Feature Channels: Evolution and Darwin

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Released: 28-Sep-2009 8:40 PM EDT
Geological Society of America Honors Judge Jones for Upholding Science in the Classroom
Geological Society of America (GSA)

GSA Past President Judith Totman Parrish has named Judge John E. Jones, III, as the 2009 recipient of GSA’s prestigious President's Medal. Parrish will present the award at the GSA Annual Meeting Presidential Address & Awards Ceremony on Saturday, 17 October, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Jones will also participate in a 5-member panel discussion at the meeting, on Monday, 19 October, during “Darwin Day,” a 200th birthday celebration of Charles Darwin.

Released: 28-Sep-2009 3:30 PM EDT
New Comprehensive Analysis Sheds Light on the Origin of Cetaceans
Stony Brook University

When the ancestors of living cetaceans—whales, dolphins and porpoises—first dipped their toes into water, a series of evolutionary changes were sparked that ultimately nestled these swimming mammals into the larger hoofed animal group. But what happened first, a change from a plant-based diet to a carnivorous diet, or the loss of their ability to walk?

Released: 25-Sep-2009 10:00 AM EDT
University Group Creates Theatre Piece About Darwin
Virginia Tech

"Living Darwin," an original theatrical production, will debut at Virginia Tech this fall. The Theatre Workshop in Science, Technology, and Society and the Department of Theatre and Cinema developed the play, which addresses the theories of Charles Darwin.

21-Sep-2009 12:10 PM EDT
Ratchet-like Genetic Mutations Make Evolution Irreversible
University of Oregon

A University of Oregon research team has found that evolution can never go backwards, because the paths to the genes once present in our ancestors are forever blocked. The findings come from the first rigorous study of reverse evolution at the molecular level.

Released: 21-Sep-2009 10:50 AM EDT
Race Has Little Effect on People’s Ability to Spot Family Resemblances
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)

Scientists have ample evidence that individuals use a variety of cues to identify their own kin. People can also detect resemblances in families other than their own. A new study shows that their success in doing so is the same, whether or not those families are the same race as themselves.

Released: 17-Sep-2009 4:15 PM EDT
Why Female Water Buffalo Have Horns, Impala Do Not
University of Massachusetts Amherst

The reason some female hoofed animals have horns and others don’t has long puzzled evolutionary biologists, even Darwin. But a survey of 117 bovid species led by a UMass Amherst researcher suggests females living in open country and those who defend a feeding territory are more likely to have horns.

Released: 14-Sep-2009 4:00 PM EDT
Evolutionary Training Expands Across College Curriculum
Binghamton University, State University of New York

The fight to keep evolution in the public school curriculum is well known. But a quieter fight is being waged on college campuses, where evolution is taught primarily as a biological topic and avoided in human social sciences and humanities. That is now changing, thanks to a course and multicourse curriculum developed at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

Released: 3-Sep-2009 3:00 PM EDT
Ego City: Cities Organized Like Human Brains
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Cities are organized like brains, and the evolution of cities mirrors the evolution of human and animal brains, according to a new study by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Released: 26-Aug-2009 4:20 PM EDT
Tracking Darwin’s Route, Scientist to Follow Her Nose
Monell Chemical Senses Center

As part of a year-long recreation of Darwin’s historic voyage on the HMS Beagle, an olfactory scientist from the Monell Center will explore how people respond to smell at each of the ship’s ports of call.

Released: 18-Aug-2009 12:45 PM EDT
Breeding Rare Species of Interdisciplinary Scientist
University of Chicago

Pigtail macaques in Thailand. Ring-tailed lemurs in Madagascar. Fossil fishes in the deserts of Peru. Frogs in the mountains of Tanzania. Few regions of the world have escaped the attention of students enrolled in the University of Chicago’s Committee on Evolutionary Biology.

Released: 11-Aug-2009 9:00 AM EDT
Battle in the Classroom
National Center for Science Education

Are state science standards worthless? Are kids learning about evolution or being spoon-fed creationist pseudoscience? What's the proper role of state science standards in American public education, anyway?

Released: 27-Jul-2009 11:00 AM EDT
Statistics Help Tell Evolutionary Tale
University of Idaho

A new study has statistically proven what paleontologists have believed for years: new species emerge just as often as they die out, most evolution occurs in small bursts and crocodiles are really weird.

Released: 30-Jun-2009 7:00 AM EDT
Margie Profet: A Promising Scientist Vanishes Without a Trace
Weekly Scientist

Without even a graduate degree, biologist Margie Profet received a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" for her pioneering papers about evolution. Young, attractive, and brilliant, she quickly became a scientific "It Girl." But four years ago, Profet vanished without a trace. Here, for the first time, is the final chapter of her celebrated life.

2-Jun-2009 3:00 PM EDT
'Pelvis Has Left the Building'
University of Utah

New research shows that when two species of stickleback fish evolved and lost their pelvises and body armor, the changes were caused by different genes in each species. That surprised researchers, who expected the same genes would control the same changes in both related fish. The findings shed new light on how evolution produces diversity in nature, and on the evolution of limb loss.

Released: 28-May-2009 4:30 PM EDT
University of Idaho Is a Natural Selection for Evolution 2009
University of Idaho

The University of Idaho will host 2009 Evolution, a conference featuring more than 600 presentations and 200 posters on current and previously unreleased research, eight sponsored symposia synthesizing entire research fields, three speeches from the presidents of the sponsoring societies and one keynote speaker, Eugenie Scott.

Released: 27-May-2009 9:00 AM EDT
Eugenie Scott Wins Stephen Jay Gould Prize
National Center for Science Education

The Society for the Study of Evolution has honored NCSE's Dr. Eugenie Scott with its first Stephen Jay Gould Prize, recognizing her outstanding work in communicating the insights, applications, and importance of evolutionary biology to the general public.

Released: 22-May-2009 12:10 PM EDT
47-Million-year-old Fossil Could Shed Light on Primate Family Tree
Washington University in St. Louis

A 47-million-year-old primate fossil, a purported "missing link" between primates and humans, was unveiled this week in New York. The fossil, formally called Darwinius masillae but nicknamed Ida, could, due to it being an essentially whole skeleton, shed light on the construction of the primate family tree, says an expert on primate evolution at Washington University in St. Louis.

Released: 20-May-2009 3:40 PM EDT
Snail Venoms Reflect Reduced Competition
University of Michigan

A study of venomous snails on remote Pacific islands reveals genetic underpinnings of an ecological phenomenon that has fascinated scientists since Darwin.

Released: 20-May-2009 11:15 AM EDT
Small Evolutionary Shifts Make Big Impacts - Like Developing Night Vision
Cornell University

Minor differences in the timing of cell proliferation can explain the large differences found in the eyes of two species "“ owl monkeys and capuchin monkeys "“ that evolved from a common ancestor.

Released: 18-May-2009 8:00 PM EDT
New Insight into Primate Eye Evolution
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Researchers comparing the fetal development of the eye of the owl monkey with that of the capuchin monkey have found that only a minor difference in the timing of cell proliferation can explain the multiple anatomical differences in the two kinds of eyes.

Released: 18-May-2009 1:00 PM EDT
Eugenie Scott, Barack Obama, Bill Gates Honored!
National Center for Science Education

Scientific American names the 10 most important leaders in science and technology... including Dr. Eugenie C. Scott of NCSE.

Released: 7-May-2009 10:10 AM EDT
Baboons Benefit from Strong Social Networks, Expert Says
University of Delaware

Monkey communication expert Robert Seyfarth kicked off the University of Delaware's Year of Darwin celebration, with a true story, documented in 1961, about a female baboon that herded goats in an African village. In 15 years of research on baboons in Botswana, Seyfarth and Dorothy Cheney, his research partner and spouse, determined that baboons are able to put together the discrete elements of identity, kinship, and rank. Moreover, when under stress, their social networks become even more important.

Released: 27-Apr-2009 4:00 PM EDT
Beyond "Ooh-ooh, Aah-aah": Expert on Monkey Communication Kicks Off Darwin Series at UD, May 5
University of Delaware

Robert Seyfarth, a noted expert on monkey communication, will present "Baboon Metaphysics: The Evolution of a Social Mind" from 5-6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 5, in Room 130 Sharp Hall at the University of Delaware. The lecture will kick off the University of Delaware's Year of Darwin Celebration.

Released: 30-Mar-2009 4:45 PM EDT
Science Setback for Texas Schools
National Center for Science Education

After three all-day meetings and a blizzard of amendments and counter-amendments, the Texas Board of Education cast its final vote Friday on state science standards. The results weren't pretty. The board majority amended the Earth and Space Science, and Biology standards (TEKS) with loopholes and language that make it even easier for creationists to attack science textbooks.

Released: 26-Mar-2009 11:10 AM EDT
Rowan to Host Origins of Species Presentation
Rowan University

Dr. Sean Carroll, a professor of molecular biology and genetics at the University of Wisconsin, will present on "Remarkable Creatures: Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species."

Released: 25-Mar-2009 1:00 PM EDT
Scientists to Texas Board of Education: Teach Evolution Right!
National Center for Science Education

Over 50 scientific societies representing hundreds of thousands of American scientists today publicly urged the Texas Board of Education to support accurate science education.

20-Mar-2009 10:55 AM EDT
Research Links Evolution of Fins and Limbs with That of Gills
University of Chicago

The genetic toolkit animals use to build fins and limbs is the same genetic toolkit that controls the development of part of the gill skeleton in sharks. In addition, the skeleton of any animal appendage is probably patterned by the developmental genetic program that regulates the formation of shark gills. This finding is consistent with an old theory, often discounted in science textbooks, that fins and (later) limbs evolved from the gills of an extinct vertebrate.

Released: 23-Mar-2009 9:00 AM EDT
Lights! Camera! Evolve!
National Center for Science Education

The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is expanding its online video presence with its new YouTube channel--contentious testimony, landmark and illuminating speeches, conference coverage, and more.

Released: 18-Mar-2009 8:30 PM EDT
Gliding Bristletails Give Clues on Evolution of Flight
University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Biologist Stephen Yanoviak of UALR and colleagues publish in the Royal Society's Biology Letters research giving hints on how insect flight developed.

Released: 5-Mar-2009 3:40 PM EST
Researchers Look to the Past -- and the Future -- in 'Evolution: the First Four Billion Years'
Florida State University

One is a biologist; the other is a historian and philosopher. Together, two Florida State University professors from very different backgrounds have assembled what many are already calling the definitive work on the subject of evolution.

27-Feb-2009 3:15 PM EST
Evolution, Ecosystems May Buffer Some Species Against Climate Change
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Although ecologists expect many species will be harmed by climate change, some species could be buffered by their potential to evolve or by changes in their surrounding ecosystems.

25-Feb-2009 11:00 AM EST
"Undesirable" Evolution Can be Reversed in Fish
Stony Brook University

In an intriguing 21st century example of Darwinism, researchers demonstrate that fish will again grow to larger sizes and produce more young when size-selective fishing is eased.

Released: 3-Mar-2009 9:00 AM EST
Darwin in Danger in the Land of Disney?
National Center for Science Education

It's not a hurricane or even a tropical storm. But a small knot of ignorance is twisting through the Florida state senate. Yet another anti-evolution bill is being proposed.

Released: 26-Feb-2009 12:00 PM EST
'Freaks' Help Scientist Unravel Nature and Nurture
University of Iowa

In his latest book, "Freaks of Nature," University of Iowa psychologist Mark Blumberg examines nature's oddities as a window for exploring the development and evolution of body, brain and behavior. He focuses on physical abnormalities -- how they happen and how creatures adjust to them -- to illustrate his belief that nature and nurture are inseparable and equally important to development.

Released: 24-Feb-2009 1:20 PM EST
New Theory of Bird Evolution
University of Montana

Ken Dial at The University of Montana has unveiled a major new theory for the evolution of flight that is changing textbooks around the world. It involves wing-assisted incline running and a fundamental bird wing angle.

12-Feb-2009 8:45 AM EST
The Genome's Traveling Salesmen: Tips on Newsmakers at AAAS
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Transposons "” the traveling salesmen of the genome composed of DNA sequences with no fixed address "” are the focus of a symposium at the annual meeting of the AAAS led by experts from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Released: 14-Feb-2009 9:00 AM EST
Steve Darwin Is Steve #1000
National Center for Science Education

It was nip and tuck, but when the dust settled, Dr. Steve Darwin was named the 1000th Steve in NCSE's Project Steve. The coronation took place at the Improbable Research press conference held as part of the AAAS annual meeting in Chicago this week.

Released: 11-Feb-2009 1:40 PM EST
Ancestral Genome of African Great Apes and Humans Had Burst of Sequence Duplications
University of Washington School of Medicine and UW Medicine

The genome of the evolutionary ancestor of humans and present day apes underwent a burst of activity in duplicating segments of DNA. Mos tof these differences occurred just before the speciation of chimps, gorillas and humans.

Released: 11-Feb-2009 12:00 AM EST
Who Will be Steve Number 1000?
National Center for Science Education

1000th Steve to be crowned at AAAS press conference. Nobele laureate and Energy Secretary Steve Chu says "It's about time!" (OK, we made that up.) Steve Martin, Stevie Wonder, Steve Ballmer, Steve Carell, Stefanie Powers, and Steve Jobs could not be reached for comment.

Released: 9-Feb-2009 9:00 AM EST
Evolution Vs. Creationism: An Introduction
National Center for Science Education

Revamped book examines the media, polls, new legal challenges, intelligent design in the courts, and more. Dr. Eugenie Scott, a promoter and defender of teaching evolution in the schools, dissects the ever-changing efforts of creationists to undermine science education.

Released: 5-Feb-2009 2:50 PM EST
Darwin: a Not-So-Happy 200th Birthday
National Center for Science Education

Will February 12th be a happy 200th birthday for Charles Darwin? Maybe not, says Glenn Branch, Deputy Director of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) in an article that just appeared on the U.S. News & World Report web site.

Released: 4-Feb-2009 10:00 AM EST
Happy 200th Birthday, Charles Darwin
Saint Joseph's University

Scientists from around the globe will celebrate the bicentennial of Charles Robert Darwin's birth, as well as the 150th anniversary of his monumental work, On the Origin of Species on or about February 12, 2009. "Both Darwin's birth and the sesquicentennial anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species are major landmarks in the history of science, which is why so many institutions around the world are commemorating these events," notes Scott McRobert, Ph.D., a geneticist and evolutionary biologist who has traveled to the Galapagos Islands, the site of Darwin's case studies during his voyage on the HMS Beagle.

Released: 3-Feb-2009 3:00 PM EST
Reason Or Faith? Darwin Expert Reflects
University of Wisconsin–Madison

This is going to be a big year for evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin: 2009 marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book "On the Origin of Species," and Feb. 12 would be his 200th birthday. Throughout the year, Darwin Day events are planned around the world to celebrate the man and his work, and to explore Darwin's legacy of science and reason.

Released: 30-Jan-2009 1:00 PM EST
Experts Available to Discuss Current Status of Evolution Debate
Southwestern University

2009 marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's landmark book, On the Origin of Species. Several experts from Southwestern University are available to discuss various aspects of this story.

Released: 30-Jan-2009 1:00 PM EST
Paleontologist Reflects on Darwinian Connections
University of Chicago

As the former director and chief executive of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in England, Sir Peter Crane often walked in the footsteps of Charles Darwin. "Darwin probably visited the house we used to live in many times," said Crane, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago.

Released: 30-Jan-2009 1:00 PM EST
Research on Bird Song Could Lead to a Refinement of a Darwinian Theory
Williams College

For Williams College biology professor Heather Williams, the songs birds sing are more than a pleasant part of a spring day. They are a window into how communication works in the natural world. A birdsong is more than just an encapsulated package of information, it is "a behavior frozen in time."

Released: 30-Jan-2009 1:00 PM EST
Darwin at 200: Anthropologists, Filmmakers and Historians Discuss
University of Southern California (USC)

USC experts available re: Darwin's enduring influence on biology, anthropology, culture, politics and love.

Released: 30-Jan-2009 1:00 PM EST
What are the Chances? Probability Solves an Evolutionary Puzzle
Michigan Technological University

A professor of mathematical sciences at Michigan Technological University has worked out a mathematical solution to a biological puzzle: Why do some descendants of a parent species evolve into hundreds of different species, while others produce so few they seem to be practicing family planning?

Released: 30-Jan-2009 1:00 PM EST
Evolution Alert!
NIH, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences is a leading supporter of evolutionary biology research, including recent work on antibiotic resistance, the structure of our brains, and why about half of the adults in the world can digest milk.

Released: 30-Jan-2009 1:00 PM EST
Darwin in Danger? Top Evolution Stories of the Year
National Center for Science Education

Evolution is under attack across the U.S. Last year, the teaching of evolution was challenged in scores of schools. During the same period, six states introduced (and Louisiana passed) "academic freedom laws" that discredit evolution and smuggle creationist teachings into the classroom. Creationists are sabotaging state science standards. Here's NCSE's list of the hottest evolution stories of the last 12 months.



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