Evolution

Evolution

Neanderthals were a little bit human

Some Neanderthal genes may have come from modern humans

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PALEONTOLOGY

Biomechanics used to infer how titanosaurs moved

Newly described species lived around 110 million years ago in what may have been the last land bridge between Brazil and Africa

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EVOLUTION

A rare hybrid butterfly

Heliconius elevatus, a hybrid of H. pardalinus and H. melpomene, has more genes from the former, but inherited the coloration capable of scaring off predators from the latter

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EVOLUTION

Neighbors who lend their DNA

Plants are descendants of algae that acquired genes from fungi and bacteria, genes that became essential to the structure of plant cells

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Zoology

The explosive evolution of snakes

A combination of genetic, ecological, and morphological data reveals the secrets of success behind these legless reptiles

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Paleontology

Plentiful hunting in the rivers

Turtle fossil found in a mine in the Madeira River basin belonged to one of the largest species ever described

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Digital

Virtual tour of Darwin’s library

British naturalist Charles Darwin’s library is now available online

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Zoology

Wildcats from the Andes and Central America differ to those found in Brazil

Complex that includes Leopardus tigrinus and L. guttulus gains new species, L. pardinoides, all in danger of extinction

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Retrospect

Amazement and horror in nineteenth-century Rio

Paintings by two artists who accompanied Darwin on the Beagle voyage recorded the exuberance of nature and social contrasts

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Zoology

Unique fauna at Pico da Neblina

Scientists discover two new families of frogs at Pico da Neblina

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Ecology

The roots of Amazonian biodiversity

By reversing the flow direction of the rivers, molding the surface, and blocking moisture from the Atlantic, the Andes made the forest a refuge and birthplace for new species of plants and animals

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Zoology

The monkey that crossed the Atlantic

Extinct 230-gram monkey sparks new discussions about the origin of South American primates

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EVOLUTION

The long history of bees

The pollinating insects are estimated to have appeared 120 million years ago on the Western Gondwana supercontinent, formed by what is currently South America and Africa

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ECOLOGY

Orchid uses trick to trap pollinators

Specialized structures guide flies through passages where the insect exchanges pollen between flowers

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Paleontology

Pterosaur ancestor had a beak

230 million years ago, bipedal animal with long fingers surprisingly had a beak

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GENOMICS

Primate genetic material could contribute to precision medicine

International project is sequencing the DNA of more than 200 species in pursuit of tools to predict human propensity to diseases

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ECOLOGY

Vestiges of the sea in the Amazon interior

Fossils of marine microorganisms indicate that Caribbean waters inundated the Solimões basin at least 11 times over the last 23 million years

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ZOOLOGY

Zoonomia project compares genomes in search of answers about evolution and health

Analysis of an unprecedented volume of data could provide insights into human diseases

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Biodiversity

The climate, a driver of diversification

Regional rainfall patterns can be a decisive factor in plant diversification

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Video

New kind of coral reef surprise researchers

Far from the coast, coraline Hills harbor a large diversity of fish that only exist there | 4'58

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Ecology

“Talking” turtles suggest acoustic communication arose more than 400 million years ago

The sending of messages by sound originated in a common ancestor of terrestrial vertebrates and fish with lungs

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NOBEL PRIZE

The 2022 winners

Twelve individuals and two institutions were awarded the Nobel Prize this year

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The rise and fall of Tupi

The rise and fall of Tupi

Speakers of the language may have numbered 4 to 5 million a millennium ago but began declining sharply before Europeans arrived on the continent

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Video

Camouflage to blend in the landscape

Mimicking leaves, branches or rocks is one of the most efficient camouflage strategies, but it limits movements and possibilities of living areas | 3'57

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ARCHAEOLOGY

Dating indicates that skeleton found in Piauí is 9,600 years old

Nicknamed Zuzu, the individual was a contemporary of the oldest human groups in South America

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archeology

Genome of Vesuvius victim sequenced for the first time

Genome of Vesuvius victim sequenced for the first time by group of researchers

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History

Darwin’s missing notebooks return to Cambridge

Notebooks that belonged to Darwin are returned to Cambridge University

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Video

How hummingbirds can explain other species’ extinction

Bird extinction may unleash cascade effect where these pollinators and plants interact most intensely | 2'51

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Evolution

Fight or flight

The ability of birds to fly seems incompatible with the ability to attack and defend using spurs

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Video

The uncertain identity of the pigmy marmoset

Brazilian primatologist Jean Boubli, from Salford University, in the UK, and his team, solved a 19th century mistery regarding the world's smallest monkeys | 3'47

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