Student Post: Ancestor dinosaurs DNA Evolution Florida mammals Shrew
by troybolton
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We used to be shrews!?!
Ever think where did we come from? Well, one answer to that could be evolution. While it is not yet a proven fact, it is a theory that shows promise to be true. Experts on the matter of evolution “recorded 4,500 physical traits for 86 mammalian species, including 40 that are now extinct.” Using this [...]
The Purpose of Pruney Fingers
After spending a lengthy period in water, you may notice a particular phenomenon occur – wrinkled fingers and toes! A common misconception is that pruney digits are caused by water soaking into our skin, presumably by osmosis. In reality, furrowing in our fingers is caused by constricting blood vessels by the nervous system. But what [...]
Guts or Glory?
According to Aristotle, what separates man from beasts is his ability to reason. Humans have this luxury because of their large brains, but it comes at a price; guts! Scientists have long imagined that big brains come with an evolutionary cost and up until a recent study, it was all theory. A Swedish team of [...]
Student Post: biology evening Evolution fast insecticide Insects mosquito Mosquitos moth moths primrose
by inewitt
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We Need Mosquitoes?!
Yes, in fact, we do need mosquitoes. And not only mosquitoes but all the other types of insects as well. A recent discovery by Anurag Agrawal, the leader of the study and a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University, revealed that insects are hugely important because of the roles they play in the evolution [...]
Student Post: biology Evolution gannet headache skull woodpecker
by biorob
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A Woodpecker’s Headache
Have you ever wondered how a woodpecker can “peck” a tree at twenty times a second without damaging their head? Thinking about it, if you hit your head against a wall, you get a little dizzy. Does the woodpecker get dizzy? Research shows that with the study of evolution, all of these questions can be [...]
Student Post: DNA Evolution Inheritance mitochondrial DNA natural selection Nuclear DNA nucleus Polar bear
by k2l2
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How Old Are You, Polar Bear?
Do you remember where mammals have DNA? (hint- it isn’t just in the nucleus) Mammal cells have DNA in both their cell nuclei and their mitochondria. While DNA in the nucleus is a combination of both parents, mitochondrial DNA is inherited directly from the mother. (For more information about nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA download: www.cbc.ca/fifth/2008-2009/the_girl_in…/dna-definitions.doc) And what [...]
Student Post: Bite force Crocodile Crocodilians Evolution T-Rex
by nyrtac2012
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Crocodiles…They Can Take Down a T-Rex
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wondered what I would do if I was ever being chased by a crocodile. At a young age I learned that you should always run zig zag, because that slows the beast down. Good advice right? Well, what if the crocodile still catches up to you? Don’t [...]
Student Post: Evolution experiment natural selection yeast
by engan12
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from single cell to multi-cellular
Have you ever wondered how single cellular organism evolved into multicellular organisms? In a recent New York Times article, some scientists decided to see if they could get single cellular organisms to somehow evolve into multicellular ones. The problem that they thought of was that in multicellular organisms there are many cells which die so [...]
Secrets (almost) Revealed about the Evolution of Plants
Now that we are studying plants in class, and learning about different adaptations and some of the evolution of plants I thought this study would be interesting to look at. The sequencing of the genome of a plant known as spikemoss, may give scientists a better understanding of how all kinds of plants evolved over [...]
Sharks prove evolution; hybrid shark.
Sharks are just adding to their long list of impressive abilities. They are amazingly immune and can help cure cancer, they can be a cyclopes, and now they are proving evolution. The world’s first hybrid shark has been discovered in Austrian waters. The shark is a cross of an Australian Blacktip shark and a Common [...]
Student Post: Evolution mammals maternal behavior oxytocin Romance
by gambibambi
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Love Hormone: From Maternal Love to Romantic Attachment to Basic Survival Need
Introduction The hormone oxytocin, known as the Love Hormone and sometimes the Cuddle Hormone, is responsible for a plethora of emotional and nervous responses in our bodies. It is a hormone exclusively found in mammals. It causes maternal bonds to form between mothers and their children along with romantic bonds to form between monogamous pairs. Oxytocin controls many [...]
Student Post: carotenoids drosopterins Evolution fish guppies guppy mating pigments
by ddecam198
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Guppy Love!
Guppies (those small, colorful freshwater fish that everyone loves to keep in their fish tanks) have been evolving in the wild for more than 500,000 years, yet one feature has remained constant over all that time. Research conducted by UCLA Biologists has shown that the orange spot found on the wild male guppy has remained [...]
Student Post: bieber canada Evolution genetics ryan reynolds
by gambibambi
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Are Canadians Genetically Superior?
I mean they do have Ryan Reynolds, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Ellen Paige, that tall guy from Glee, and Beiber. Well, maybe Bieber doesn’t isn’t a testiment to Canadian superiority, but recent studies have found certain signs of rapid genetic changes among the recent residents of a small Canadian town, Ile aux Coudres, in the last 140 years. [...]
Student Post: attraction darwin Evolution evolutionary theory of attraction love ryan reynolds sex sociobiology
by gambibambi
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Dear Darwin: What Makes Ryan Reynolds “Sexy”?
Now we all know that a big jaw, prominent brow, and bulging muscles are conventionally thought of as attractive features in a man and that large breasts, an hour-glass figure, and big eyes are attractive in women, but have you ever wondered why? Well the answer lies in an unexpected place: science. According to the Evolutionary [...]
History through Hair
We all know that DNA makes up who we are and what our bodies are like. But scientists have been trying to do new things with genes and specifically what the sequences of a gene can tell us about our history. DNA becomes mixed when people from different places migrate around the world and reproduce with other people. Because of this, human DNA has become [...]
