and plankton eat algae. Think again, says researcher, who has spotted a form of algae so ferocious that can they overpower animals 10,000 times their own size.

Synthetic DNA is tomorrow's medicine

Scientists have developed proteins that can make synthetic genetic material evolve over generations in a similar way to DNA. The breakthrough could lead to a completely new form of medicine.