Life science news

Measuring dino fitness - more evidence that two-legged dinosaurs were warm-blooded

A researcher from Washington University has a new take on things which suggests that many dinosaurs were indeed warm-blooded based on how much energy an animal needs to run or walk by looking at how high their hips were from the ground.

How humans started a bacterial pandemic in chickens

Tags: Biology

A pandemic of the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium among chickens may have gotten its start by jumping from a human 38 years ago.

Fake cleaner fish dons multiple disguises

Tags: Biology

The bluestriped fangblenny switches disguises to both approach unsuspecting prey and fool predators.

Breaking the Link - Darwinius revealed as ancestor of nothing

A comprehensive analysis of the bones of 117 primates, both living and extinct, throws Ida's supposed direct line of ancestry to humans into serious doubt.

What is the difference between the human genome and a pair of headphones?

Tags: Biology

Chromosomes that make up our genome fold into a shape called a "fractal globule", where the long strands of DNA are densely packed but without a single knot.

Archaeopteryx Bones Dinosaur-Like

The structure of the bones of Archaeopteryx was more like a dinosaur’s than a bird’s.

The plague of tyrants - a common bird parasite that infected Tyrannosaurus

Tyrannosaurs may have suffered from a parasite similar to one that afflicts birds today.

Why Do Women Experience Menopause?

Tags: Biology

An evolutionary advantage of grandmothers helping their children raise children may be the reason for menopause in humans.

Ardipithecus ramidus

A 17 year excavation, assembly, and assessment of specimens of Ardipithecus ramidus, the oldest known member of the branch of primates that led to humans, has been completed.

Friday Weird Science: The shark with two "heads"

Tags: Biology

A new species of ghost shark, has been found just north of the Gulf of California in the Pacific.

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