Genetics
DNA tells tale of how cats conquered the world
Ancient DNA study suggests that domesticated cats spread across the ancient world in two waves.
HS-LS4-4
Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.
More Stories in HS-LS4-4
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LifeHow a moth went to the dark side
Peppered moths and some butterflies are icons of evolution. Now scientists have found a gene responsible for making them so.
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OceansPolar bears swim for days as sea ice retreats
Melting sea ice is forcing polar bears to swim long distances — up to nine days in one case. Such long treks may be more than the bears can handle.
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HumansSlicing meat may have aided human evolution
An experiment with modern-day humans shows how slicing meat could have saved human ancestors energy — and let their bodies and brains get bigger.
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AnimalsMates or survival: Which explains a bird’s color?
When male birds are brightly colored, we assume that’s because their plumage attracts the gals. But a new study with thousands of museum specimens shows that sometimes survival is just as important a factor behind bird color.
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AnimalsOcean animals have mushroomed in size
ompared to a half-billion year ago, sea creatures are, on average, roughly 150 times bigger, a new study finds.
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FossilsDinos ‘quickly’ shrunk into birds
Scientists had long known birds descended from dinosaurs. A study now shows that the morphing from dinos into birds went along with a quick and steady shrinking of their body sizes.
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FossilsThis dino-bird is super-feathered
This late-Jurassic dino was also a bird. Its ample coat of feathers emerged before any need for flight.