Cougar sex drive an evolutionary adaptation
As a woman’s fertility begins to wane, the brain ramps up the libido in what researchers call “reproduction expediting,” an…
New evidence for hot climate forcing early humans to walk upright
The Turkana Basin in Kenya, where the average daily temperature has been around 100 degrees for the past 4 million…
Samoan study reveals possible evolutionary role for homosexuality
Male homosexuality doesn’t make complete sense from an evolutionary point of view but a new study suggests that it may…
Evolution to blame for modern-day health problems?
The subtle but relentless pressures of human evolution could explain the rise of disorders such as autism, autoimmune diseases, and…
Prions capable of evolutionary change
Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have discovered that proteinaceous infectious particles (prions) are capable of Darwinian evolution. The breakthrough…
Fish vision evolution observed at molecular level
Emory University researchers have identified the first fish known to have switched from ultraviolet vision to violet vision (the ability…
Pygmy puberty put under the microscope
A new hypothesis regarding evolutionary adaption in pygmies contends that their small body size is a side effect of early…
Y chromosome not such a dud
It was believed that the X and Y chromosomes – that define the sexes – did not communicate at all,…
Constructal law seeks to unify animate and inanimate designs of nature
Earth’s living creatures and inanimate phenomena may have more in common than previously thought. At least that is the view…
Primitive whales gave birth on land
A pair of ancient whale fossils – a pregnant female and a male of the same species – reveals how…
Biologists mull rapid, non-adaptive gene mutations
Scientists attempting to discover why some human genes evolved very rapidly believe that biased gene conversion (a non-adaptive evolutionary process)…
Credit card maxed out? Blame your sex drive
Foreclosures, credit card debt, bank bailouts – all symptoms of compulsive overspending, which a University of Michigan (UM) researcher believes…
The “perfect” body not always perfect
The hormones that make women physically stronger, more competitive and better able to deal with stress also tend to redistribute…
Adaptive proteins “control” their own evolution
A previously hidden mechanism that guides the way biological organisms respond to the forces of natural selection has been observed…
New findings challenge long-held assumptions about flightless bird evolution
University of Florida zoologists say that large flightless birds such as the ostrich and emu do not share a common…
Honey, We Shrunk The Cod
Analysis of ancient fish unearthed on an island in the Baltic Sea suggests overfishing by humans is causing fish populations…
The High Cost Of Intelligence
The metabolic changes responsible for the evolution of human cognitive abilities indicate that the brain may have been pushed to…
Male Homosexuality Placed In Darwinian Context
Writing about their findings in the journal PLoS ONE, Italian researchers say that male homosexuality in humans can be explained…
Modern Man In Evolutionary Fast Lane
A new study led by University of Wisconsin-Madison anthropologist John Hawks describes the past 40,000 years as a time of…
Men: Simple Creatures
No matter the species, males evolve flashier features and more melodious warbles in an eternal competition to win the best…
Cancer Triggered By Viral Selection?
New research suggests that viruses may contribute to cancer by causing excessive death to normal cells while promoting the growth…
Language-Gene Evolution Shared By Humans And Neanderthals
Adaptive changes in a human gene involved in speech and language processing were shared by our closest extinct relatives, the…
Dehydrated Females Quench Thirst With Ejaculate
University of Exeter biologists say that some female beetles often mate simply to quench their thirst and overcome dehydration. The…
Shifting Evolution Up A Gear
Research appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that “moving the goalposts” may be one method…
Did Trichromatic Vision Evolve Because of Colorful Bottoms Or Colorful Fruit?
Primates that can distinguish red hues from green ones (trichromatic color vision) have been the cause of much debate among…
Humans Took First Steps In Tree Tops
Scientists at the University of Liverpool, UK, say that our ability to walk upright developed from foraging for food in…
Urban Areas Turn Migratory Birds Into Couch Potatoes
The latest issue of the journal Ecology carries a study showing that migratory birds in urban areas are choosing to…
Gloomy Prognosis For Amphibians
A study published in the journal BioSciencesuggests that many amphibious species are at risk of extinction because they are failing…
Mites Re-Evolve Sexual Reproduction
Researchers from the University of Darmstadt in Germany and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry reported this week…