A organism living in ocean muck offers clues to the origins of the complex cells of all animals and plants.
Tag: Evolution (Biology)
Why Is Air Pollution So Harmful? DNA May Hold the Answer
It’s not just a modern problem. Airborne toxins are so pernicious that they may have shaped human evolution.
How Did Plants Conquer Land? These Humble Algae Hold Clues
Two algal species share important genes with all modern land plants, a new analysis finds.
Fossils Are Filling Out the Human Family Tree
The more fossils we find, the more we learn that many kinds of humans have lived on Earth.
Trilobites: How the Icefish Got Its Transparent Blood and See-Through Skull
Research shows how the Antarctic blackfin icefish differs from its close relatives on the genetic level.
Basics: The Earth’s Shell Has Cracked, and We’re Drifting on the Pieces
Plate tectonics helped make our planet stable and habitable. But the slow shifting of continents is still a mysterious process.
Matter: Narrower Skulls, Oblong Brains: How Neanderthal DNA Still Shapes Us
Two genes inherited from our evolutionary cousins may affect skull shape and brain size even today. What that means for human behavior is a mystery.