Researchers aim to assemble the tree of life for all two million named species. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, May 21, 2012. A new initiative aims to build a tree of life that brings together everything scientists know about how living things are related, from the tiniest bacteria to the tallest tree. Picked up by The New York Times.
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Why not marry your cousin? Millions do
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Why not marry your cousin? Millions do. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, April 25, 2012.The health risks of marrying a cousin have been grossly overstated, says a new book that examines common misconceptions about cousin marriage. A better understanding of the health effects of cousin marriage could mean more appropriate marriage laws and better medical care for cousin couples and their children, says author and NESCent visitor Alan Bittles. Picked up by West Australia Today and The West Australian.
New study traces the evolutionary history of what mammals eat
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New study traces the evolutionary history of what mammals eat. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, April 16, 2012. The feeding habits of mammals haven’t always been what they are today, particularly for omnivores, finds a new study. Some groups of mammals almost exclusively eat meat — take lions and tigers and other big cats. Other mammals such as deer, cows and antelope are predominantly plant-eaters, living on a diet of leaves, shoots and bark. But particularly for omnivores, the situation wasn’t always that way, researchers report. Picked up by NSF and NPR.
Genes from undersea creature may help crops prosper
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Genes from undersea creature may help crops prosper. Raleigh News and Observer, April 16, 2012. The bottles of amber liquid perched on the bench in Dr. Amy Grunden’s research lab at N.C. State University don’t look like much. But floating within are billions of sea-dwelling microbes – too small to see with the naked eye – that researchers hope will one day help plants survive in space, or produce hardier crops and better biofuels in stressful environments here on Earth.
Athletic frogs have faster-changing genomes
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Athletic frogs have faster-changing genomes. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, April 12, 2012. Physically fit frogs have faster-changing genomes, says a new study of poison frogs from Central and South America. Also featured in Wired Magazine.
Why do some island animals become dwarfs and others become giants?
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Why do some island animals become dwarfs and others become giants? National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, March 23, 2012. A new study of huge hamsters and pint-sized porcupines puts an old idea to the test. Also featured in Futurity.
Not just for the birds: Man-made noise has ripple effects on plants, too
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Not just for the birds: Man-made noise has ripple effects on plants, too. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, March 21, 2012. A growing body of research shows that birds and other animals change their behavior in response to man-made noise, such as the din of traffic or the hum of machinery. But human clamor doesn’t just affect animals. Because many animals also pollinate plants or eat or disperse their seeds, human noise can have ripple effects on plants too, finds a new study. Picked up by Scientific American, the Christian Science Monitor, MSNBC, National Public Radio, Audubon Magazine, the Miami Herald, BBC News, Science News, Discovery News, the New York Times and TIME Magazine.
Ice Age coyotes were supersized compared to coyotes today, fossil study reveals
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Ice Age coyotes were supersized compared to coyotes today, fossil study reveals. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, February 27, 2012. Coyotes today are pint-sized compared to their Ice Age counterparts, finds a new fossil study. Between 11,500 and 10,000 years ago — a mere blink of an eye in geologic terms — coyotes shrunk to their present size. The sudden shrinkage was most likely a response to dwindling food supply and changing interactions with competitors, rather than warming climate, researchers say. Picked up by the Huffington Post, Wired, MSNBC, and Science Magazine.
How did human brains get to be so big?
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How did human brains get to be so big? Scientific American Guest Blog, February 21, 2012. New research points to an ancient energy tradeoff that meant more fuel for brains, and less fuel for muscles.
Birds in uncertain climates are more likely to stray from their mates
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Birds in uncertain climates are more likely to stray from their mates. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, February 16, 2012. Married people may pledge to stay faithful through good times and bad, but birds sing a different tune — when weather is severe or uncertain, a new study finds that birds are more likely to stray from their mates. The results could mean more marital strife for birds coping with climate change, the researchers say. Picked up by Discovery News, Huffington Post, Scientific American, Globe and Mail, the New York Times, and MSNBC.
Deadly bird parasite evolves at exceptionally fast rate
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Deadly bird parasite evolves at exceptionally fast rate. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, February 9, 2012. A new study of a devastating bird disease that spread from poultry to house finches in the mid-1990s reveals that the bacteria responsible for the disease evolves at an exceptionally fast rate. What’s more, the fast-evolving microbe has lost a key chunk of its genome since jumping to its new host, scientists were surprised to find. Picked up by MSNBC.
Prehistoric predators with supersized teeth had beefier arm bones
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Prehistoric predators with supersized teeth had beefier arm bones. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, January 4, 2012. The toothiest prehistoric predators also had beefier arm bones, finds a new fossil study. Picked up by the History Channel, Discover Magazine, MSNBC, Science Magazine, the Huffington Post, Nature and the UK’s Daily Mail.
Ancient crickets hint at the origins of insect hearing
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Ancient crickets hint at the origins of insect hearing. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, January 3, 2012. How did insects get their hearing? A new study of 50 million year-old cricket and katydid fossils — sporting some of the best preserved fossil insect ears described to date— help trace the evolution of the insect ear. Picked up by MSNBC, Futurity and Scientific American.
Why caffeine? It’s human nature
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Why caffeine? It’s human nature. Raleigh News and Observer, January 2, 2012. Why do some people need 10 cups of coffee just to make it through the day, while others feel wired from just one cup? Part of the answer may be in your genes.
How drought-tolerant grasses came to be
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How drought-tolerant grasses came to be. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, November 22, 2011. If you eat stuffing or grain-fed turkey this Thanksgiving, give thanks to the grasses — a family of plants that includes rice, corn and wheat. Now, a new grass family tree may help scientists develop more drought-tolerant grains.
Communal living of the insect kind
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Communal living of the insect kind. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, November 16, 2011. The social lives of ants, wasps and bees have long been a puzzle to scientists. How did complex insect societies — colonies ruled by a queen and many workers — come to be? A new model adds to discontent with old ideas.
Bigger birds are harder hit by human noise
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Bigger birds are harder hit by human noise. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, November 9, 2011. A growing body of evidence shows that man-made noise is bad for birds, but some species are harder hit than others — particularly bigger birds with low-frequency songs, finds a new study. Picked up by Science Magazine, Discovery News, Southern California Public Radio and National Geographic.
Tracking touch-the-ground running
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Tracking touch-the-ground running. Raleigh News and Observer, November 7, 2011. Some argue that running barefoot – or close to it – improves form and reduces injury. Could they be right?
Patrolling for pollution with robotic fish
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Synchronized swimming: patrolling for pollution with robotic fish. Scientific American Guest Blog, September 19, 2011. In landlocked East Lansing, Michigan, you’re unlikely to swim with dolphins. But you can swim with robotic fish, thanks to a team of scientists who are developing underwater robots that swim in schools to monitor water quality.
Microbe-managing your life
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Microbe-managing your life. Raleigh News and Observer, September 19, 2011. Can gut parasites be good for you? It may sound far-fetched. But for those with off-kilter immune systems, scientists are finding hope in some unlikely allies.
The future of a fog oasis
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The future of a fog oasis. Scientific American Guest Blog, August 19, 2011. In a fast-disappearing desert oasis, scientists are trying to bring a forest back to life – and discovering the imprint of a lost civilization amidst the vanishing trees.
Hummingbirds catch flying bugs with the help of fast-closing beaks
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Hummingbirds catch flying bugs with the help of fast-closing beaks. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, July 19, 2011. The shape of a hummingbird’s beak allows it to snatch up flying insects in a mere fraction of a second — with greater speed and power than could be achieved by jaw muscles alone.
Building a better strawberry
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Building a better strawberry. Raleigh News and Observer, June 27, 2011. Scientists and chefs team up to breed a hardier, tastier North Carolina strawberry.
Stable temperatures boost montane biodiversity
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Stable temperatures boost biodiversity in tropical mountains. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, June 8, 2011. The diversity of plants and animals in tropical mountain ranges may have something to do with the stable seasonal temperatures found near the equator relative to higher latitudes.
Songbirds tweak their tunes in different ways to cope with clamor
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Songbirds tweak their tunes in different ways to cope with clamor. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, May 26, 2011. Some birds that live near noisy sites can alter their songs to deal with din. But closely related species with similar songs may tweak their tunes in different ways, says a new study. Picked up by US News and World Report and Science Magazine.