#Evolution11

12 Feb 2026

The human chin: an evolutionary byproduct

A new study argues the chin is not a direct adaptation but a byproduct of other skull changes. The chin is unique to Homo sapiens and helps identify our species in fossils.

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Photo by Simon Hurry, Unsplash

31 Dec 2025

Single gene switch helps butterflies copy wing patterns

New research shows how one genetic switch lets female swallowtail butterflies copy the wing patterns of toxic species to avoid predators. The study used genomic sequencing and CRISPR and was published in PNAS.

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30 Dec 2025

Jaw membrane in ancient Thrinaxodon may be an early eardrum

Researchers used CT scans and engineering simulations on a Thrinaxodon fossil. Their models show a membrane in the jaw could work as an eardrum, pushing the origin of sensitive mammal hearing back by nearly 50 million years.

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30 Dec 2025

Foot bones show a species lived with Lucy

Researchers linked a set of foot bones found in Ethiopia to Australopithecus deyiremeda, a species that lived at the same time as Lucy. The fossils and tooth studies give new clues about walking and diet.

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26 Dec 2025

Climate shifts shaped carnivoran bodies

New research finds that ancient climate changes helped shape the bodies of carnivorans, which evolved from mongoose-like ancestors. Two major transitions — about 34 million and 15–13 million years ago — influenced body-shape diversification.

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20 Dec 2025

Woodrats' genes protect them from rattlesnake venom

New research finds a genetic change that helps woodrats survive rattlesnake bites. Scientists studied a family of genes and found extra copies that can bind and block snake venom components.

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8 Dec 2025

Pterosaurs and the fast rise of flight

New research used CT scans to study pterosaur brain cavities and found vision-related brain changes. Scientists say pterosaurs likely evolved powered flight quickly when the group first appeared, unlike birds.

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5 Dec 2025

Navigation brain cells in retrosplenial cortex preserved across evolution

Researchers found two special neuron types in the retrosplenial cortex that help navigation. These cells are conserved between mice and rats, linked to spatial disorientation in Alzheimer’s, and are now being studied in humans.

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25 Nov 2025

Green Hermit Hummingbird Bills for Fighting and Feeding

New research shows male green hermit hummingbird bills are shaped for fighting and for feeding. Scientists used 3D models and scans and found male bills are straighter and sharper than female bills.

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24 Nov 2025

Territory fights help Ngogo chimpanzees have more babies

Study of Ngogo chimpanzees in Uganda finds that killing neighbouring groups and expanding territory led to more births and much better infant survival in the three years after expansion.

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27 Apr 2023

Debate in India after evolution removed from school books

Science educators in India ask the government to restore Darwinian evolution material that NCERT removed from school science textbooks to reduce study load after the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of scientists have criticised the permanent removal.

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