My name is Lucas Brouwers. Most of my writings here will concern evolution somehow, which is the one topic that fascinates most. I like exploring evolution through bioinformatics or molecular biology, though I won't eschew other fields of science if the topic is interesting. Please call out any mistakes I might make while doing so! Science is amazing and I love writing about science. I currently write for a daily Dutch newspaper, where I hope I can convince others of the awesomeness of science and evolution.
The sexy sabercat: how the sabertooth got its teeth
Many sabertooths have stalked this world. The first sabertoothed mammals appeared over 50 million years ago. The last sabercats, such as Smilodon and Homotherium, went extinct only 10.000 years ago.
How genetic plunder transformed a microbe into a pink, salt-loving scavenger
Animal vision evolved 700 million years ago
Book review: Survival of the Beautiful
The grandmother and her genes: a grandson’s perspective
Somewhere deep in my grandmother’s veins, a blood clot breaks free. Her blood carries the clot past her heart, to her lungs, where it becomes stuck in a pulmonary artery.
The floor is yours!
Terrestrial hermit crabs only smell their favourite snacks when water is around
The Caribbean hermit crabs in Anna-Sara Krång’s laboratory are no picky eaters. They are eager to gobble down any fruit, nuts, fish or coconut flakes that comes their way.
Ancient fish had the backbone of a landlubber
Livestock bacteria are as old as the livestock they kill
A Spoonful of Molybdenum, some Ulysses and the Origin of Life
Thanks to Extra Genes, Eels Transform from Ribbons to Tubes
Antarctica's Erratic Climate Shaped Icefish Evolution
Did life evolve in a `warm little pond'?
The tragic fate of the Brighton octopus
Coelacanths are not living fossils. Like the rest of us, they evolve
More than Just Pretty Faces
My first year as a MSM science writer
Heads before Tails: Ancient Fish Evolved Head-First
Return of the Yeti Crab
Evolving between the echoes
Yeti Crabs grow bacteria on their hairy claws
Frog-killing fungus is a skin-loving hybrid
These are not the best of times for amphibians. All around the world, populations of frogs, salamanders and newts are declining. At least 489 species (7.8% of all known amphibians) are nearing extinction.
Globin duplication was the key to a healthy heartbeat
Summary: Scientists show that vertebrate-specific globins originated in two rounds of genome duplication. We vertebrates work for our O2. Whether we’re a fish or antelope, we all have gills and lungs to filter oxygen out of air or water.
MolBio Carnival #16!
Welcome to the sixteenth edition of the MolBio Carnival! Some great blog posts on cellular and molecular biology have been submitted, many of them written by first-time contributors, so I urge you to check them all out.