Tag Archives: evolution
The origin and evolution of fertility-linked signals in bees
Bees, ants and wasps comprise a biological group named Hymenoptera. In the species of this group, various levels of social organization can be found – from solitary individuals to highly complex social societies. An important characteristic of
Comparison of biological and cultural evolution
Biological evolution is a population-level process guided by selection, and it leads to an increase of the adaptation of the population for the environmental circumstances in which the population lives. Culture can be defined as the wholeness of
Tunicates : Can the study of obscure marine animals shed light on evolution?
Scientists agree that the current biological diversity on earth is the result of evolution: present life forms evolved from their ancestors by progressive modifications. The shape and behavior of an animal or a plant – what scientists
Brown bear habitat selection personality
You maybe think that only humans have personality? But don’t be a fool, animals can have personality too. If you are a pet owner or a farmer, you probably have already noticed. Differences in personality in wild
Escherichia coli K-12 as a model to understand gene regulation
Escherichia coli K-12, a bacterium of the normal flora of humans, represents one of the most important model organisms in biology. This microorganism has been completely sequenced at DNA level, and contains 4319 genes. An important element
Multiminerals in mammals: longevity, organ biology and other things
Whenever we pick up a bottle of multimineral supplement, some chemical elements often appear on the list of ingredients: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and so on. How are they important to us? Well, our bones
How did new species arise?
How did new ways of life and new adaptations to the surroundings evolve in our early ancestors? And how did new species arise? These questions are at the heart of understanding the evolutionary origin of our species
Archaeological surprise! Lucy has company
One of the most remarkable discoveries in the human fossil record is an Australopithecus afarensis partial skeleton nicknamed Lucy dated to 3.2 million years before present. Discovered in 1974 by Donald Johanson and his colleagues, the skeleton
Using Darwin to discover new advanced materials
The process of evolution, first described in detail by Charles Darwin, has resulted in the amazing diversity of plants and animals in our world, each subgroup shaped by the effects of the different environments in which they
The gestural origins of language
How language evolved is one of the big mysteries of science. Other species communicate, but none can create anything like the variety and complexity of human language. There seems no limit to the number of things we
Genetically engineered mice provide a new look at sight-threatening eye disease
A group of sight-threatening inflammatory diseases of the eye, in which the immune system inappropriately recognizes and attacks the retina and adjacent structures, is known as non-infectious, or autoimmune, uveitis. Lymphocytes of the patients in fact recognize
