evolution

Nature Communications, Published online: 06 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73731-8 Using tractography in monkeys, chimps and humans, the authors provide evidence for evolutionary changes in ancestral vocalization networks, leading to the unique ability to sequence speech sounds into words and sentences according to syntactic rules.

Nature Communications, Published online: 06 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73793-8 Flowering plants can undergo whole-genome duplications, but how they return to diploid-like states is poorly understood. Here authors show diploidization in the Biscutella genus is shaped by clade divergence and constrained by shared genomic features.

Why studying how the immune system evolves could teach us much about evolution itself

Near-complete bovine skeletons unearthed the Early Pliocene site of Camp dels Ninots in northeastern Spain reveal that the ancestors of today’s buffalo and cattle were already growing to impressive sizes long before humans arrived on the continent. The post Half-Ton Cattle Relatives Roamed Europe 4 Million Years Ago appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News .

As it turns out, beneficial mutations are far more common than a 50-year-old theory predicted, but the world changes too fast for them to stick.

In this week’s blog post, Dr. Suzana Alcantara – a researcher at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil – discusses the story behind the cover of Volume 29, Issue 12. Suzana is an evolutionary biologist interested in morphological evolution, plant diversification, and biogeography.  She is particularly interested in understanding the processes that contribute to…

Nature Communications, Published online: 05 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73437-x The role of giant viruses in freshwater habitats is less well studied. Here, using metagenomes collected over 20 years in Lake Mendota, the authors show that giant virus genomes adapt to environmental change via gene duplication and horizontal gene transfer, revealing genomic stability and increased virus-host i…

Scientists have identified a new species of feathered dinosaur that once glided through the ancient forests of China. The creature, named Jian changmaensis, was a close relative of Velociraptor and belonged to a group of small, birdlike dinosaurs known as microraptors. These animals were nothing like the large, scaly raptors depicted in Jurassic Park. Instead, they were lightweight, covered in fe…

Despite its name, the cave lion, or Panthera spelaea, did not actually inhabit caves

June 2026 Tegan Horan, a Research Associate in the Cohen lab, has published a new manuscript in the Oxford Academic’s Molecular Biology and Evolution journal that sheds new light on the process by which mammals complete chromosome exchanges. Per Tegan: "During the production of eggs and sperm, pairs of chromosomes exchange pieces of DNA [...]

Deep in Egypt, scientists uncovered an ancient treasure trove of fish frozen in time, what these fossils reveal could change everything we know about life after the dinosaurs.

Nature, Published online: 01 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01762-8 Traces from some of the earliest animals reveal when they began to sense light.

Scientists examining amber from Goethe’s personal collection discovered three hidden fossil insects, including an extinct ant preserved in extraordinary detail. Advanced 3D imaging allowed researchers to see not only the ant’s outer features but also structures inside its body. The findings offer new clues about the species’ biology and suggest it likely built large nests in trees.

Long-time readers of Tet Zoo will perhaps be aware of my efforts, beginning in 2012 or something like that, to depict in a montage the diversity of crocodylomorphs extinct and extant….

A newborn island stayed sealed from humans for decades, and what scientists found there has challenged a long-held idea about how life begins.

Culture is humanity’s secret for world domination. This calculation shows just how powerful it is

Hidden beneath Arctic waters, beluga whales have long kept their family lives a mystery. By analyzing DNA from more than 600 belugas in Alaska’s Bristol Bay over 13 years, researchers uncovered a surprisingly flexible mating system: both males and females regularly have offspring with different partners over their lifetimes.

Species emerged at a time well before the evolution of trees and lived a semi-aquatic life, scientists say