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Scythe-jawed hell ant from 113 million years ago is oldest known specimen
A 113-million-year-old hell ant that once lived in northeastern Brazil is now the oldest ant specimen known to science, finds a report published in Current Biology. The hell ant, which was preserved in limestone, is a member of Haidomyrmecinae—an extinct subfamily that only lived during the Cretaceous period. These ants had highly specialized, scythe-like jaws that they likely used to pin or impale prey.
Beyond the double helix: Alternative DNA conformations in ape genomes
Certain DNA sequences can form structures other than the canonical double helix. These alternative DNA conformations—referred to as non-B DNA—have been implicated as regulators of cellular processes and of genome evolution, but their DNA tends to be repetitive, which until recently made reliably reading and assembling their sequences difficult.
New evidence moves early giant crocodile further from modern alligator on family tree
An international team of paleontologists, geologists, geoscientists and Earth scientists has found evidence that a type of giant crocodile that lived millions of years ago in what is now North America is not closely related to modern alligators. In their study published in the journal Communications Biology, the group took a closer look at Deinosuchus fossils and those of other species to determine whether it was saltwater-tolerant.
Evolutionary analysis uncovers protein changes that protect mammals from aging and disease
Over recent decades, humanity has witnessed a remarkable and continuous increase in lifespan. However, this advancement has been accompanied by a growing aging population, increasingly affected by age-related diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and diabetes. To extend not only lifespan but also healthspan, a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms that support healthy aging is essential.
A new map of arthropod evolution, from fossils to embryos
A new study by Prof. Ariel Chipman of The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem provides a novel model for understanding the development and evolution of arthropod body plans—specifically the arrangement of their segmented body parts known as tagmata.
Genomic study maps nearly 60 million years of apple genus evolution and diversity
A new comparison and analysis of the genomes of species in the genus Malus, which includes the domesticated apple and its wild relatives, revealed the evolutionary relationships among the species and how their genomes have evolved over the past nearly 60 million years.
For the first time, wild chimpanzees have been pictured eating and sharing 'boozy' fruit
A research team led by the University of Exeter set up cameras in Guinea-Bissau's Cantanhez National Park. Footage of chimps sharing fermented African breadfruit—confirmed to contain ethanol (alcohol)—raises fascinating questions about if and why chimps deliberately seek out alcohol.
How changes in lemur brains made some mean girls nice
If there were a contest for the biggest female bullies in the animal world, lemurs would be near the top of the list. In these distant primate cousins, it's the ladies who call the shots, relying on physical aggression to get their way and keep males in line.
A genetic basis of adaptive evolution: Complex chromosomal rearrangements drive color changes in stick insects
Understanding the material basis of adaptive evolution has been a central goal in biology dating back to at least the time of Darwin. One focus of current debates is whether adaptive evolution relies on many mutations with small and roughly equal effects, or is it driven by one or a few mutations that cause major changes in traits.
An evolutionary algorithmic phase transition 2.6 billion years ago may have sparked the emergence of eukaryotic cells
An international collaboration between four scientists from Mainz, Valencia, Madrid, and Zurich has published new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shedding light on the most significant increase in complexity in the history of life's evolution on Earth: the origin of the eukaryotic cell.
Curious isolation: New butterfly species discovered
In the heart of Canada's Rocky Mountains, an unassuming yet remarkable butterfly has been quietly flying under our scientific radar for years. With a wingspan of an inch to an inch and a half, and wings that are brown on top and grayish brown with black spots below, this population was long thought to belong to the Half-moon Hairstreak (Satyrium semiluna). However, the isolated hairstreak butterflies of Blakiston Fan in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, have now been recognized as a distinct species: Satyrium curiosolus, or the Curiously Isolated Hairstreak.
Woodrats' immunity to snake venom changes with the weather, researchers discover
The power of a rattlesnake's venom to incapacitate its prey may depend on more than just its potency, or even the prey animal's tolerance for the poison. According to a new study published April 16 in Biology Letters, it also depends a bit on the weather.
Bonobos refuse to participate when faced with unequal rewards
The question of whether non-human animals have a sense of fairness has been widely debated. Some studies suggest that primates and other cooperative species show an aversion to inequity, while others argue that responses to unequal rewards can be explained by frustration, social disappointment, or food expectations.
When dogs return to nature—just how domesticated are our pooches really?
It's hard to imagine a beloved pet dog surviving in the world. But reports of a 4 kg miniature dachshund looking well 500 days after she escaped during a family holiday is raising questions about how dependent our dogs really are on their humans. Our loyal pooches may be less domesticated than we like to think.
Foraging on the wing: How can ecologically similar birds live together?
A spat between birds at a backyard birdfeeder highlights the sometimes fierce competition for resources that animals face in the natural world, but some ecologically similar species appear to coexist peacefully. A classic study in songbirds by Robert MacArthur, one of the founders of modern ecology, suggested that similar wood warblers—insect-eating, colorful forest songbirds—can live in the same trees because they actually occupy slightly different locations in the tree and presumably eat different insects.
Ancestors of today's crocodilians survived two mass extinction events: Study uncovers secret to their longevity
Most people think of crocodilians as living fossils—stubbornly unchanged, prehistoric relics that have ruled the world's swampiest corners for millions of years. But their evolutionary history tells a different story, according to new research led by the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) and the University of Utah.
Sex selection creates distinct hummingbird species on small Jamaican island
There are two species of streamertail hummingbirds on the island of Jamaica, West Indies—one with red-billed males (Trochilus polytmus) and the other with black-billed males (T. scitulus). This is a puzzling situation, as many evolutionary biologists have argued that avian speciation is unlikely to occur on small oceanic islands.
Ancient DNA research aids de-extinction efforts and reveals surprising dire wolf ancestry
Last week, Colossal Biosciences made global headlines when they announced that they had successfully brought the dire wolf back from extinction, or at least a version of one. Colossal's team used pieces of the genetic code they uncovered in ancient dire wolf DNA samples to alter the genome of a common gray wolf to resemble that of its long-extinct cousin. The resulting pups are not exact replicas of their ancestors, but have many of their most distinctive traits.
The obstetrical dilemma: Large-scale study explores evolutionary trade-offs of wide vs. narrow hips
A team of integrative biologists at the University of Texas, Western Washington University and Columbia University Irving Medical Center has found that both wide and narrow hips provide women with certain physical benefits, though they both also have downsides. In their study published in the journal Science, the group compared hip structure among 31,000 people listed in the UK Biobank, with other physical features including those associated with pregnancy and birth.
Strategic gene placement in bacteria offers insights into evolutionary success
Bioinformaticians from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and the university in Linköping (Sweden) have established that the genes in bacterial genomes are arranged in a meaningful order. In the journal Science, they explain that the genes are arranged by function: If they become increasingly important for faster growth, they are located near the origin of DNA replication. Accordingly, their position influences how their activity changes with the growth rate.
Six ape species' genomes sequenced telomere-to-telomere, providing open-access reference for human evolution studies
Comprehensive reference genomes have now been assembled for six ape species: siamang (a Southeast Asian gibbon), Sumatran orangutan, Bornean orangutan, gorilla, bonobo, and chimpanzee. Areas of their genomes previously inaccessible because of structural complexity have now mostly been resolved.
Jurassic fossil sheds light on evolutionary origins of thorny-headed worms
A research team from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has identified a fossil acanthocephalan, Juracanthocephalus, from the 160-million-year-old Daohugou Biota in Inner Mongolia, China. This finding was published in Nature.
Discovery of rare DNA marker in plants challenges previous assumptions
Could it be that one of only three known markers directly targeting the DNA does not exist outside the realm of microbes? Now, researchers led by Xiaoqi Feng at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have demonstrated that this marker—N4-methylcytosine (4mC)—is essential for sperm development and maturation in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, a key organism in plant evolution.
Ancient fossil sheds big light on evolution enigma, solving a 100-year arthropod mystery
For over a century, the Cambrian arthropod Helmetia expansa remained a mystery. Discovered by paleontologist Charles Doolittle Walcott in 1918, it was initially classified as a crustacean. Despite frequent mentions in research papers, this species has never been formally described, and only one specimen has ever been illustrated.
Flex appeal: The trade-off between armor and efficiency in sea turtle shells
When we picture sea turtles in the wild, it's easy to envision them as armored warriors—their hard, resilient shells serving as near-impenetrable shields against oceanic threats like sharks. These sleek, streamlined shells aren't just defensive—they're engineered for speed, efficiency and survival. Designed to minimize drag, they allow sea turtles to glide effortlessly through the water, dive to astonishing depths, and handle the immense pressure shifts as they surface.
Scientists unveil evolutionary conservation and innovation in mammalian hypothalamus development
The hypothalamus is a small but critical region at the base of the brain that controls the autonomic nervous system, regulates body temperature, signals hunger and thirst, exerts hormonal control over the pituitary gland, helps set circadian rhythms, influences sexual behavior and reproduction, and plays a role in instinctive behaviors like fear, aggression, and maternal bonding.
Multiple antibiotic resistance is auxiliary to bacterial fitness and adaptability, study shows
Could a gene regulatory network in gut microbes have evolved its elaborate and tightly regulated molecular machinery only to pump out antibiotics indiscriminately? Researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) show this is an auxiliary function. By maintaining basal levels of genetic activity when the network is in its OFF state, these genes ensure the bacteria remain fit and adaptable to their highly variable environment in the gut.
Reptiles in open habitats display brighter colors, study finds
Reptiles living in open habitats generally have brighter coloration than species living in denser vegetation. This is shown in a new study from Lund University in Sweden. The study, published in Nature Communications, suggests that changes in habitat and climate over millions of years have prompted animals to adapt their coloration in order to survive.