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Evolution

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Evolution ‘Landscapes’ Predict What’s Next for COVID Virus

January 11, 2022

Studies that map the adaptive value of viral mutations hint at how the COVID-19 pandemic might progress next.

Flying Fish and Aquarium Pets Yield Secrets of Evolution

January 5, 2022

New studies reveal the ancient, shared genetic “grammar” underpinning the diverse evolution of fish fins and tetrapod limbs.

The Year in Biology

December 21, 2021

The detailed understanding of brains and multicellular bodies reached new heights this year, while the genomes of the COVID-19 virus and various organisms yielded more surprises.

Wildfires of Varying Intensity Can Be Good for Biodiversity

November 29, 2021

The spate of furious wildfires around the world during the past decade has revealed to ecologists how much biodiversity and “pyrodiversity” go hand in hand.

Sponge Genes Hint at the Origins of Neurons and Other Cells

November 4, 2021

A new study of gene expression in sponges reveals the complex diversity of their cells as well as some possibly ancient connections between the nervous, immune and digestive systems.

Single Cells Evolve Large Multicellular Forms in Just Two Years

September 22, 2021

Researchers have discovered that environments favoring clumpy growth are all that’s needed to quickly transform single-celled yeast into complex multicellular organisms.

Mathematical Analysis of Fruit Fly Wings Hints at Evolution’s Limits

September 20, 2021

A painstaking study of wing morphology shows both the striking uniformity of individuals in a species and a subtle pattern of linked variations that evolution can exploit.

The Brain Doesn’t Think the Way You Think It Does

August 24, 2021

Familiar categories of mental functions such as perception, memory and attention reflect our experience of ourselves, but they are misleading about how the brain works. More revealing approaches are emerging.

How Do New Organs Evolve? A Beetle Gland Shows the Way.

August 16, 2021

The evolution of a defensive gland in beetles shows how organs can arise from novel cells carving out new functional niches for their neighbors.

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