Scared snails opt for single parenthood rather than wait for a mate

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Scared snails opt for single parenthood rather than wait for a mate. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, August 16, 2010. Solitary snails in search of a mate put off parenthood as long as possible in the hopes that a partner will appear. But scared snails settle for single parenthood much sooner than their calm counterparts, says a new study. Picked up by USA Today, the Dallas Morning News, and LiveScience.

Ants forecast forests’ future

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Ants forecast forests’ future. Raleigh News and Observer, June 28, 2010. Ants and other insects may not be the first things you spot on a walk in the woods, but N.C. State biologist Rob Dunn believes they have something important to say about the future of forests under climate change.

Are humans still evolving? Absolutely.

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Are humans still evolving? Absolutely, says a new analysis of a long-term study of  human health. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, October 19, 2009. Although advances in medical care have improved standards of living over time, humans aren’t entirely sheltered from the forces of natural selection, a new study shows. Picked up by the Boston Globe, TIME, Science Magazine, NPR’s Science Friday, New Scientist, and Telegraph.