Evolution

Researchers identify fist fighting as the key to the evolution of the human hand’s unique proportions

A recent article titled ‘Protective buttressing of the human fist and the evolution of human hands’ rests on the assumption that human evolution has been characterised by competition for mates, however despite modern human’s propensity for violence and co ...

Blog Post - Damon Isherwood - Jan 20 2013 - 8:46pm

Another Just-So Story, This Time About Fists

“It is demonstrable,” said he, “that things cannot be otherwise than as they are; for as all things have been created for some end, they must necessarily be created for the best end. Observe, for instance, the nose is formed for spectacles, therefore we w ...

Article - T. Ryan Gregory - Jan 21 2013 - 4:30am

Tianyuan Cave Human From 40,000 Years Ago Linked To Native Americans And Modern Asians

An international team of researchers sequenced nuclear and mitochondrial DNA that had been extracted from the leg of an early modern human from Tianyuan Cave near Beijing, China and found that the human from 40,000 years in China is related to many people ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 24 2013 - 1:09pm

The Popular View Of DNA

To many, DNA represents the definitive code which governs all life.  It has been compared to a sophisticated computer program from which every aspect of an individual organism is built. Equally it has been stated that DNA is not destiny, so there is some b ...

Article - Gerhard Adam - Jan 30 2013 - 11:59am

Naive Group Selection

You would think after thirty years of numerous critics exposing the shortcomings of the selfish gene hypothesis, that its proponents would have become a little more circumspect, a little more nuanced in their promotion of the fallacy. But you’d be wrong. ...

Blog Post - Steve Davis - Feb 6 2013 - 12:37am

Earliest Date For Placental Mammals Discovered

Want to feel small? Humans have been included in the most comprehensive tree of life to-date on placental mammals. And placental mammals are the largest branch of the mammalian family tree, with more than 5,100 living species.  ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 7 2013 - 4:03pm

What Is Life- Part 2

Almost two years ago, I wrote an article entitled "What is life- Part 1" describing various aspects of life that dealt with the issues of "intent" and "purpose".  These are obviously heavily loaded terms, and represent a treme ...

Article - Gerhard Adam - Feb 8 2013 - 12:16pm

Canine Skull Shape Variation May Help Humans With Craniofacial Deformities Too

Maybe it is not just sentimental. Perhaps the connection to "man's best friends" is literally in our heads. Skull shape is a complex trait, involving multiple genes and their interactions. Thanks to standardized canine breeding, which docum ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 9 2013 - 1:04pm

Disperal Hypothesis: The Mountain Top Issue In Evolutionary Diversity

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Article - News Staff - Feb 12 2013 - 6:21pm

Is Evolution Now Predictable?

Understanding how and why diversification occurs is important for understanding why there are so many species on Earth.  A new study found that similar, or even identical, mutations can occur during diversification in completely separate populations of E. ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 19 2013 - 6:35pm