Epigenetics is consistent with the theory of evolution – in fact, Darwin predicted that tiny parcels might somehow provide a flow of information from experience to inheritance.
Ancient dragon.
Mark Witton/Natural History Museum
How do scientists figure out when evolutionary events – like species splitting away from a common ancestor – happened? It turns out our DNA is a kind of molecular clock, keeping time via genetic changes.
Paul Oliver, Australian National University et Mike Lee, Flinders University
Tiny frogs that have spread across New Guinea’s isolated mountains could face an uncertain future if a warming climate pushes them higher up the peaks.
Flora and fauna can adapt to climate change, but some are more successful than others.
allstars/shutterstock
Hominin skull casts (L-R) Australopithecus afarensis, Homo habilis, Homo ergaster, Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis.
Roger Seymour/South Australian Museum
Taking the placenta as a case study, researchers are able to piece together how new organs evolve, by repurposing old tissues and using them to do new jobs.
In science, the word ‘theory’ has a very specific meaning that’s easy for nonscientists to misunderstand or misconstrue. Here’s what a theory must withstand to be accepted by the scientific community.
375 million years ago fishes like Tiktaalik (pictured, above) looked out above water for prey.
John Long, Flinders University