Evolutionary Biology – Page 8 – PossibleThreat Articles

March of the multiple penguin genomes

September 17, 2019 0 Comments Birds, Ecology, Environmental Awareness, Evolutionary Biology, Exotic Species, Global Warming, Nature, New Species

A new article presents 19 high-coverage penguin genome sequences. Adding this to the two previously published penguin genomes, there are now genome sequences available for all living penguin species. Here, the Penguin Genome Consortium, made up of researchers from 10 countries, has produced an unparalleled amount of information that covers an entire biological order. Research from evolution, the impact of human activities impact, and environmental changes, will benefit from this work.

News Science

Rare 10 million-year-old fossil unearths new view of human evolution

September 17, 2019 0 Comments Animal Learning and Intelligence, Anthropology, Apes, Cultures, Early Humans, Evolutionary Biology, Human Evolution, Nature

Near an old mining town in Central Europe, known for its picturesque turquoise-blue quarry water, lay Rudapithecus. For 10 million years, the fossilized ape waited in Rudabánya, Hungary, to add its story to the origins of how humans evolved. What Rudabánya yielded was a pelvis — among the most informative bones of a skeleton, but one that is rarely preserved.

News Science

Genomic migration analysis shows antibiotic resistance moving from humans to animals

September 17, 2019 0 Comments Bacteria, Evolutionary Biology, Genes, Human Biology, Infectious Diseases, Medical Topics, Microbes and More, Wild Animals

New results show that human-acquired antibiotic resistance genes are being transmitted to livestock, companion animals and wildlife. Researchers analyzed a global set of 901 genome sequences of the bacteria Streptococcus agalactiae (aka group B Strep) from nine different host species — humans, cows, dogs, fish, frogs, gray seals, dolphins, goats and a camel — to better understand the transmission process. Streptococcus agalactiae can cause life-threatening illnesses.

News Science

Scientists identify previously unknown 'hybrid zone' between hummingbird species

September 17, 2019 0 Comments Endangered Animals, Evolutionary Biology, Extinction, Fish, Mating and Breeding, Nature, New Species, Wild Animals

We usually think of a species as being reproductively isolated — that is, not mating with other species in the wild. Occasionally, however, closely related species do interbreed. New research documents the existence of a previously undiscovered hybrid zone along the coasts of California and Oregon where two related bird hummingbirds are blurring species boundaries, and researchers hope that studying cases such as this one could improve their understanding of how biodiversity is created and maintained.

News Science

Human hearts evolved for endurance

September 16, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, Apes, Cholesterol, Evolutionary Biology, Heart Disease, Nature, Stroke Prevention, Vioxx

Major physical changes occurred in the human heart as people shifted from hunting and foraging to farming and modern life. As a result, human hearts are now less 'ape-like' and better suited to endurance types of activity.

News Science

Palmer amaranth's molecular secrets reveal troubling potential

September 16, 2019 0 Comments Ecology, Endangered Plants, Evolutionary Biology, Exotic Species, Genetics, Grassland, Nature, Rainforests

Corn, soybean, and cotton farmers shudder at the thought of Palmer amaranth invading their fields. The aggressive cousin of waterhemp – itself a formidable adversary – grows extremely rapidly, produces hundreds of thousands of seeds per plant, and is resistant to multiple classes of herbicides. New research explains Palmer's evil genius.

News Science

Ancient Australia was home to strange marsupial giants, some weighing over 1,000 kg

September 14, 2019 0 Comments Early Humans, Early Mammals, Evolution, Evolutionary Biology, Extinction, Fossils, Nature, New Species

Palorchestid marsupials, an extinct group of Australian megafauna, had strange bodies and lifestyles unlike any living species.