Evolutionary Biology

Summer beckons in the northern latitudes. As temperatures warm, beachgoers will flood sandy coasts, carrying bags of potato chips and sandwiches.

An evolutionary analysis shows that the two species diverged within the past 500,000 years

In 1828, in a short paper in the journal Spicilegia Zoologica, British zoologist John Edward Gray reported six “new and undescribed” marine animals, among them a small dolphin found off southern Africa’s Atlantic coast.

There's been a bit of a monitor lizard thing going on here for the past few months: articles have covered Australian goannas, the Komodo dragon Varanus komodoensis, Dumeril's monitor and Timor and Peachthroat monitors, and the `prasinoid' tree monitors.

Perhaps you’ve heard of — or even read — the children’s book “Everyone Poops“. This illustrative tome explains that because everyone eats, everyone poops.

Would you rather have $50 now or $100 two weeks from now? Even though the $100 is obviously the better choice, many people will opt for the $50.

Computer models suggest that plant-eating dinosaurs called therizinosaurs used their claws for digging, grasping or piercing plants

Bite marks on fossils coupled with an analysis of skull strength suggests that crocodilians were capable of using "death rolls" to dismember prey

Insecticide-laced nest materials offer a simple fix for parasite infestations

Scientists knew neochrome was odd before they started rooting around in its family tree. A union of independent proteins — red-sensing phytochrome and blue-sensing phototropin — the super-protein combines two already-great pieces into one fantastic whole that helps plants grow toward dim, filtered light.

The fork-tailed drongo can mimic the alarm calls of dozens of other species of animals, including nonbirds, to drive them off and steal their food. Cynthia Graber reports

 

I photograph birds a lot - something that's more possible than it was before due to the fact that I now own a half-decent camera (thank you, parents).