Complex Life Owes Its Existence To Parasites?
Is complex life rare in the cosmos? The idea that it could be rests on the observation that the existence of life like us – with large, energy hungry, complicated cells – may be contingent on a number of very specific and unlikely factors in the history of the Earth.
45,000-Year-Old Man's Genome Sequenced
An analysis of the oldest known DNA from a human reveals a mysterious group that roamed northern Asia
The "Shanklin Croc" and the Dawn of the Tethysuchian Radiation
Hey, Darren, how's it going with that plan to discuss all the fossil crocodylomorph groups? Huh? Well, ha ha, it ain't going so well… goddam life getting in the way of my blogging.
Coyote Size Forces Smartness
Topping out at about 20 kilograms, a coyote has to be able to hunt both smaller and bigger prey, and avoid being prey itself, a combination that selects for intelligence. Steve Mirsky reports
Fossils Rewrite History of Sex
Evidence of bony organs in ancient fish suggests that they copulated, although many of their descendants stopped doing so
Lizard Stowaways Revise Principle of Ecology
The movement of lizards around the Caribbean is forcing an accounting for human activity in even the most basic ecological models
The Starry Night Beneath the Caribbean Sea
One of the most astounding events of my life was immediately preceded by one of the scariest: I turned out my dive light in the ocean at night.
Plant Thorns Increase When Defense Needed
In areas with few herbivores acacia plants don't bother to churn out many of the off-putting thorns. Cynthia Graber reports
Primordial Giant Kangaroos Did Not Hop, They Walked
Skinks, Skinks, Skinks!
Skinks (properly Scincidae… though read on) are one of the most successful of squamate groups, accounting for approximately 1500 species - in other words, for about 25% of all lizards.
Poison Dart Frog Threatened by Toxic Gold Mines
A tiny species of poison dart frog barely the size of a human fingernail has been discovered in a pocket of forest in central Panama, but its unique chirps may not be heard for much longer.
Is Kindness Physically Attractive?
One of the most robust findings in social psychology is the beauty-is-good stereotype: physically attractive people are perceived and treated more positively than physically unattractive people [1].