Evolution

Early modern humans used fire to engineer stone tools

pkrecker — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:59:32 -0600

A new study shows that early modern humans on the South African coast used fire in toolmaking as long as 72,000 years ago. The work offers evidence that complex cognition in humans developed earlier than scientists previously thought. --by Carol Hughes

Oh, the tales toad toes can tell

dianeb — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:33:32 -0600

Brian Sullivan studies toad toes to understand cross-breeding between two Arizona species. --by Matt Crum

Early humans had jaws of steel

pkrecker — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:26:39 -0700

You shouldn't use your teeth to open a beer bottle or crack a nut--you'd break a tooth or even your jaw. But our earliest ancestors could have done it. Super-strong jaws in our 2.5-million-year-old relatives helped them adapt to changes in food sources in their environment. --by Jodi Guyot

Energizing elemental evolution

pkrecker — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:38:08 -0700

Cuatro Cienegas, in Mexico's Chihuahuan desert, might hold the key to secrets about microbial evolution, the Cambrian Explosion, speciation, extraterrestrial life, and just about everything else. That key is phosphorus. --by Margaret Coulombe

Ancient oceans reveal secrets about survival of life

pkrecker — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:09:49 -0700

The chemical makeup of the oceans has changed dramatically over billions of years. As a result, the ancient oceans are helping us understand how organisms and ecosystems evolve to cope with changing abundances of elements. --by Jenny Green

Life, interrupted

pkrecker — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:34:11 -0700

Why did the earliest life on Earth--mostly bacteria--remain virtually unchanged for a billion years? --by Diane Boudreau

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Darwinfest kicks off with E. O. Wilson talks

pkrecker — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:31:56 -0600

ASU kicks off a yearlong celebration of the life and work of Charles Darwin with two talks from noted biologist E. O. Wilson, including the launch of a new book on insect societies written by Wilson and ASU biologist Bert Holldobler. --by Margaret Coulombe
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Genes and nutrition influence caste in unusual species of harvester ant

pkrecker — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:55:29 -0600

Does nature or nurture determine an ant's place in society? A little of both, for one species of harvester ant, at least. This kind of flexibility allows the colony to respond to changing conditions successfully.
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Tracking a killer: Scientists decode TB

pkrecker — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:16:32 -0600

ASU researchers are using new genetic tools to trace the evolution of tuberculosis, a bacterium that claims millions of lives each year. Their study of the past can help us develop better treatments for the disease in the future. (photo: Janice Carr, CDC) --by Rebecca Howe
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Prisoner of love

pkrecker — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:30:13 -0600

A male jumping spider guards his mate in this photo taken by an ASU researcher.
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