Posts tagged as:

evolution

Fool’s gold reveals the ancient evolution of life on earth

11 August 2009

‘Fool’s gold’ has tricked many amateur gold miners, but Queensland researchers have discovered it can reveal much about the early evolution of life on Earth.
Three billion years ago the Earth couldn’t support life as we know it – the atmosphere was deadly to oxygen-breathing plants and animals.
But two and half billion years ago life changed [...]

Read the full article →

How lobsters create their colours

26 July 2009

A team of Queensland researchers have discovered that lobsters, prawns and other crustaceans have evolved a unique way of making colours: making the complex patterns appreciated by biologists and connoisseurs of seafood.
Their work will help with conservation, aquaculture and may even lead to a new food colourant. And all the colours come from just [...]

Read the full article →

Big babies and small families make evolutionary sense

10 July 2008

Why don’t elephants (and humans) have thousands of little babies instead of one big one?
Sydney researchers have discovered and modelled the key factors responsible for offspring and family size.

Read the full article →

Australian orchids’ sneaky sex tricks: floral arms race seduces insects

20 August 2007

Australian orchids are engaged in an arms race, using sensory overload to seduce male insects.

Read the full article →

Continental drift shapes the earth and drives evolution and extinction

22 August 2002

Forget meteorites. Bin volcanic eruptions. When it comes to mass extinction continental drift is the mega-killer, claims Australian palaeontologist Dr Malte Ebach.

Read the full article →

Are we viruses?

26 August 2001

A radical new theory that could dramatically alter the way scientists view the evolution of life has been recently accepted for publication in the leading “Journal of Molecular Evolution”.  Supported by an increasing body of evidence, the theory proposes that the nucleus of our cells evolved from a virus that infected ancient bacteria-like organisms.

Read the full article →

What Females Want: Just what do fish find sexy?

26 May 2001

Scientists agree: some people are universally gorgeous. Studies in evolutionary biology show that few things are more advantageous to success than being attractive, since good looking individuals leave more offspring than their unattractive contemporaries.

Read the full article →