Evolutionary Biology

Scientists have developed a new method using transposable elements to trace the evolutionary history of complex plant genomes. The approach was tested on the cultivated strawberry and identified multiple ancient hybridization events that shaped its octoploid genome.

June 14, 2026 Reported by AI

A new study shows millipedes colonized land nearly 460 million years ago. The research completes the evolutionary tree for all living millipede orders. It was published in Current Biology in 2026.

Japanese macaques, known as snow monkeys, bathe in hot springs not only for warmth but also to influence their internal ecosystems. Researchers at Kyoto University discovered that regular bathing leads to differences in lice patterns and certain gut bacteria among the monkeys. Importantly, sharing the pools does not increase parasite infection risks.

February 28, 2026 Reported by AI

A new study suggests that the earliest sponges on Earth were soft-bodied and without mineralized skeletons, explaining the absence of their fossils from 600 million years ago. Led by researchers at the University of Bristol, the findings reconcile genetic evidence with the fossil record. The research indicates that sponge skeletons evolved independently in different lineages.