evolution Link...or is it? A well-preserved fossil of primitive lemur Darwinius masilla, nicknamed Ida is believed to represent the point from which the group of monkeys, apes and humans (anthropoids) evolved. The fossil lacks the traits which characterize a modern lemur, a non-human primate. Instead it has a bone in the ankle that has a human-primate shape and it has thumbs,
Life evolved when the ocean nickel levels dropped evolution of life was preceded by a great rise in the atmospheric oxygen levels. There are a couple of theories as to what triggered that rise. While both
Study the cow to understand the human system better, 80 per cent of their genes are similar so far all the talk was about how closely humans resemble chimpanzees. Since humans are descendants of the apes, the large amount of research that went into establishing the fact followed quite naturally. As a result, other probable kins had to remain in the shadows. Not anymore though. A
Humans can speak because their brain development is slow slow and steady wins the race. The adage holds true even in the case of evolution of the brain. Some of our unique human features, like the ability to use languages, happen to be because of a slow brain development after birth as compared to chimpanzees. Researchers from Germany, UK and the US studied the expression of
Trace metals in the sea turned the course of the earth's history. A nickel starvation that occurred billions of years ago gave rise to the dominance of oxygen, says S Ananthanarayanan
An uncharted reservoir of briny liquid, buried under an inland Antarctic glacier, supports unusual microbial life in a place where life is unthinkable. After sampling the outflow from below Taylor Glacier of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, researchers believe that microbes have adapted over the past 1.5 million years to manipulate sulphur and iron compounds to survive, without photosynthesis.
Where do birds get their red feathers from? For instance, the red carotenoids that give the common crossbill its red colouration are produced in the liver, not the skin, as previously thought, according to a study.
A colony of iron-breathing microbes has survived for millions of years under an Antarctic glacier, thriving without air or sunlight, researchers reported on Thursday.
