Meet Siamraptor suwati, a new species of giant predatory dinosaur from Thailand
Fossils discovered in Thailand represent a new genus and species of predatory dinosaur, according to a new study.
Read moreEvolutionary Biology
Chemical evolution — One-pot wonder
Before life, there was RNA: Scientists show how the four different letters of this genetic alphabet could be created from simple precursor molecules on early Earth — under the same environmental conditions.
Read moreResearchers use game theory to successfully identify bacterial antibiotic resistance
Researchers have developed a novel way to identify previously unrecognized antibiotic-resistance genes in bacteria.
Read moreScientists identify molecule that could have helped cells thrive on early Earth
A new study offers an explanation for how ''protocells'' could have emerged on early Earth, eventually leading to the cells we know today. The work suggests that molecules called cyclophospholipids may have been the ingredient necessary for protocells to form important internal structures called vesicles, which likely kicked off the evolutionary process.
Read moreGenes play a role in dog breed differences in behavior
Border collies are highly trainable, greyhounds love to chase, and German shepherds make good guard dogs. While the environment plays a role, traits like these are highly heritable, according to a study of 101 dog breeds. The work identifies 131 genetic variants associated with breed differences in behavior.
Read moreBig data reveals extraordinary unity underlying life's diversity
Limits to growth lie at the heart of how all living things function. The diversity of life is staggering. From microscopic algae to elephants, life has devised countless ways to thrive in every environment on the planet. But while biologists have tended to focus on the many varied forms that species have evolved, the age of 'big data' offers an unprecedented view of some surprisingly common features shared by all creatures, great and small.
Read moreWas early stick insect evolution triggered by birds and mammals?
Stick and leaf insects are a strikingly bizarre group of insects with a worldwide distribution. They are famous for their impressively large body size and their remarkable ability to camouflage themselves as twigs, leaves or bark in order to hide from potential predators. A team of international researchers has now generated the first phylogenomic tree of these insects.
Read moreGenome-edited bull passes on hornless trait to calves
For the past two years, researchers have been studying six offspring of a dairy bull, genome-edited to prevent it from growing horns. Scientists report that none of the bull's offspring developed horns, as expected, and blood work and physical exams of the calves found they were all healthy. The researchers also sequenced and analyzed the genomes of the calves and their parents looking for any unexpected changes.
Read moreScientists uncover genetic similarities among species that use sound to navigate
Insect-eating bats navigate effortlessly in the dark and dolphins and killer whales gobble up prey in murky waters thanks in part to specific changes in a set of 18 genes involved in the development of the cochlear ganglion — a group of nerves that transmit sound from the ear to the brain, according to a new study.
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