An evolution in the understanding of evolution
An engineering professor and her former Ph.D. student share a new, more accurate method for modeling evolutionary change.
Read moreBiology
Museums put ancient DNA to work for wildlife
Scientists who are trying to save species at the brink of extinction are finding help in an unexpected place. Researchers increasingly are embracing the power of ancient DNA from old museum specimens to answer questions about climate change, habitat loss and other stresses on surviving populations.
Read morePaleontologists discover complete Saurornitholestes langstoni specimen
The discovery of a nearly complete dromaeosaurid Saurornitholestes langstoni specimen is providing critical information for the evolution of theropod dinosaurs, according to new research.
Read moreArthropods formed orderly lines 480 million years ago
Researchers studied fossilized Moroccan Ampyx trilobites, which lived 480 million years ago and showed that the trilobites had probably been buried in their positions — all oriented in the same direction. Scientists deduced that these Ampyx processions may illustrate a kind of collective behavior adopted in response to cyclic environmental disturbances.
Read moreStudy helps pinpoint what makes species vulnerable to environmental change
Researchers have reported that a bird species' ability to adapt to seasonal temperature changes may be one factor in whether it can better withstand environmental disruption. The researchers studied 135 bird species in the Himalayas and found that species living in the seasonal western Himalayas adapted to the conversion of forests to agricultural land better than birds native to the tropical eastern Himalayas. Results such as these could help conservationists better determine where to focus their efforts.
Read moreHuge dinosaurs evolved different cooling systems to combat heat stroke
Different dinosaur groups independently evolved gigantic body sizes, but they all faced the same problems of overheating and damaging their brains.
Read moreScientists discover skin keeps time independent of the brain
A study has now found that a type of opsin known as neuropsin is expressed in the hair follicles of mice and synchronize the skin's circadian clock to the light-dark cycle, independent of the eyes or brain. Researchers now want to see if skin heals better if it's exposed to certain types of light.
Read moreComputational 'match game' identifies potential antibiotics
Computational biologists have devised a software tool that can play a high-speed 'Match Game' to identify bioactive molecules and the microbial genes that produce them so they can be evaluated as possible antibiotics and other therapeutic agents.
Read moreNovel virus type may shed light on viral evolution
Viruses are non-living creatures, consisting of genetic material encased in a protein coat. Once the virus infects a living organism, it can replicate itself and continue on. But what happens if a virus lacks the proper tools to infect an organism? How can it propagate? Researchers have uncovered a novel virus that may help answer those questions.
Read moreStartled fish escape using several distinct neuronal circuits
A fast knee-jerk 'ballistic' escape response and a more considered 'delayed' escape response are mediated by distinct and parallel neuronal pathways in zebrafish, according to a new study.
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