The fossilized remains of mouse-sized tree-dwelling animals suggest that mammals first appeared in the Late Triassic, more than 200 million years ago, researchers report in Nature September 10, rather than in the Jurassic, which was the previous theory. Reference Three … Continue reading
A report in Science suggests that, contrary to previous ideas of the evolution of feathered birds from dinosaurs with scales, perhaps even the earliest dinosaurs might have had a mixture of feathers and scales. The authors of the report (led by … Continue reading
Hallucigenia sparsa, a strange creature that walked the seas 500 million years ago, may have finally found its family. With its dorsal spines and a head easily confused with its tail, this wormlike animal baffled scientists for nearly 40 years—largely … Continue reading
Animals evolved gradually, from the lowly sponge to the menagerie of tentacled, winged and brainy creatures that inhabit Earth today. This idea makes such intuitive sense that biologists are now stunned by genome-sequencing data suggesting that the sponges were preceded … Continue reading
Previously it was thought that the first insects to help with plant fertilisation were the bees, which evolved with flowering plants during the Cretaceous Period about 100 million years ago (mya), but recent research at Portland State University has shown … Continue reading
There is some evidence (although not conclusive) that a duplication of a gene in Homo habilis led to an increase in their intelligence by increasing the number of connections between the neurons in their brains. In two reports published in … Continue reading
An ancient family of trees, the cypresses, got their start on the supercontinent Pangaea before it split apart. New genetic research indicates this continental split helped shaped the evolution of these trees, which now include giant redwoods and sequoias. More … Continue reading
Watch children experience the epic of evolution in 40 steps in a fun, interactive, and highly illustrated way. Connie Barlow has been bringing this curriculum to children since 2006. It is structured as a walk back through the timeline of … Continue reading
Whether and how human populations exposed to the agricultural revolution are still affected by Darwinian selection remains controversial among social scientists, biologists, and the general public. Although methods of studying selection in natural populations are well established, our understanding of … Continue reading
Although an African origin of the modern human species is generally accepted, the evolutionary processes involved in the speciation, geographical spread, and eventual extinction of archaic humans outside of Africa are much debated. An additional complexity has been the recent … Continue reading