LiveScience Topic:
Evolution

Evolution is among the most substantiated concepts in science and is the unifying theory of biological science. Charles Darwin co-originated, with Alfred Russel Wallace, the theory of evolution by natural selection. His masterwork, the 1859 "Origin of Species," offered ample evidence for evolution having occurred, as well as the first strong explanation for its mechanism, natural selection. Modern evolutionary theory incorporates these concepts: species change over time; genetic mutations are responsible for the changes; individuals with beneficial genetic mutations will survive preferentially compared with their competitors, in a process known as natural selection; those successful individuals' more numerous offspring will spread the beneficial genetic constructs throughout the population; when enough genetic changes reproductively isolate a population, that population has become a new species. Here you'll find news and information on evolution and the battle with proponents of so-called creation science.

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national science foundation, nsf, behind the scenes, bts, Sandi Copeland, Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Marlene Cimons, evolution, hominids, social behavior

Our Male Ancestors Stayed Close To Home, While Females Wandered About

The males of two bipedal hominid species that r...

Australopithecus tracks at Laetoli, Tanzania.

Human Ancestor 'Family' May Not Have Been Related

Another look at famous footprints torpedoes the...

Snails Sail Through Life On Bubbles Of Mucus

Snails that live on mucus rafts evolved the tal...

Everyday Evolution Revealed in Flu Shots

Flu viruses evolve and so must our vaccines.

nsf, national science foundation, sciencelives, sl, archeology, south africa, human origins, Curtis Marean, Arizona State University, human adaptation, human biology, paleoanthropology, paleoecology, zooarchaeology

Studying Grecian Battles and Human Origins

Curtis Marean studies human origins in African environments.

Studying Grecian Battles and Human Origins

Curtis Marean studies human origins in African environments.

cell structure with organelles surrounding a nucleus

Ancestor of All Living Things More Sophisticated than Thought

Rather than a primitive soup of chemicals, the last common ancestor was likely pretty complex.

Humans Are Still Evolving, Study Says

A study of a French-Canadian population between 1799 and 1940 concludes that modern humans are still capable of evolving, and still react to the pressures of natural selection.

'Dumb' Neanderthals Likely Had a Smart Diet

Once thought of as dim-witted big-game hunters, Neanderthals may have dined on fish, birds and plants as well.

insects, mating, crickets, food gifts, spermatophylax, sperm, mate choice, sexual selection, sperm transfer, spermatophores, ampullae, natural selection, benefits

The Way to a Female Katydid's Heart? Offer Her Food

When male crickets offer large food gifts to their mates, females are more likely to seek mates out.

teeth from a new branch of ancient humans

Now-Extinct Relative Had Sex with Humans Far and Wide

The Denisovans spanned from Siberia to Asia, leaving evidence of interbreeding in modern humans.

animals, insects, evolution, butterflies, speciation, new species, hybrid species, hybrid butterfly, tiger swallowtail, Appalachian tiger swallowtail, Canadian tiger swallowtail, Eastern tiger swallowtail,

Common Butterfly Is Hybrid of Two Species

A rare hybridization event between the Eastern tiger swallowtail and the Canadian tiger swallowtail gave rise to the ancestor that started the Appalachian tiger swallowtail lineage.

Grandmother and grandfather hold their infant grandchild.

Close Ties to Children May Ensure Grandkids Later

People with close ties to mom and dad are more likely to have kids of their own.

insect viruses, baculovirus, bracovirus, nudiviruses, ancient viruses, viral evolution, Viruses

Oldest Viruses Infected Insects 300 Million Years Ago

Insect viruses first evolved around 310 million years ago — among the oldest age estimate for any virus group — and may have played a role in the diversification of their insect hosts.