Adapting to the Heat
In classic experiments on frogs, scientists found that the amphibians’ urge to escape from dangerously hot water decreased significantly when the water temperature rose very gradually. In fact, sensitivity of…
evolution
Looking to Saliva to Gain Insight on Evolution
There’s no need to reinvent the genetic wheel. That’s one lesson of a new study that looks to the saliva of humans, gorillas, orangutans, macaques and African green monkeys for…
Where There's Smoke And A Mutation There May Be An Evolutionary Edge For Humans
A genetic mutation may have helped modern humans adapt to smoke exposure from fires and perhaps sparked an evolutionary advantage over their archaic competitors, including Neandertals, according to a team…
Songbirds’ Epic Migrations Connected To A Small Cluster Of Genes
Scientists from the University of British Columbia have shown that there is a genetic basis to the migratory routes flown by songbirds, and have narrowed in on a relatively small…
Orangutan Gives Clues To The Origins Of Human Speech
An orangutan called Rocky could provide the key to understanding how speech in humans evolved from the time of the ancestral great apes, according to a study led by Dr…
This Species Of Brazilian Monkey Has Been Using Stones As Tools For 700 Years
Breaking into a cashew nut can be difficult; but not if you’re a monkey. Primates in Brazil are well honed in using stones to break into the nuts and new…