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evolution

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Illustration of DNA that combines elements of mealybug and bacterial imagery.
evolution

Cell-Bacteria Mergers Offer Clues to How Organelles Evolved

By Viviane Callier
October 3, 2019
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Cells in symbiotic partnership, sometimes nested one within the other and functioning like organelles, can borrow from their host’s genes to complete their own metabolic pathways.

Scanning electron micrograph of a cluster of coccolithophores.
ecology

How Jurassic Plankton Stole Control of the Ocean’s Chemistry

By Christie Wilcox
October 1, 2019
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Only 170 million years ago, new plankton evolved. Their demand for carbon and calcium permanently transformed the seas as homes for life.

Cichlid fish of diverse colors and shapes swim together.
evolution

New Hybrid Species Remix Old Genes Creatively

By Jonathan Lambert
September 10, 2019
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Clues from fish diversity suggest that interbreeding between species could be a major mechanism of fast speciation.

3D illustration of three human skulls, split into left and right halves and nested one inside the next.
evolution

Fossil DNA Reveals New Twists in Modern Human Origins

By Jordana Cepelewicz
August 29, 2019
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Modern humans and more ancient hominins interbred many times throughout Eurasia and Africa, and the genetic flow went both ways.

Abstractions blog

Can New Species Evolve From Cancers? Maybe. Here’s How.

By Christie Wilcox
August 19, 2019
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Researchers agree it’s a long shot, but transmissible cancers could theoretically evolve into independent species. Certain weird parasites might be living proof.

evolution

Scientists Debate the Origin of Cell Types in the First Animals

By Jordana Cepelewicz
July 17, 2019
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Theories about how animals became multicellular are shifting as researchers find greater complexity in our single-celled ancestors.

Art for "What’s in a Name? Taxonomy Problems Vex Biologists"
taxonomy

What’s in a Name? Taxonomy Problems Vex Biologists

By Christie Wilcox
June 24, 2019
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Researchers struggle to incorporate ongoing evolutionary discoveries into an animal classification scheme older than Darwin.

Art for "Bacterial Complexity Revises Ideas About ‘Which Came First?’"
cell biology

Bacterial Complexity Revises Ideas About ‘Which Came First?’

By Jordana Cepelewicz
June 12, 2019
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Contrary to popular belief, bacteria have organelles too. Scientists are now studying them for insights into how complex cells evolved.

Art for "The Body’s Clock Offers a Rhythmic Target to Viruses"
chronobiology

The Body’s Clock Offers a Rhythmic Target to Viruses

By Veronique Greenwood
May 30, 2019
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Viruses and other parasites may sync with their host’s biological clock — or reset it — to gain an advantage.


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