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How a genetic split helped plants conquer polluted soils
Phytochelatin synthases (PCSs) produce phytochelatins—tiny, cysteine-rich peptides that bind and neutralize toxic metal ions such as cadmium and arsenic. These molecules act as the plant's natural detox system, sequestering harmful elements into vacuoles to prevent cellular damage.
Exchange of genetic diversity between species accelerates evolutionary adaptation in songbirds
Climate change is rapidly altering our environment—and posing major challenges for many animal species. Whether they can adapt depends largely on their genetic diversity. An international study involving researchers from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB) now shows how closely genetic diversity and adaptability are linked. The work was published in the journal Science and was conducted under the leadership of the Swiss Ornithological Institute.
How poisonous glands helped modern toads conquer the world
Modern toads (Bufonidae) are among the most successful amphibians on the planet, a diverse group of more than 600 species that are found on every continent except Antarctica. But just how did they conquer the world? An international team of researchers set out to find the answer and discovered the toads' global success was due to their toxic glands and geological timing.
Stinkbug's 'ears on legs' are really symbiotic organs that nurture fungi for guarding eggs against enemies, study finds
Like humans, insects possess sensory organs responsible for vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. For vision, insects primarily rely on compound eyes. But what about hearing? For example, crickets develop tympanal organs on their forelegs, which function like a human's eardrum to detect sound. They use these "ears on the legs" to listen to courtship songs and sense approaching enemies.
Why and how does personality emerge? Studying the evolution of individuality using thousands of fruit flies
As a Ph.D. student, I wanted to understand the evolution of individual differences in fruit fly behavior—the building blocks of personality. My experiments involved measuring how my tiny subjects acted in a maze.
A spark of evolution: When differences in coexistence create new species
A simple change in species composition can impact the course of evolution: A research team from the University of Bern and the University of British Columbia in Canada shows that the presence of just one other fish species is enough to drive the emergence of new species in sticklebacks.
Ancient lead exposure may have shaped evolution of human brain
An international study changes the view that exposure to the toxic metal lead is largely a post-industrial phenomenon. The research reveals that our human ancestors were periodically exposed to lead for over two million years, and that the toxic metal may have influenced the evolution of hominid brains, behavior, and even the development of language.
A 150-million-year-old fossil with a singular adaptation may unlock origin of non-biting insects
An international team of scientists led by the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) has described a new species of fossilized insect from the Australian Jurassic period, estimated to be around 151 million years old. It represents the oldest known member in the Southern Hemisphere of the Chironomidae family—non-biting midges that inhabit freshwater environments. The fossil shows a unique evolutionary adaptation: a mechanism that likely allowed it to firmly anchor to surrounding rocks. Until now, this mechanism was thought to be exclusive to marine species.
Female mountain gorillas stop reproducing long before the end of their lives, study finds
New research from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the University of Turku reveals that female mountain gorillas, like humans and a handful of other mammals, can live long past the birth of their last offspring.
How tips for biomolecular engineering can be found in early Earth
Scientists know some of the broad strokes for how life emerged from primordial Earth, but digging into the processes that allowed for the emergence of an oxygenated atmosphere, processes like photosynthesis, the development of single-cell and multi-cell organisms, still need to be sorted.
Island spider sheds half its genome, defying evolutionary expectations
Over a few million years, the spider Dysdera tilosensis—a species endemic to the Canary Islands—has reduced the size of its genome by half during the process of colonization and adaptation to its natural habitat. In addition to being smaller, this genome is more compact and contains more genetic diversity than that of other similar continental spiders.
Vole teeth reveal how a simple change can create complex new features over time
At a time when biodiversity is under severe pressure from human activities, understanding how evolution works is more important than ever. A new study about vole teeth, published in PNAS, reveals that evolution doesn't always require complicated genetic changes to create complex new features.
Could dogs ever talk? New review weighs science, ethics and evolution
A new scientific review tackles an age-old question: could dogs ever learn to talk? While barking out full sentences might sound like science fiction, researchers are taking a closer look at the biological and technological possibilities behind enhancing canine communication.
Researchers discover enlarged areas of the spinal cord in fish, previously found only in four-limbed vertebrates
Four-limbed vertebrates, known as tetrapods, have two enlarged areas in their spinal cords. The two enlargements have a correlation with the forelimbs and hind limbs, respectively. These enlargements are thought to be caused by the complex muscular system and the rich sensory networks supplying nerves to the limbs.
Scientists discover hidden gecko species in Atacama desert
Beneath the relentless sun of Chile's Atacama Desert, tiny geckos hide a remarkable secret. New genomic research, led by the University of Wollongong's (UOW) Kamryn Carter, has discovered that these resilient reptiles, known as Garthia geckos or Chilean marked geckos, comprise up to 11 distinct species, not the single species scientists previously thought.
300,000-year-old genomes: History of the Schöningen horses deciphered
For the first time, a research team from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment at the University of Tübingen and the Schöningen Research Center have reconstructed the genomes of an extinct horse species, Equus mosbachensis, from the archaeological site of Schöningen in Lower Saxony, which is approximately 300,000 years old.
How different mushrooms learned the same psychedelic trick
Magic mushrooms have been used in traditional ceremonies and for recreational purposes for thousands of years. However, a new study has found that mushrooms evolved the ability to make the same psychoactive substance twice. The discovery has important implications for both our understanding of these mushrooms' role in nature and their medical potential.
Tracing the evolutionary roots of why women live longer than men
Around the world, women on average live longer than men. This striking pattern holds true across nearly all countries and historical time periods. Although the gap between the sexes has narrowed in some countries due to medical advances and improved living conditions, new research now provides clues as to why this difference is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. The causes are deeply rooted in evolutionary history and can be observed in many animal species.
Fungi may have set the stage for life on land hundreds of millions of years earlier than thought
New research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution sheds light on the timelines and pathways of evolution of fungi, finding evidence of their influence on ancient terrestrial ecosystems. The study, led by researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and collaborators, indicates the diversification of fungi hundreds of millions of years before the emergence of land plants.
Plant receptors for nitrogen-fixing bacteria evolved independently at least three times, study reveals
In a new study, scientists have shown that chemical receptors that plants use to recognize nitrogen-fixing bacteria have developed the same function independently on at least three separate occasions through a process called convergent evolution.
Antarctic icefish rewired their skulls to win an evolutionary arms race, 3D scans reveal
Antarctica's Southern Ocean is one of the most demanding places on Earth when it comes to survival. Its waters plunge below freezing, long periods of darkness restrict growth and feeding, and food webs shift with relentless climate swings. Yet one group of fish—the notothenioids, or Antarctic icefish—not only survived here, but flourished.
Deep learning tool developed to unravel molecular mechanisms of convergent evolution
Convergent evolution—where distinct species independently evolve similar traits or functions, such as the wings of birds and bats—has long fascinated biologists. Now, a research team led by Prof. Zou Zhengting from the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has introduced a deep learning–based method to unravel the complex molecular mechanisms driving this phenomenon.
Population bottlenecks cause decline of mammals' immunity, researchers find
Population bottlenecks caused by stark population loss due to illness or habitat destruction caused mammals' disease immunity to decline, according to a new study led by computational biologists in the Penn State School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The finding comes from the first comparative study of genomic sequences—roadmaps of DNA instructions responsible for encoding how the body works—encoding immunity in 46 mammals.
Yellow warbler study provides a lens for better understanding response to rapid climate change in wild species
Climate change is drying landscapes and raising temperatures faster than many species can adapt. A research paper from Colorado State University offers a rare empirical look at how these pressures are already reshaping wildlife through the lens of the yellow warbler—a common migratory bird.
Experimental mapping of bacterial growth reveals evolutionary and ecological patterns
Researchers at University of Tsukuba proposed a new approach to reveal ecological niches (positions within ecosystems) and evolutionary relationships in nature through large-scale growth analysis of bacteria in strictly regulated laboratory settings.
Programmed cell death in microalgae resembles that in humans
For the first time, researchers at Umeå University have observed the same type of programmed cell death in microalgae as in humans. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, shows that this central biological process is older than previously thought.
Many animals can reshape and shed their teeth—and now scientists have traced this ability back 380 million years
Losing your baby teeth is a strange experience. The teeth gradually loosen until they're replaced by thicker, more durable and permanent ones. But humans aren't the only animals capable of shedding teeth. In fact, most mammals have two sets of teeth throughout their life. And reptiles, amphibians, fish and sharks replace their teeth continuously throughout their lives.