Evolution
It's common knowledge that all land-based animals originated from the primordial sea, but just exactly how and why still remains a mystery to scientists. According to new research focusing on the some rather fishy hips, the evolution to walking could have started before any of our ancestors even set foot on land.
New research led by the University of Alberta in Canada shows that the Microraptor, a four-winged dinosaur, had a more extensive diet than previously thought. A close examination of fossilized remains shows that the dinosaur had an affinity for fish, and the teeth to back it up.
The secrets of how life came from the sea might be found in a fish so close to its ancient ancestors that it's known as a living fossil--and scientists have finally unlocked its DNA sequence.
Though extinct members of lung fish are more analogous to tetrapods than are coelacanth, based off of yesterday’s genome analysis, the latter fish is a key informant regarding the evolution of marine-animals to land breeding animals. Obviously, anatomical analysis, such as the similarities in joints an bones that can be detected in both lobed fins and tetrapod limbs, can only reveal so much information. For this reason, the decoding of African coelacanth’s genome is a feat.
When one thinks of animals related to our species, apes usually spring to mind: chimps, orangutans, bonabos, the usual. What about a zerbrafish, however? Scientists have developed a genome sequence for the tiny swimmer, and it seems that there are some remarkable similarities between the fish's DNA and our own .
Homo floresiensis is a now extinct species of tiny, human-like hominin first discovered in Indonesia in 2003. According to new research by Japanese scientists, the Homo floresiensis may have had a much larger brain than we previously thought.
Scientists have uncovered yet another link in the human evolutionary tree: a 2-million year-old ancestor with a mixture of humanoid and apelike qualities that allowed it to climb trees as well as travel large distances on foot.
A pair of University of Michigan biologists say they found evidence that contradicts one of the fundamental laws of evolution.
A new study on dogs' diet revealed that dogs' ability to digest starch allowed them to become domesticated.
Chimpanzees may share mankind's capacity for fairness and charity, according to a study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Wrinkled fingers and toes may have developed to improve ancient humankind's ability to collect underwater food, according to a study recently published in the journal Biology Letters.
Scientists believe they may have figured out why the human hand has such a unique shape in the animal kingdom: it’s very good for throwing punches.
According to a new study with potentially earth-shaking ramifications towards evolutionary theories, land creatures may not have made their way up from the ocean depths onto land.
Early Jurassic birds used feathers as insulation rather than full-fledged wings, according to a recent study published in Current Biology.
A new study founds that modern birds evolved from feathered, non-avian dinosaurs that could glide but could not fly.
