News archive

Evo in the news archive

		Superbug, super-fast evolution - April 2008 Fascination with tiny microbes bearing long, difficult-to-pronounce names is often reserved for biology classrooms — unless of course the bug in question threatens human health. MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) now contributes to more US deaths than does HIV, and as its threat level has risen, so has the attention lavished on it by the media. At this point, almost any move the bug makes is likely to show up in your local paper... Read the whole story >>

		The new shrew that's not - March 2008 Not a shrew, that is. If you flipped through the newspaper's Science and Technology section last month, you might have spotted this adorable imposter: big eyes, dainty feet, and a long, flexible snout resembling an anteater's or an elephant's. Formally known as Rhynchocyon udzungwensis, the giant elephant shrew made the news because it is fuzzy, photogenic, and new to science. While thousands of insect species are discovered each year, mammal species not yet in the scientific record (especially ones the size of a hefty squirrel, like R. udzungwensis) are a rarity. Most elephant shrew species were first described in the 1800s by scientists who classified them as shrews because of obvious physical similarities. But recent genetic evidence has confirmed that elephant shrews are not shrews at all... Read the whole story >>

		Evolution in the fast lane? - February 2008 The question of whether we, as a species, are still evolving, sometimes inspires visions of a new-and-improved Homo sapiens, complete with super-sized brain, disease-resistance, and the ability to withstand the pollutants and toxins common in a techno-centric future. While science fiction writers have come up with imaginative and entertaining answers to the question of how humans might be evolving, the responses of the scientific community have been more staid. Perhaps, they've suggested, some genes for withstanding epidemic disease are currently on the rise. However, with the improved genetic sequencing technologies that have come online in the last decade, many biologists are now prepared to offer more specific hypotheses as to how species are changing.... Read the whole story >>

		Evolution from a virus's view - December 2007 The new disease making the rounds this winter sounds like a Steven Spielberg movie in the making: a common cold virus, which spreads via casual contact, mutates into a virulent form that hospitalizes and sometimes kills its victims. Touted last month as the "killer cold," Adenovirus-14 is far from fantasy, but neither is it scary enough to make a blockbuster.... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		Genealogy enthusiasts mine DNA for clues to evolutionary history - November 2007 If you've ever sat down with a great aunt to reconstruct your family history, wondered if you might be related to Genghis Khan, or tried to calculate what portion of your genes come from that rowdy great-grandparent that your dad never wants to talk about, you might be tempted to try out the latest in genealogy research: DNA. Last month saw the launch of GeneTree.com, a business combining social networking with genetic testing. For a fee, GeneTree will use the DNA in a sample of your cheek cells (collected with a special mouthwash) to "discover your deepest ancestral roots." With advances in DNA technology, some genetic tests are relatively easy to perform, and GeneTree joins more than 20 other companies aiming to unravel ancestry via DNA tests. But what are the limits of these tests? An evolutionary perspective helps reveal whether these companies can deliver on their promises. Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		Another perspective on cancer: Evolution within - October 2007 This month, pink products — from sneakers to vacuum cleaners — will pop up on store shelves. Even Campbell's Soup will shed its tomato red label in favor of pearly pink. Whatever your opinion on the pink campaign to raise awareness of and research dollars for breast cancer, the cause is unlikely to escape your notice during October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Since nearly 200,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone, funding for research has the potential to improve the quality of life and survival odds for many millions of people. But despite increased attention and funding, the cure for this and other cancers has remained notoriously elusive. Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		When it comes to evolution, headlines often get it wrong - September 2007 "Fossils challenge old evolution theory," proclaimed Fox News, while the Salt Lake Tribune, bragged that "University scientists defy evolution view!" From the headlines trumpeted in some media outlets, one might imagine evolution as a theory in crisis — publishers struggling to rewrite textbook chapters before print deadlines, biologists running from their labs, tearing their hair. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Last month, when scientists published a description of newly discovered hominid fossils and suggested that they might prompt a minor revision of the human family tree, biologists and paleoanthropologists considered the additional evidence with interest and the authors' interpretation with a healthy skepticism typical of science. Read the whole story >>

		Cheating cheetahs prosper - July 2007 Philandering males, sneaking around behind their partners' backs or openly canoodling, are a stock character on Animal Planet. Male lions, male chimps, and male elephant seals (along with many others) play the Casanovas, pairing up with multiple females. But now researchers have revealed that cheetahs buck this sexual stereotype. According to the May 2007 study, female cheetahs seem to be at least as promiscuous as their male counterparts. Females frequently mate with several different males while they are fertile and are then likely to bear a single litter of cubs fathered by multiple males — making many of the cubs within a single litter only half-siblings... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		Evolving conservation strategies - June 2007 Wolves, grizzlies, and other endangered species dodged a bullet last month when the Department of the Interior briefly considered a new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act. The Act protects species that are at risk of going extinct throughout a significant portion of their range. This range has always included areas where the species historically lived (even if they've since been driven out). However, the interpretation proposed last month would have changed that, protecting a species only over the range in which it currently lives... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		Seeing the tree for the twigs - May 2007 When humans consider evolutionary history, we usually view the tree of life from the vantage point of our own tiny twig. We trace the hominid branch seven million years back in time — passing long-lost relatives along the way (our Neanderthal cousins, Great Aunt Lucy...) — until we reach the ancestor linking us with other primates and marvel, "Look how far we've come!" But just how impressive is our own evolution into a bipedal, big-brained, blabbering hominid? Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		Got lactase? - April 2007 In the US and many other countries, we've certainly "got milk," but not everyone can enjoy it. For around 10% of Americans, 10% of Africa's Tutsi tribe, 50% of Spanish and French people, and 99% of Chinese, a tall cold glass of milk means an upset stomach and other unpleasant digestive side effects. In fact, most adults in the world are lactose intolerant and cannot digest lactose, the primary sugar in milk. And yet, regardless of our ancestry, most of us began our lives happily drinking milk from a bottle or breast — so what happened in the intervening time? Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		A chink in HIV's evolutionary armor - March 2007 Since it made the evolutionary leap to humans from chimpanzees, HIV/AIDS has infected around 1% of the global population and in 2005 alone, killed almost three million people. Much of HIV's continued spread can be traced to its evasion of both the human immune system and our vaccines. Now that could be changing. Last month, a team of researchers led by Peter Kwong of the National Institutes of Health revealed the details of a molecular dance between the virus and its human host cells that could pave the way for a long-awaited vaccine. Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		The other green (r)evolution - February 2007 These days, corn seems to be going high tech, as the U.S. and other countries shift their attention to corn-based ethanol fuels in response to dwindling oil supplies. And the corn market is feeling this demand for the "fuel of the future": in recent months, corn prices have skyrocketed, in Mexico the cost of tortillas has soared, and many U.S. farmers have planned to invest more of their fields in corn, passing up soybeans, wheat, and cotton. So is corn the next new "green" technology? Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		Evolutionary evidence takes the stand - January 2007 Despite overwhelming evidence attesting to their innocence, last month six medical workers were sentenced to death in a Libyan trial. The crime with which the five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor are charged is indeed horrifying. Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		Quick evolution leads to quiet crickets - December 2006 Attack of the flesh-eating parasitoid maggots!! Mutant mute crickets run rampant in tropical paradise!! The headlines may sound like a trailer for a cheap horror flick — but in fact, these sensationalist sound bites accurately describe the situation on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The "flesh-eating parasitoid maggots" are the offspring of the fly, Ormia ochracea, which invaded Hawaii from North America, and the mutant crickets are the flies' would-be victims. Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		Where species come from - November 2006 Cries of "Save the rainforest! Save the coral reefs!" may rally the conservation movement — but what about the arctic tundra, or the semiarid desert? Are those ecosystems unthreatened? Far from it; ecosystems all around the world and at every latitude are endangered in some way by human activity. So why do rainforests and reefs get so much attention? Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		Quick bites and quirky adaptations - October 2006 Lions and great white sharks may boast the most famous jaws in the animal kingdom — but theirs are nowhere near the fastest. In August 2006, biologists Sheila Patek, Andy Suarez, and colleagues awarded that honor to Odontomachus bauri, a tiny trap-jaw ant native to Central and South America, whose mandibles (or jaws) can snap shut at a remarkable 145 miles per hour! That rapid-fire bite is quick enough to decapitate a soldier termite before it launches its own defense... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		Musseling in on evolution - September 2006 Evolution is a slow process through which species gradually adapt to their environments, right? Well perhaps sometimes, but not for the blue mussel. In August of 2006, Aaren Freeman and James Byers of the University of New Hampshire announced that the blue mussel has evolved defenses against a new invasive predator in just 15 years... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		More than morphology - August 2006 A six-ton carnivore with teeth the size of bananas is bound to make the news — even if that animal has been extinct for 65 million years. The recent spate of T. rex discoveries that have made headlines confirms this species' star status. In June 2006, T. rex was reported to have had much better vision than previously thought — perhaps 13 times sharper than human vision! In July, a team of researchers estimated that T. rex had an average body temperature just 7 or 8° F lower than our own mammalian temperature... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

		Warming to evolution - July 2006 Global warming is, quite literally, a hot topic. Though the mechanism of global warming — temperature rise due to humans' production of heat-trapping greenhouse gases — may not be big news, the projected impact of global warming often makes headlines... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

Hotspots for evolution - June 2006 Ever wonder why the Amazon is loaded with different species while the Antarctic boasts just a few? Well, so did New Zealand biologists Shane Wright, Jeanette Keeling, and Len Gillman — and the answer they discovered would be no surprise to any sun-worshipping tourist... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

What has the head of a crocodile and the gills of a fish? - May 2006 Tiktaalik, of course. Pronounced tik-TAA-lik, this 375 million year old fossil splashed across headlines as soon as its discovery was announced in April of 2006. Unearthed in arctic Canada by a team of researchers led by Neil Shubin, Edward Daeschler, and Farish Jenkins, Tiktaalik is technically a fish, complete with scales and gills — but it has the flattened head of a crocodile and unusual fins... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

Conserving the kakapo - April 2006 When the kakapo, a critically endangered parrot, makes the papers, it's generally not good news. In 1995, just 51 of these large flightless birds waddled around the forests of island sanctuaries in their native New Zealand. The kakapo used to be more widespread, but having evolved with few natural predators on the islands, the birds were poorly adapted for the modern world — and the rat and stoat invasions that came along with it... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

Evolution at the scene of the crime - March 2006 The tests confirm, beyond a shadow of doubt, that Roger Keith Coleman did it, but Alan Crotzer did not. In 1992, Coleman was executed for the rape and murder of his sister-in-law. In 1981, Crotzer was sentenced to 130 years in prison for a robbery and pair of rapes. Though the crimes themselves are old, judgments long since rendered, and punishments already meted out, for many observers, the actual guilt or innocence of these two defendants for two different crimes was only just settled by an increasingly important test... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

A fish of a different color - February 2006 The zebrafish, a small but flashy aquarium pet, may seem like an unlikely informant on questions of human genetics — yet its genome could hold the keys to understanding many diseases and, surprisingly, the genes underlying human skin color. In December 2005, a cancer research team headed by Keith Cheng at Penn State University announced that their studies of the mutant "golden" zebrafish had taken an unexpected turn: they had discovered a single human gene that accounts for about 30% of the difference in skin color between African and European descendents... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

Tracking SARS back to its source - January 2006 The previously unknown SARS virus generated widespread panic in 2002 and 2003 when the airborne germ caused 774 deaths and more than 8000 cases of illness. But where did this mystery virus come from? Scientists immediately suspected that it had jumped to humans from some other organism. In May of 2003, attention focused in on cat-like mammals called civets. Infected civets were discovered at a live animal market in southern China (where they are occasionally eaten). However, since further searches failed to turn up more tainted civets, scientists concluded that they were not the original source of SARS and continued their quest... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

Evolution and the avian flu - November/December 2005 The warnings are dire. The economic cost for developed countries alone is estimated at 550 billion dollars, and the projected worldwide death toll ranges between 2 million and 150 million people. The very real specter behind these warnings is, of course, avian flu. As the virus spreads through bird populations, governments have heeded the warnings of health officials and begun to cull infected flocks. More than 150 million birds have been killed so far... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

"Superweed" discovered in Britain? - October 2005 Environmentalists raised an outcry when the British Centre for Ecology and Hydrology announced the discovery of what has been termed a "superweed" in July of 2005. The single wild mustard plant achieved superweed status in the minds of some when it proved resistant to a powerful weed killer. Scientists discovered the plant in a field that had been used in trials of genetically-modified (GM) oilseed rape, a group of plants which includes those used to produce canola oil. Environmental groups warn that this discovery augurs serious agricultural and environmental repercussions... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

Livestock kick a drug habit - September 2005 "Just say no to drugs" was the message sent to chicken farmers in July of 2005 when the FDA banned the use of the antibiotic Baytril in poultry production. Citing concerns for human health, the FDA will no longer allow poultry producers to give their chickens, turkeys, and ducks Baytril-laced water... Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>