Evolution

PZ Myers is coming to town.

In support of my hypothesis that PZ Myers had several clones of himself produced so that he could travel all around while still teaching courses, I noted a poster on my way to the lab yesterday that indicates that he will be in Guelph on Saturday Nov. 1, s ...

Blog Post - T. Ryan Gregory - Oct 25 2008 - 2:03pm

The Science of Spore

Is Spore meant to be just a game, with no suggestion that it has scientific content? ...

Blog Post - T. Ryan Gregory - Oct 25 2008 - 2:05pm

Spore- Biology For Nintendo DS Fans

Spore was released the day before my birthday so you can bet it was on my wish list.  Wil Wright has made some great games (Sim City) and then some clunkers.  He made The Sims, which I never played, because watching myself walk around my house in a game is ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Oct 25 2008 - 4:28pm

So Much For The Absence Of Natural Selection In Modern Human Populations

I have  recently criticized  British geneticist Steve Jones for his claim that modern human societies are no longer subject to natural selection. My arguments were based on basic principles of evolution and population genetics. Now a new study shows that ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Oct 31 2008 - 3:55pm

Snail Ecotypes And The Biochemistry Of Evolution

Researchers in Spain writing in the Journal of Proteome Research report deep new insights into how evolution changes the biochemistry of living things, helping them to adapt to new environments. Their study, based on an analysis of proteins produced by two ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 3 2008 - 11:41am

Natural Selection Favors Some Species Due To Metabolism, Says New Study

Why are some species of plants and animals favored by natural selection?   According to a UC Riverside-led research team, the answer lies in the rate of metabolism of a species – how fast a species consumes energy, per unit mass, per unit time.  The resear ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 3 2008 - 7:09pm

At least Spore didn't confuse my kid

OK, so you all know that Spore isn't based on how evolution actually works. There has been some concern that playing the game would cause players to develop a faulty understanding of evolution. So I was pleasantly surprised tonight at my 8 year-old� ...

Blog Post - Michael White - Nov 9 2008 - 10:37pm

Is Limb Loss In Lizards Evidence Of Rapid Evolution?

Small skink lizards, Lerista, demonstrate extensive changes in body shape over geologically brief periods. Research published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology shows that several species of these skinks have rapidly evolved an elongate, l ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 11 2008 - 2:09am

I don't BLOG

There are no coincidences...yup, I had to laugh after signing up for this blog a couple minutes ago. In my description I wrote that curiosity killed the cat and that's why they have nine lives. To collect as much data to use for the next 'trip&# ...

Blog Post - Lorena Marie Comeau - Nov 11 2008 - 8:08am

Alfred Wallace Confirmed? Hidden Mechanism Guiding How Biological Organisms Respond To Natural Selection, Says Study

A team of Princeton University scientists say they have discovered that chains of proteins found in most living organisms act like adaptive machines, possessing the ability to control their own evolution.  They say the research appears to offer evidence of ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 21 2009 - 7:37pm