Evolution
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Scientists have uncovered the oldest fossilized forest, dating back 390 million years. The ancient forest was made up of the first trees to ever grow on Earth – bizarre “prototype” trees that had to rip their skeletons apart in order to grow.
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The formation of part of the human brain that regulates vital functions is triggered in an identical way in the sea lamprey, a new study has found. The discovery suggests that we’re related to these primitive creatures.
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Could ADHD have evolved in human populations to enhance a tribe's chances of successful foraging? A new study put this novel hypothesis to the test, recruiting several hundred people to play a specially made game measuring their foraging skills.
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On the 215th anniversary of the birth of the world's most famous naturalist Charles Darwin, scientists have painstakingly completed an inventory of his eclectic, extensive personal library, and 9,300 titles are now available to view online for free.
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Scientists have long puzzled over why some dinosaurs had feathers and wings long before they evolved the ability of flight. Experiments with a robot dinosaur may now have revealed the answer – they used them for hunting.
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Pseudoscorpions have been seen hitching a ride on a true scorpion, and it’s the first time this interspecific rideshare has been observed. While they have eight legs of their own, these tiny insects prefer to sit back and relax on their road trips.
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Scientists have given yeast a brand new ability – gaining energy from light. The technique was remarkably easy, the team says, and could not only help us understand evolution but make better beer and biofuel.
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For two million years, a 10-feet-tall, 660-pound ape thrived in the forest, until it mysteriously vanished during the late middle Pleistocene. After 10 years of work, scientists at last reveal just what happened to our largest known distant relative.
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Scientists have uncovered a new huge predatory worm species thought to have hunted in the Earth’s water column around 518 million years ago. They also believe this worm, whose name means terror beast, was one the earliest carnivorous swimming animals.
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With rapidly advancing techniques to assess fossils, we've never been in a better position to piece together Earth's early days. While there are still plenty of mysteries dating back millions of years, in 2023 we solved a few – and discovered even more.
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Scientists have discovered that the giant panda, long considered a bit of a loner, has a surprisingly active social life, communicating with friends and family in a way that's akin to sharing status updates on Facebook.
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In what may put some of us to shame, apes instantly recognize family and friends that they haven’t seen in more than two decades, which is the longest ‘social memory’ in a non-human animal ever documented.
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