Science & Evolution
Sex with Neanderthals Made Us Stronger
- The immune systems of modern humans got a boost when our early ancestors interbred with archaic species. - Genetic analysis shows that two now-extinct species contributed to the DNA of all living people. - In Europe and Asia, Neanderthals and Denisovans interbred with modern humans, some of whom brought the newly acquired genetic changes back to Africa. Mating with Neanderthals and another group of extinct hominids, Denisovans, strengthened the human immune system and left behind evidence in the DNA of people today, according to new research.
Life restoration of the nocturnal mammal Juramaia, hunting insects on a tree fern. Credit: Mark A. Klinger, Carnegie Museum of Natural History (PhysOrg.com) -- A remarkably well-preserved fossil discovered in northeast China provides new information about the earliest ancestors of most of today's mammal species—the placental mammals. According to a paper published August 25 in the prestigious journal Nature , this fossil represents a new milestone in mammal evolution that was reached 35 million years earlier than previously thought, filling an important gap in the fossil record and helping to calibrate modern, DNA-based methods of dating the evolution. A well-preserved fossil discovered in northeast China provides new information about the earliest ancestors of most of today's mammal species--the placental mammals.
Discovery of a 160-million-year-old fossil represents a new milestone in early mammal evolution
Staværinger Home Page
Kinship: Grandparents, Cousins and Other Relatives Slekskap: Besteforeldre, søskenbarn og annen slektninger Staværinger Home Page This page is intended as a guide to the various family relationships.
Royal Descents of famous people - Common ancestors of all humans by Mark Humphrys It has been known since Darwin's work in the 19th century that all of humanity (indeed all of life) is on one family tree. In other words, there existed in the past animals who are common ancestors of all humans now living. What this page is about is when was the most recent common ancestor of all living humans.
Common ancestors of all humans
Einstein for Everyone
Einstein for Everyone Nullarbor Press 2007 revisions 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013By Yasmin Anwar, Media Relations | 08 December 2009 BERKELEY — Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are challenging long-held beliefs that human beings are wired to be selfish.
12.08.2009 - Social scientists build case for 'survival of the kindest'
Biology That Makes Us Tick: Free Stanford Course by Robert Sapolsky
First thing you need to know: Before doing anything else, you should simply click “play” and start watching the video above. It doesn’t take long for Robert Sapolsky , one of Stanford’s finest teachers, to pull you right into his course. Better to watch him than listen to me. Second thing to know: Sapolsky is a MacArthur Fellow, a world renowned neurobiologist, and an adept science writer best known for his book, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers . Much of his research focuses on the interplay between the mind and body (how biology affects the mind, and the mind, the body), and that relationship lies at the heart of this course called “Human Behavioral Biology.” Now the third: Human Behavioral Biology is available on YouTube and iTunes for free.
The planets in the heavens move in exquisite orbital patterns, dancing to the Music of the Cosmos. There is more mathematical and geometric harmony than we realize. The idea for this article is from a book Larry Pesavento shared with me. The book, ' A Little Book of Coincidence ' by John Martineau, illustrates the orbital patterns and several of their geometrical relationships. .
Ensign Software - ESPL: Dances of the Planets
Genetics
What Mimicking One's Language Style May Mean About the Relationship | The University of Texas at Austin
Oct. 4, 2010 AUSTIN, Texas — People match each other's language styles more during happier periods of their relationship than at other times, according to new research from psychologists at The University of Texas at Austin. "When two people start a conversation, they usually begin talking alike within a matter of seconds," says James Pennebaker, psychology professor and co-author of the study. "This also happens when people read a book or watch a movie. As soon as the credits roll, they find themselves talking like the author or the central characters." This tendency is called language style matching or LSM.
Study Catches Two Bird Populations As They Split Into Separate Species
July 30, 2009 — A new study finds that a change in a single gene has sent two closely related bird populations on their way to becoming two distinct species. The study, published in the August issue of the American Naturalist , is one of only a few to investigate the specific genetic changes that drive two populations toward speciation. Speciation, the process by which different populations of the same species split into separate species, is central to evolution. But it's notoriously hard to observe in action. This study, led by biologist J.