Why didn't Darwin discover Mendel's laws?
Mendel solved the logic of inheritance in his monastery garden with no more technology than Darwin had in his garden at Down House. view more (2009-02-27)
New recipe for dwarf galaxies: Start with leftover gas
There is more than one way to make a dwarf galaxy, and NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has found a new recipe. view more (2009-02-19)
Anthropologist's studies of childbirth bring new focus on women in evolution
Contrary to the TV sitcom where the wife experiencing strong labor pains screams at her husband to stay away from her, women rarely give birth alone. There are typically doctors, nurses and husbands in hospital delivery rooms, and sometimes even other relatives and friends. Midwives often are called on to help with births at home. view more (2009-02-18)
Boosting its infectivity turns benign virus into good gene therapy carrier for cystic fibrosis
Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Iowa have turned a relatively benign virus into a highly infectious form that is ideal as a carrier for gene therapy. view more (2009-02-17)
Genetic differences between yeasts greater than those between humans and chimpanzees
The mapping of the entire yeast genome in 1996 marked the beginning of a revolution in biological and medical research. The human genome was mapped in 2001, and by now the number of characterised species is approaching 1000, most of which are bacteria. view more (2009-02-13)
Origin of claws seen in 390-million-year-old fossil
A missing link in the evolution of the front claw of living scorpions and horseshoe crabs was identified with the discovery of a 390 million-year-old fossil by researchers at Yale and the University of Bonn, Germany. view more (2009-02-06)
Comparative genomics reveals molecular evolution of Q fever pathogen
Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Texas A&M Health Center, and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have uncovered genetic clues about why some strains of the pathogen Coxiella burnetii are more virulent than others. view more (2009-02-03)
Stanford researchers show adaptation plays a significant role in human evolution
For years researchers have puzzled over whether adaptation plays a major role in human evolution or whether most changes are due to neutral, random selection of genes and traits. view more (2009-01-16)
Primate culture is just a stone's throw away from human evolution, study finds
For 30 years, scientists have been studying stone-handling behavior in several troops of Japanese macaques to catch a unique glimpse of primate culture. view more (2009-01-13)
Scripps scientists develop first examples of RNA that replicates itself indefinitely
Findings could inform biochemical questions about how life began. Now, a pair of Scripps Research Institute scientists has taken a significant step toward answering that question. The scientists have synthesized for the first time RNA enzymes that can replicate themselves without the help of any proteins or other cellular components, and the... view more... (2009-01-12)
Reverse evolution in real-time
In his book, Wonderful World, Stephen Jay Gould writes about an experiment of 'replaying life's tape', wherein one could go back in time, let the tape of life play again and see if 'the repetition looks at all like the original'. view more (2009-01-12)
Hind wings help butterflies make swift turns to evade predators, study finds
New tires allow race cars to take tight turns at high speeds. Hind wings give moths and butterflies similar advantages: They are not necessary for basic flight but help these creatures take tight turns to evade predators. view more (2009-01-09)
Charting HIV's rapidly changing journey in the body
HIV is so deadly largely because it evolves so rapidly. With a single virus as the origin of an infection, most patients will quickly come to harbor thousands of different versions of HIV, all a little bit different and all competing with one another to most efficiently infect that person's cells. view more (2008-12-12)
Ocean growing more acidic faster than once thought
University of Chicago scientists have documented that the ocean is growing more acidic faster than previously thought. In addition, they have found that the increasing acidity correlates with increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. view more (2008-11-25)
Panamanian termite goes ballistic: Fastest mandible strike in the world
A single hit on the head by the termite Termes panamensis (Snyder), which possesses the fastest mandible strike ever recorded, is sufficient to kill a would-be nest invader, report Marc Seid and Jeremy Niven, post-doctoral fellows at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Rudolf Scheffrahn from the University of Florida. view more (2008-11-25)
Two From One-Pitt Research Maps Out Evolution of Genders From Hermaphroditic Ancestors
Research from the University of Pittsburgh published in the Nov. 20 edition of "Heredity" could finally provide evidence of the first stages of the evolution of separate sexes, a theory that holds that males and females developed from hermaphroditic ancestors. view more (2008-11-21)
Worker ants of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your fertility
The highly specialized worker castes in ants represent the pinnacle of social organization in the insect world. As in any society, however, ant colonies are filled with internal strife and conflict. So what binds them together? More than 150 years ago, Charles Darwin had an idea and now he's been proven right. view more (2008-11-20)
Stopping germs from ganging up on humans
Keeping germs from cooperating can delay the evolution of drug resistance more effectively than killing germs one by one with traditional drugs such as antibiotics, according to new research from The University of Arizona in Tucson. view more (2008-11-20)
Forced evolution: Can we mutate viruses to death?
It sounds like a science fiction movie: A killer contagion threatens the Earth, but scientists save the day with a designer drug that forces the virus to mutate itself out of existence. The killer disease? Still a fiction. The drug? It could become a reality thanks to a new study by Rice University bioengineers. view more (2008-11-11)
Annuals converted into perennials
Annual crops grow, blossom and die within one year. Perennials overwinter and grow again the following year. The life strategy of many annuals consists of rapid growth following germination and rapid transition to flower and seed formation, thus preventing the loss of energy needed to create permanent structures. view more (2008-11-10)
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