Researchers are studying the bobtail squid to learn more about the evolution of intelligence. Their focus is on "large genes."
Tag: evolution
From fish to finch — learning how to adapt to climate change
Tiny fish evolve rapidly and predictably by diving into a 'genetic toolbox' shared with other organisms including Darwin's finches.
An ancient virus might have made our hearts bigger
A Stanford-led study finds that remnants of an ancient viral infection may be the reason humans and other primates evolved to have larger hearts and bodies.
Nature, not nurture: New evidence in mice that recognition of a stranger’s sex is baked into the brain at birth
Male mice are hardwired to recognize the sex of other mice, a new study shows. Females' circuitry guiding that decision differs from males.
Fragile DNA key to evolutionary leaps, say Stanford scientists
Fragile DNA may be key to major evolutionary changes in species as diverse as fish and humans, Stanford researchers believe
Inherited Neanderthal genes protect us against viruses, study shows
Stanford scientists have found that viral infections shaped human genome evolution after interbreeding with Neanderthals 50,000 years ago.
The epidemic of undersized jaws according to Paul Ehrlich
In a new book, Paul Ehrlich lays out the claim that modern life has been harmful to smaller jaws, which he says leads to problems ranging from heart disease to sleep apnea.
Key genes for species diversity have been systematically ignored, Stanford study suggests
Researchers have assumed that "synonymous" mutations don't matter. Now it looks like they're among the most important for creating species diversity.
Genetic variant linked to osteoarthritis favored in cold climates
Like many others, I've been rewatching the "Game of Thrones" television series in preparation for the start of the seventh season later this month. So I …
A Darwin Day delve into how the chipmunk got its stripes
This Sunday is Darwin Day, the 208th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birthday. As the great biologist Ernst Mayr wrote, “…no biologist has been responsible for …
New technique offers glimpse at human evolution in action
In research published in Science, a Stanford-led international team used a new analytic technique to map recent evolution. The technique relies exclusively on the DNA sequences of …
DNA dethroned? Evidence mounts for evolutionary material that’s not genetic
Yeah, DNA, you’re pretty great. You know it, I know it, everybody knows it. Who hasn’t heard that you hold the blueprint for life, the …
Analysis of bacteria spanning 50,000 generations offers new insights on evolution
Mutations in bacterial genomes are thought to occur at a relatively fixed rate, with a random mix of helpful, harmful and neutral mutations. But a study …
Neanderthal inbreeding left mark on our genome
Neanderthals are the real-life version of aliens from another planet, different but also fascinatingly intelligent and similar to us. Now it’s starting to look as …
Trends in marriage don’t affect population genetics, study shows
Ironically, while driving to work this morning I was thinking about the first time I spotted my future husband. At the time, I would have …
Ask Y: Modern humans lack Neanderthal Y chromosome
Forty thousand years ago, the last Neanderthal men and women died out, leaving modern humans alone on a planet they inherited from an entire family …