Tag - evolution

 
 

EVOLUTION

Scientists on Wednesday identified what might be the genetic mechanism behind humankind's tailless condition — a mutation in a gene instrumental in embryonic development.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 3, 2024
People with tails? No, because of this ancient genetic mutation
The absence of a tail may have better balanced the body for orthograde — upright — locomotion and eventually bipedalism, said one scientist.
Scientists announced on Wednesday that they have identified genetic variations associated with human bisexual behavior.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 4, 2024
Scientists discover genetic underpinnings of bisexuality
Data has revealed the proportion of people reporting both bisexual and homosexual behavior has been rising for decades.
Bonobos groom each other at the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Nov 18, 2023
Good neighbors: Bonobo study offers clues into early human alliances
Human society is founded on our ability to cooperate with others beyond our immediate family and social groups, and the same may be said about bonobos.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2023
Bats, cheetahs and hippos unlock mysteries of the human genome
The decade-long Zoonomia project shows that animals have a lot to teach us about our health, disease, and potentially new ideas for medicines.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 14, 2023
Oldest-known bat skeletons shed light on evolution of flying mammals
Fossils show that, early in their history, bats already possessed many traits seen in modern species.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 10, 2023
Dwarf elephants? Giant rats? Strange island creatures at high risk
Extinction risk has been seen by researchers to be highest among island species that have undergone more extreme body size shifts compared to mainland relatives.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 14, 2022
Neanderthals and humans coexisted in Europe for over 2,000 years, study says
Research found that Neanderthals in the region went extinct between 40,870 and 40,457 years ago, while modern humans first appeared around 42,500 years ago.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2020
Ancient string provides further evidence of Neanderthals' talents
Neanderthals used plant fibers to create string more than 40,000 years ago at a site in France where they hunted reindeer, further evidence according to scientists of the ingenuity and cognitive capabilities of our closest extinct human relatives.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 20, 2020
Fins of prehistoric fish reveal origins of the human hand
Inside the stout fins of a fish that, about 380 million years ago, prowled the shallow waters of an estuary in what is now eastern Canada, scientists have found what they call the evolutionary origins of the human hand.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 12, 2020
Dinosaur prints from mysterious middle Jurassic Period found in Scotland
On a crag of rock called Brother's Point on Scotland's Isle of Skye, scientists have identified two bustling footprint sites that reveal an abundance of dinosaurs that thrived 170 million years ago including an early member of a celebrated group.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 27, 2020
Red panda is actually two species, DNA shows
Red pandas, the bushy-tailed and russet-furred bamboo-munchers that dwell in Asian high forests, are not a single species, according to the most comprehensive genetic study to date on these endangered mammals.
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 14, 2020
DNA study detects mysterious human 'ghost' species
Scientists examining the genomes of West Africans have detected signs that a mysterious extinct human species interbred with our own species tens of thousands of years ago in Africa, the latest evidence of humankind's complicated genetic ancestry.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 18, 2020
Dinosaurs grew feathers differently from birds, fossil of a 'dancing dragon' shows
An exquisite fossil of a fierce little Chinese dinosaur dubbed the "dancing dragon" that lived 120 million years ago — an older cousin of the Velociraptor — is showing scientists that feathers grew differently on dinosaurs than on birds.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 25, 2019
Post-apocalyptic fossils show fast rise of mammals after dinosaur demise
A revelatory cache of fossils dug up in central Colorado details as never before the rise of mammals from the post-apocalyptic landscape after an asteroid smacked Earth 66 million years ago and annihilated three-quarters of all species, including the dinosaurs.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 3, 2019
There's a problem with the human family tree
New findings from fossils and DNA should expand our thinking about our species.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 19, 2019
Gulp! Jurassic mammal was the first one able to eat politely
A shrew-like primitive mammal that inhabited China 165 million years ago represents a milestone in mammalian evolution, scientists said on Thursday, boasting a key anatomical trait in its throat that helped usher in the era of polite table manners.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 9, 2019
Bat-winged dinosaur was intriguing, brief detour in evolution of flight
A fossil unearthed in northeastern China of a feathered dinosaur a bit bigger than a blue jay that possessed bat-like wings represents a remarkable but short-lived detour in the evolution of flight and the advent of birds, scientists said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 1, 2019
J. League, Konami to stage esports tournament
The J. League announced Friday it will launch an esports tournament together with Konami Digital Entertainment Co. featuring the videogame maker's trademark soccer title.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Feb 24, 2019
There's so much that bonobos and chimps can teach humans
About 6 million years ago in Africa there was an ape species that would change the world. We don't know much about that animal, but we do know that one population separated from the rest and would eventually evolve into our species, Homo sapiens.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 21, 2019
Why do zebras have stripes? Because they make bad landing strips for flies
Scientists are providing new evidence to answer the long-standing question about why zebras have stripes. It appears stripes make terrible landing strips, bamboozling the fierce blood-sucking flies that try to feast on zebras and carry deadly diseases.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world