Evolution

Neanderthal Genes Led To More Immunity, And More Allergies

If you are allergic, you might need to thank a Neanderthal.  When modern humans began interbreeding with Neanderthals tens of thousands of years ago, the exchange left humans with gene variations that increased our ability to ward off infection and left s ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 7 2016 - 1:16pm

Alcohol Consumption In The West Has A Genetic Component

How much alcohol you drink and how hard it affects you are rooted in your DNA, specifically, a “lazy” variant of the Alcohol Dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) gene, known to regulate the activity of a key group of enzymes. When we drink, the alcohol rushes into our ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 21 2016 - 7:30am

Survival Of The Fitter: Evolution Silences Harmful Mutations

Sometimes synonymous mutations, which do not lead to a change in the protein sequence but which may still have major negative effects on the ability of bacteria to survive, occur in DNA. New research in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution shows th ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 17 2016 - 1:55pm

5 Things People Get Wrong About Evolution

Given its huge success in describing the natural world for the past 150 years, the theory of evolution is remarkably misunderstood. In a recent episode of the Australian series of “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here”, former cricket star Shane Warne questi ...

Article - The Conversation - Feb 23 2016 - 11:34am

Human 'Adam' Is About 100,000 Years Old, Gorilla 'Adam' Is 200,000- But Chimpanzee 'Adam' Is 1 Million

Chimpanzees have an ancient common ancestor- or genetic 'Adam'- that lived over one million years ago, according to a new paper paper in the journal Genome Research.   The research team led by Professor Mark Jobling from the University of Leices ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 25 2016 - 11:12am

Without This Gene, Life On Earth Might Still Be Slime

Researchers have identified a common ancestral gene that enabled the evolution of advanced life over a billion years ago. The gene, found in all complex organisms, including plants and animals, encodes for a large group of enzymes known as protein kinases ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 3 2016 - 9:34am

Evolution Reversed In Birds, Giving Them A Dinosaur-Like Lower Leg

Anyone that has eaten chicken knows what a drumstick is- it's the lower leg of a long, spine-like bone, more specifically the fibula, one of the two long bones of the lower leg (the outer one). In dinosaurs, the ancestors of birds, this bone is tube-s ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 8 2016 - 8:30am

Cryptotora Thamicola: Blind Fish Walks The Way Land Vertebrates Do

Researchers have identified unique anatomical features in a species of blind, walking cavefish in Thailand that enable the fish to walk and climb waterfalls in a manner comparable to tetrapods, or four-footed mammals and amphibians. The discovery of this ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 25 2016 - 7:11am

Nature's Genetic Modification? Wheat Evolution From The Wild To Our Spaghetti Dish

While wheat has been much maligned recently for it's gluten content, and new suspicions casted about as to its nutritional value, scientists have been eager to trace the evolutionary history of wheat to better understand the pasta wheat currently ava ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 6 2016 - 9:58am

TREEs: Genetic Elements That Drive Regeneration Uncovered

If you trace our evolutionary tree way back to its roots, before the shedding of gills or the development of opposable thumbs, you will likely find a common ancestor with the amazing ability to regenerate lost body parts. Descendants of this creature, inc ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 6 2016 - 3:15pm