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.
Author Archives: admin
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.
Eat your fruit; it’s good for you
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Eat your fruit; it’s good for you. Raleigh News and Observer, May 16, 2011. Plant scientist Mary Ann Lila hopes to pinpoint the natural compounds in blueberries and other fruits that explain their medicinal powers.
Coping with climate change
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Coping with climate change. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, May 11, 2011. Can we predict which species will be able to move far or fast enough to keep up with rising global temperatures? A new study says the secrets to success in the face of a warming world are still elusive.
Marine snails get a metabolism boost
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Marine snails get a metabolism boost. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, May 3, 2011. Most of us wouldn’t consider slow-moving snails to be high-metabolism creatures. But at one point in the distant past, snail metabolism sped up, says a new study in the journal Paleobiology.
Toxic frogs are more physically fit
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Treadmill tests for poison frogs prove toxic species are more physically fit. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, March 29, 2011. The most toxic, brightly colored members of the poison frog family may also be the best athletes. Story picked up by Wired Science, Discovery Channel, and MSNBC News.
New study pinpoints why some microbial genes are more promiscuous than others
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New study pinpoints why some microbial genes are more promiscuous than others. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, March 16, 2011. A new study of more than three dozen species — including the microbes responsible for pneumonia, ulcers and plague — settles a longstanding debate about why bacteria are more likely to steal some genes than others.
To age is primate
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To age is primate. Duke Today, March 10, 2011. For a long time scientists thought that humans aged more slowly than other animals, especially given our relatively long life spans and access to modern medicine. But now, the first-ever comparison of human aging patterns with those in chimps and other primates suggests the pace of human aging may not be so unique after all. Picked up by Discovery News, US News & World Report, ABC News, MSNBC, Science Magazine, USA Today, CBS News, and NPR’s Science Friday.
Evolution drives many plants and animals to be bigger, faster
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Evolution drives many plants and animals to be bigger, faster. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, March 7, 2011. For the vast majority of plants and animals, the ‘bigger is better’ view of evolution may not be far off the mark, says a new study of natural selection.