Evolution
Less Unique Than We Think
Of all the alternative names that have been suggested for our species (out of which Linnaeus somehow chose Homo sapiens, “the wise”), maybe the most appropriate would be Homo narcissus, since we seem to delight so much in gazing at our own reflections. Like the Greek youth who fell in love with his …
OpinionSign of a Mysterious Human Ancestor Has Been Found in Our Spit
"We call it a 'ghost' species".<p>It's not enough for some people on this planet to say they have their mother's eyes – they can now claim to have their …
BiologyDogs are are friendly and faithful to human beings because of their genes, finds study
Tests found a link between certain genes and canine behaviour, such as paying attention to strangers.<p>Dogs are faithful and friendly to human beings …
DogsG Man puts the smack down on me!
I got into a conversation with a creationist in a hangout late one night, and now, wouldn’t you know it, he has announced that he “humbled” me. …
Life SciencesGrowth and Form by D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson review – centenary of a Darwin-challenging classic
Honeycombs, snail shells, a tiger’s stripes … The celebrated study of how physical forces and mathematical laws affect natural selection has just been reissued<p>Asked to name the most significant book about biology ever written in English, most biologists would opt for Charles Darwin’s <i>On the Origin</i> …
Life SciencesUse of cognitive abilities to care for grandkids may have driven evolution of menopause
Instead of having more children, a grandmother may pass on her genes more successfully by using her cognitive abilities to directly or indirectly aid …
Life SciencesScientists Have Discovered Why Dogs Are Humanity's Best Friend
"<p>Tell us something we don't know.<p>Scientists have confirmed what all dog owners have long known to be true, that our furry friends are in fact more like family than pets.<p>This is as a new study has found people and doggos actually have a similar genetic makeup (they do say canines look like their …
DogsThese are the longest-living life-forms on Earth
What is the true longest-living life-form? Tortoises, whales, and trees are all likely to be the winners. However, some microscopic species are the answer for this. They have been alive since before humans even existed — that's more than 200,000 years ago. Following is a transcript of the video.<p><i>If</i> …
Life SciencesScientists assumed that patriarchy was only natural. Bonobos proved them wrong
My favorite exhibit at California’s San Diego zoo is the bonobo enclosure. Not because this is a ridiculously randy species (seriously, any age or sex will suffice). Not even because they, alongside chimpanzees, are the species most closely related to humans. But because they live in what some …
ScienceWe still don’t really know where dogs came from
All we know is that they're very good boys.<p>Dogs are too pure for this world. This fact is known. If supernatural explanations were sufficient, we could safely say that dogs descended from the heavens to bring us joy.<p>Reality, as ever, gets in the way with its need for “logic” and “evidence.” The …
Life SciencesIt Didn’t Take Long for Humans and Neanderthals to Start Boinking
Source: Pixabay<p>The prevailing thought for decades was that humans descending from Neanderthals more or less directly. Some thought we may be close …
Life SciencesDNA Testing Suggests Dogs Needed No Convincing to Befriend Humans
Dogs have loved us for thousands of years, despite humanity’s many flaws and foibles. New research suggests dogs were domesticated from wolves just …
DNA TestingWhy Dog Breeds Look So Very Different, But Cats Don't
From the Abyssinian to the Turkish van, cat lineages have been bred for decades to produce felines with minor physical distinctions. These include …
DogsWhat Makes Fido So Friendly? It Could Be Genetic
Whether they're staring at us, barking at us or licking our faces, dogs are often eager to interact with humans and are highly attuned to our …
Life SciencesArtifacts suggest humans arrived in Australia earlier than thought
When and how the first humans made their way to Australia has been an evolving story.<p>While it is accepted that humans appeared in Africa some 200,000 …
AnthropologyDid human women contribute to Neanderthal genomes over 200,000 years ago?
A new Neanderthal mitochondrial genome supports a remarkable hypothesis – that there was interbreeding with an extremely early migration of African hominins<p>Keeping pace with new developments in the field of human evolution these days is a daunting prospect. It seems as though every few weeks …
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World Europe's first 'eTree' puts down roots in central France<p>News Barcelona set to confirm Valverde as new coach on Monday<p>World Macron hosts Putin …
AnthropologyNew study finds modern dogs similar to their ancestors
Modern dogs have a similar genetic make-up to their ancient ancestors, a new international study involving Irish-based scientists has found.<p>The …
AnthropologyAnimated life: living fossil fish
In 1938, the South African museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer set out on a quest to preserve an unusual fish given to her by a local …
Life SciencesNew bird-like species of dinosaur identified
By: IANS | Toronto |<p>Canadian scientists have identified a new bird-like species of dinosaur that lived nearly 71 million years ago and was about the …
Biological SpeciesLarge-scale study of adaptation in yeast could help explain the evolution of cancer
Genome sequencing approach reveals 'drivers' of adaptation in laboratory-evolved yeast, work uncovers roles of genetic hitchhiking and interaction in …
Cancer'Apes Together Strong' Scenario Is 'Possible', Says Chimp Expert
In <i>War For the Planet of the Apes</i>, humans and apes alike are living in fear. Most of the human population has been killed by the simian flu, and those …
BiologyGenetic study reveals ancestry of Madagascar people
(Phys.org)—A large team of researchers from France, Madagascar, Indonesia, Germany and Australia has conducted a genetic study of the native people …
EcologyFOXI3 gene is involved in dental cusp formation
The teeth of hairless dogs teach researchers about the development and evolution of mammalian teeth<p>Hairless dog breeds differ from other dogs not …
Life SciencesA mouthful of history: How teeth reveal our evolutionary past
WE BRUSH them every day, flash a smile, chomp through our meals. Yet it’s easy to forget the amazing role teeth play in the story of mammalian …
Life SciencesStudy: Sleeping less in old age may have helped humans survive
As we age, we get poorer and poorer sleep, but that might actually be an evolutionary adaptation that helped humans survive at night by ensuring one …
Life SciencesA Strange Creature Discovered by Darwin Has Baffled Researchers for Decades
Rediscovering the <i>Macrauchenia</i><p>Charles Darwin discovered the bones of <i>Macrauchenia</i>, which went extinct toward the end of the Ice Age, in 1838 while …
Life SciencesHagfish Slime Is Wonderful
Sadly, a flatbed truck dumping 7,500 lbs of live hagfish onto a highway in Oregon will not be the weirdest story of 2017. It will not even be close. …
FishHow Donald Trump got human evolution wrong
Human evolution has a public relations problem. That isn’t just because some people are skeptical of science in general or because creationists reject the notion of evolution. As it is often studied and taught, human evolution can be male-biased and Eurocentric, even reeking of sexism and …
BiologyNew Poll: Support For Creationism Falls To Record Low
A new poll from Gallup shows a sharp decline in Americans who believe in creationism and specifically the “Young Earth” view that the Earth is less …
Creationism