Researchers have succeeded in reconstructing the evolutionary relationship between a two million year old giant primate and the living orangutan. It is the first time genetic material this old has been retrieved from a fossil in a subtropical area. This allows the researchers to accurately reconstruct animal, including human, evolutionary processes way beyond the limits known today.
Source: Extinct giant ape directly linked to the living orangutan — ScienceDaily
“However, less-fit lineages also routinely leapfrog over strains of higher fitness. Our results demonstrate that this combination of factors, which is not accounted for in existing models of evolutionary dynamics, is critical in determining the rate, predictability and molecular basis of adaptation.
Source: Researchers: Evolution is not “survival of the fittest” | Uncommon Descent
You’ve probably seen a lichen, even if you didn’t realize it. If you’ve ever meandered through the forest and wondered what the crusty stuff on trees or rocks was, they’re lichens, a combination of algae and fungi living together almost as if they were one organism. And since they can grow on bare r
Source: Lichens Are Way Younger Than Scientists Thought – Likely Evolved Millions of Years After Plants
Species that aren’t closely related can look identical thanks to a bizarre trick of evolution. A new study reveals part of the mechanism for creating nature’s unrelated twins.
Source: Evolution Keeps Repeating Itself. Scientists Are Starting to Understand Why – VICE
Scientists have solved the structure of one of the key components of photosynthesis, a discovery that could lead to photosynthesis being ‘redesigned’ to achieve higher yields and meet urgent food security needs.
So different sets of genes can result in identical looking birds? This is getting as complicated as the butterflies.
