Fossil of Carnivorous Dinosaur Reveals Evolutionary Clues
A mysterious new species of small to medium-sized, feathered, carnivorous dinosaur that lived during the Cretaceous Period has been recently discovered in New Mexico.
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evolution
Tiny Prehistoric Lizard Sheds Light on Reptile Evolution
Scientists have discovered a new prehistoric lizard that may be key to understanding the ancient evolutionary history of precursor reptiles, according to new research released Thursday.
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Orb-Weaver Spiders’ Yellow & Black Pattern Helps Them Lure Prey
Using a bright yellow color similarly found in several flower heads, scientists revealed in a new study Monday that orb weaving spiders can use the colored patterns across their body to lure potential prey into their webs.
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World’s Oldest Forest Reveals Modern Trees Emerged Earlier Than Thought
A research team of faculty from Binghamton University in New York revealed surprising evidence Thursday that the transition to the everyday forests we know today began much earlier than previously thought.
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Orca Appetites Likely Forcing Evolution of Smaller Salmon
The continual consumption of the largest Chinook salmon by killer whales near Alaska and Canada may be forcing an evolution to smaller salmon – and could spell bad news for orca families already starving off the coast of Washington state.
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Fossil Whale Shows Transition Stage to Tail-Powered Swimming
Researchers from the University of Michigan have described a new fossilized whale that represents not only a new species, but also identifies an important step in the evolution of whale mechanics.
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Scientists Find Missing Link Between Modern and Prehistoric Penguins
Scientists have discovered the missing link between modern penguins and their ancient ancestors who lived more than 60 million years ago, identifying a new species Monday that lived beside its human-sized penguin cousins.
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Study of Butterfly Wings Offers Proof of Evolution’s Unpredictability
Heliconius butterflies develop nearly identical wing and color patterns whether they’re in Peru or Costa Rica, and a team of scientists have discovered the reason why.
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Earliest Known Dino-Bird With Tail Feathers Found in Japan Fossil Site
Archaeologists combing through dinosaur fossil sites in Japan have discovered a previously unknown bird species that soared through the skies over 120 million years ago. The pigeon-sized bird holds clues to the evolution of modern birds, according to a study released Thursday.
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Standing Tall: Scientists Find Oldest Example of Upright Ape
The remains of an ancient ape found in a Bavarian clay pit suggest that humans’ ancestors began standing upright millions of years earlier than previously thought, scientists said Wednesday.
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Humans’ Ancestral ‘Homeland’ Traced to Northern Botswana
Africa has long been known as the cradle of life, but the exact location of our evolutionary breakthrough has evaded researchers – until now. In a stunning development, a study released Monday reveals that our ancestral homeland lies buried within an arid region in northern Botswana.
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Evolution – and Climate Change – Resetting the Clock for Migratory Birds
Climate change has offset the internal clocks of migrating birds, which are shedding their winter feathers and laying their eggs earlier in the year.
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The Secret to Belgian Ale? Medieval Super-Yeasts
Classic Belgian beers, some of the most famous ales in the world, are fermented with rare, hybrid yeast species, according to a study published Monday in Nature Ecology and Evolution.
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Queuing for Eternity: Fossils Show Lining Up Is Primal Urge
Ever felt like you’ve been queuing forever? Scientists say fossils found in Morocco suggest the practice of forming orderly lines may date back 480 million years and could have had evolutionary advantages.
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First Neanderthal Activity Found on Greek Island
Scientists have for the first time found evidence of Neanderthals on the Greek island of Naxos, pushing back human activity in the Aegean by thousands of years, a new study shows.
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Investing in Love & Affection Pays Off – Just Ask Birds
Why do birds of a feather stick together, even when it would be better for both if they set one another free? Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday analyzes the costs of cooperation in long-term mating birds to explain the evolutionary origin of post-coital couples.
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Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to 3 Cosmologists
Three scientists won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for their work in understanding how the universe has evolved, and the Earth’s place in it.
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Reconstruction of Extinct Shark Shows Early Evolution of Suction Feeding
A group of researchers have assembled a construction kit for a spiked-fin shark that may have lived 300 million years ago in order to understand how this fish got its jaws around its prey.
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1.7 Million-Year-Old Rhino DNA a ‘Game-Changer’ for Evolutionary Study
The tooth of an extinct rhino provides a glimpse into life in Eurasia on a different Earth, but the proteins within the tooth also present researchers data from 1.7 million years ago and shed light on evolutionary sequences further back than previously studied.
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Scientists Uncover 550 Million-Year-Old Fossils of Bug Trails
In a shattering evolutionary revelation, scientists in China have discovered fossils of an ancient bug and the trails – likely the oldest ever found – stamped onto Earth’s surface more than a half-billion years ago, according to a study released Wednesday.
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