evolution

This paper argues that evolution is not a biological mechanism but a universal operator: a substrate‑independent process that transforms undifferentiated possibility into coherent, self‑maintaining form. The operator has a stable, domain‑invariant structure—variation, selection, and retention—and this structure appears across physical, chemical, biological, cognitive, cultural, and technological …

Nature Communications, Published online: 05 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72642-y Molecular characteristics of amniote lineages can inform evolutionary inference. Here, the authors present a single-cell RNA-sequencing atlas of the chicken, which is applied to compare immune cells of chicken, turtle, duck and human, determining similarities and distinctions across amniote immune system evolutio…

Scientists have discovered a new species of small mammal that lived at the same time as dinosaurs, offering fresh clues about how early mammals survived one of the most devastating events in Earth’s history. The fossil belongs to a newly identified species called Cimolodon desosai, a rodent-like animal that lived about 75 million years ago […] The post Scientists discover 75-million-year-old mamm…

Plants use sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into energy-rich sugars and oxygen in various ways (photosynthesis). Drought is a major challenge in this process. A research team led by Wolfram Weckwerth at the University of Vienna has now demonstrated how a particularly water-efficient variant of this process (CAM) has evolved in diverse ways within a single tropical tree genus. By analy…

Find indicates high diversity of long-necked dinosaurs in southwestern China during Early Jurassic period

Researchers at the University of Oregon have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can read genetic code the way large language models like ChatGPT read text. Scanning the genome for biological mutation patterns, the computer model traces pairs of genes back in time to their last common ancestor.

Evolution is often described as a process full of chance and randomness. But a new study suggests that it may be more predictable than we once thought. Scientists have discovered that evolution has been using the same genetic “tools” for more than 120 million years to create similar patterns in different species. An international team […] The post How the same genes shaped butterfly wings for 120…

A long-standing assumption about evolution is being challenged by new research showing that vastly different species can rely on the same genetic pathways to develop similar traits. Scientists have discovered that evolution has relied on the same genetic “cheat sheet” for more than 120 million years, suggesting that the development of life on Earth may [...]

For many, romantic partnerships are at the heart of our well-being in life. Yet, these same relationships can be fraught or hard to maintain. Spouses become bored with each other, grow in different directions, or are no longer sexually satisfied, and they separate or divorce. Infidelity among committed partners is also strikingly common, with somewhere between 20-25% of couples reporting at least…

Ancient DNA reveals how a single mutation reshaped both horses and human history.

Why early hominins opted for the to-go option The post Our Human Ancestors Dined on Takeout appeared first on Nautilus .

_Frontiers in Psychology_ 9:417461. 2018According to some evolutionary psychologists, landscapes preferences in the human species are influenced by their evolutionary past. Because the Pleistocene savanna is the least inhospitable landscape, it was the most suitable environment for survival and influenced the evolution of hominids in such a way that even today the human being has a universal pref…

A newly discovered stegosaur skull from Spain is offering rare insight into the anatomy and evolution of one of Europe’s most iconic dinosaurs. A rare skull from Spain is giving scientists a clearer look at one of Europe’s most important armored dinosaurs and reshaping ideas about how stegosaurs spread and evolved. Stegosaurs were plant-eating dinosaurs [...]

A landmark study of several butterfly lineages and a day-flying moth in South America shows that convergent evolution -- when unrelated species arrive at the same solution -- isn’t just a coincidence; it follows a surprisingly consistent genetic script, and this discovery could help predict how species adapt to climate change. The post Study: Butterflies and Moths Have Reused Same Genetic Toolkit…

Galápagos plants show repeated evolution and emerging species, emphasizing evolution’s flexibility and active role today. The Galápagos Islands have long stood as a living laboratory of evolution, but their story is far from finished. Nearly two centuries after Darwin’s famous finches reshaped our understanding of life, new research reveals that evolution on these remote islands [...]

Nature Communications, Published online: 04 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72521-6 Density-dependent population regulation is widespread in animals. Here, the authors identify cathepsin B cysteine protease as a crowd-responding factor that induces increased genome mutagenesis, leading competitive growth in response to overpopulation.

Scientific Data, Published online: 04 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41597-026-07354-5 A compendium of horizontal gene transfers in Metazoa

Evolution seems to follow a script more often than expected. Researchers found that distantly related butterflies and moths have reused the same pair of genes for over 120 million years to produce strikingly similar warning colors. Rather than altering the genes themselves, evolution modifies how they’re switched on and off. This discovery hints that life may evolve in more predictable ways than …

Just like vertebrates, cephalopods—such as octopuses and squid—have elaborate brains. Neuroscientists are flocking to them for insights into how intelligence evolved.

This tiny dinosaur-era mammal may hold the secret to surviving Earth’s worst extinction. Mammals lived alongside dinosaurs for millions of years until a catastrophic event 66 million years ago wiped out about 75% of life on Earth. Even after this mass extinction, some species endured. Among the survivors were small, rodent-like mammals from the genus [...]