https://phys.org/biology-news/evolution en-us The latest science news on evolution Previous studies in humans and animals have shown that hosts in a social condition (sharing the same space) harbor a more similar microbiota composition. Microbial transmission between hosts, which is increased when living in the same household, leads to similar species inhabiting the gut. However, whether bacterial evolution in the gut is affected by microbiota transmission has remained unknown. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-power-host-social-interactions-bacterial.html Evolution Cell & Microbiology Wed, 02 Aug 2023 14:55:53 EDT news610206950 The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) announces the oldest swimming jellyfish in the fossil record with the newly named Burgessomedusa phasmiformis. These findings are announced in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-oldest-species-jellyfish.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 01 Aug 2023 19:00:01 EDT news610100880 Researchers often think how and when their results will be published. However, many research projects don't see the light until decades (or even centuries) later, if at all. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-year-old-tassie-tiger-brain-sample.html Evolution Ecology Tue, 01 Aug 2023 10:35:33 EDT news610104929 A new type of analysis of a spectacular 120-million-year-old fossil skeleton of the extinct early bird Jeholornis from northeastern China has revealed the oldest evidence for birds eating leaves, marking the earliest known evolution of arboreal plant-eating among birds. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-fossil-reveals-leaf-eating-earliest-birds.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 01 Aug 2023 10:06:03 EDT news610103161 The lakes in Wyoming's Wind River Mountains historically didn't contain fish, but stocking of trout that began in the early 1900s has created an environment in which hundreds of those lakes now have strong fish populations—some carried on by natural reproduction for decades. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-evolutionary-trout-wyoming-river-mountains.html Evolution Ecology Mon, 31 Jul 2023 16:59:03 EDT news610041541 A study published in the journal Current Biology provides valuable insights into understanding how individual species persist under climate change and its implications for the global carbon cycle and marine food webs. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-deep-unveiling-secrets-microalgae-cope.html Evolution Ecology Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:19:03 EDT news610028341 The origin of bees is tens of millions of years older than most previous estimates, a new study shows. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-bees-evolved-ancient-supercontinent-earlier.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:11:00 EDT news610020655 The influenza (flu) virus is constantly undergoing a process of evolution and adaptation through acquiring new mutations. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have added a new layer of understanding to explain why and how flu viruses change. The "survival of the accessible" model provides a complementary view to the more widely recognized "survival of the fittest" way of evolving. The work was published today in Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-mutation-accessibility-fuels-influenza-evolution.html Evolution Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:08:24 EDT news609771963 The ability of most mammals to maintain a relatively constant and high body temperature is considered a key adaptation, enabling them to successfully colonize new habitats and harsh environments. Eager to determine how this ability evolved, some scientists proposed that a particular region of the mammal skull—the anterior nasal cavity, which houses structures known as the maxilloturbinals—plays a pivotal role in body temperature maintenance. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-fossil-skulls-animal-blooded.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 28 Jul 2023 13:01:03 EDT news609768062 The genus Caragana in the legume family is ecologically and pharmacologically important. Caragana plays a key role in the cold desert ecosystem throughout the Asian continent. However, accurate identification of taxa in the genus has been challenging. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-dna-barcoding-genus-caragana-legume.html Evolution Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:20:02 EDT news609758401 An international research study led by the University of Vienna (Austria) and the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) in Barcelona (Spain), recently published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, provides a better insight into the evolutionary history of gorillas. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-gene-extinct-gorilla-population-eastern.html Evolution Ecology Fri, 28 Jul 2023 09:39:37 EDT news609755973 Resilient corals, often referred to as "super corals," have recently been seen as potential saviors in the face of climate change and its detrimental effects on coral reefs. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-highlights-extreme-coral-habitats.html Evolution Ecology Fri, 28 Jul 2023 05:00:02 EDT news609683332 At first glance, the hexagonal cells build by honey bees and social wasps may seem similar, but they are significantly different. Honey bees build using wax, whereas wasps use paper. Honey bees build their double-sided combs vertically, whereas wasps build single-sided comb horizontally (i.e., the opening of each cell faces downward). https://phys.org/news/2023-07-bees-wasps-architectural-solutions-large.html Evolution Ecology Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:00:01 EDT news609672044 The origins of the plague go back to the Neolithic Age, with the oldest findings of the causative pathogen Yersinia pestis coming from human bones around 5,000 years old. In the history of the plague, the late antique Justinianic plague from the sixth century and the so-called Black Death of the late Middle Ages stand out. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-insights-evolution-plague-pathogen.html Evolution Cell & Microbiology Wed, 26 Jul 2023 16:54:05 EDT news609609241 Researchers have described a new species of armored reptile that lived near the time of the first appearance of dinosaurs. With bony plates on its backbone, this archosaur fossil reveals that armor was a boomerang trait in the story of dinosaur and pterosaur evolution: the group's ancestors were armored, but this characteristic was lost and then independently re-evolved multiple times later among specialized dinosaurs like ankylosaurs, stegosaurs, and others. The study is published today in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-archosaur-species-precursor-dinosaurs-pterosaurs.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:27:22 EDT news609600438 Some of the world's most distinct and ancient animal species, which play crucial roles in our planet's ecosystems, are exploited for the wildlife trade across large parts of the world, according to new research from the University of Sheffield. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-global-wildlife-evolutionary-history-ecosystem.html Evolution Ecology Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:17:04 EDT news609592621 Anyone who has taken a long road trip or bike ride has used a product of the spurge plant family—rubber. The spurge family, or Euphorbiaceae, includes economically valuable plants like the rubber tree, castor oil plant, poinsettia and cassava. Newly identified fossils found in Argentina suggest that a group of spurges took a trip of their own tens of millions of years ago. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-spurge-purge-fossils-reveal-ancient.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 25 Jul 2023 15:30:10 EDT news609517805 Wageningen scientists have simulated the evolution of biodiversity through a mathematical approach. In doing so, they proved the long-held belief among biologists that biodiversity creates robust ecosystems. The researchers published their results in Theoretical Ecology. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-mathematicians-simulate-evolution-biodiversity.html Evolution Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 25 Jul 2023 15:11:25 EDT news609516682 An international team of researchers has uncovered "unprecedented" snake venom resistance in an unexpected species—the legless amphibians known as caecilians. The research has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-amphibian-survived-judgment-day.html Plants & Animals Evolution Mon, 24 Jul 2023 11:46:03 EDT news609417961 For the first time ever, researchers have been able to study the form of microorganisms from the early days of evolution some 1.5 billion years ago. These microorganisms are of exceptional importance for our understanding of the development of early life. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-discovery-oldest-3d-preserved-microorganisms.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:52:51 EDT news609414767 Understanding the origins and preservation of biodiversity is crucial as human impact continues to threaten our planet's rich variety of life. Often overlooked, narrow-ranged and evolutionary unique species play a vital role in shaping biodiversity. Their concentrated presence, quantified as phylogenetic endemism, reveals important centers of biogeographic and evolutionary history. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-global-patterns-biodiversity-seed-unveiled.html Evolution Ecology Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:29:03 EDT news609413341 Approximately 99.9% of fish and shark species are "cold-blooded," meaning their body tissues generally match the temperature of the water they swim in—but researchers have just discovered the mighty basking shark is a one-in-a-thousand exception. Instead, these sharks keep the core regions of their bodies warmer than the water like the most athletic swimmers in the sea such as great white sharks, mako sharks and tuna. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-scientists-filter-feeding-basking-sharks-warm-bodied.html Plants & Animals Evolution Thu, 20 Jul 2023 15:30:25 EDT news609085820 Immune systems develop specific genes to combat common bacteria such as those found in food, new research shows. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-immune-silver-bullet-defenses-common.html Evolution Cell & Microbiology Thu, 20 Jul 2023 14:00:01 EDT news609063210 Using artificial intelligence to analyze tens of thousands of X-ray images and genetic sequences, researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and New York Genome Center have been able to pinpoint the genes that shape our skeletons, from the width of our shoulders to the length of our legs. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-genes-bones-clues-future.html Evolution Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 20 Jul 2023 14:00:01 EDT news609063204 An international research team from Queen Mary University of London, U.K. and the Rovereto Civic Museum Foundation, Italy has made a groundbreaking discovery regarding reptiles and their ability to match visual and auditory information. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-reveals-reptiles-spontaneous-association-vision.html Plants & Animals Evolution Thu, 20 Jul 2023 13:33:03 EDT news609078782 The study of a new species of coelacanth from the Middle Triassic period, with a strange morphology for these fish known as "living fossil," show the formation of several species in a short time, after a mass extinction that occurred 252 million years ago, with more than 80% of marine species disappearing. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-fossil-coelacanths-switzerland-mass-extinction.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 20 Jul 2023 11:56:04 EDT news609072962 A new species of ancient gar fish that thrived in a marine environment 66 million years ago has been identified by an international team of paleontologists. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-discovery-unveils-ancient-marine-gar.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 20 Jul 2023 11:44:03 EDT news609072241 Sabertooth cats make up a diverse group of long-toothed predators that roamed Africa around 6–7 million years ago, around the time that hominins—the group that includes modern humans—began to evolve. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-paleontologists-species-sabertooth-cat.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 20 Jul 2023 11:00:01 EDT news609061161 Species richness is not only spatially heterogeneous along latitudes, but also among hyperdiverse tropical floras. However, few studies have elucidated the patterns of species richness in tropical terrestrial orchids. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-net-diversification-species-richness-disparity.html Plants & Animals Evolution Wed, 19 Jul 2023 13:09:02 EDT news608990941 New clues about the subtle but previously poorly understood evolutionary dance happening between temperatures and changes in the size of animal body parts have been revealed in a study led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. The new research offers important insights about how animals, particularly birds, may adapt to the rapid rise in temperatures driven by global climate change. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-relationships-temperature-animals-sizes.html Evolution Ecology Wed, 19 Jul 2023 12:10:25 EDT news608987423