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A lack of sex held back life's diversity for millions of years, fossil study finds

A lack of sex held back life's diversity for millions of years, fossil study finds Sadie Harley Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor The way that Earth's first animals reproduced held back life's diversity for millions of years, until stress and competition led to the development of sexual reproduction, which in turn accelerated the pace of evolution. Researchers from the University of Cambridge studied fossils from the oldest-known animals on Earth, dating from 574 million years...

Phys.org 1d ago

These California wildflowers could save other plants

These California wildflowers could save other plants Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor As wildflowers go, the mountain jewelflower is demure, clever and quietly unbreakable. It has spread across many of California's iconic landscapes, from Sonoma wine country to the oak-dotted foothills, even over the Sierra Crest, where snow covers the ground during winter. "It seems at first glance like it could grow just about anywhere," said Jennifer Gremer, an associate professor in...

Phys.org 11d ago

From hybrids to 'virgin birth,' stick insects reveal stepwise loss of sex

From hybrids to 'virgin birth,' stick insects reveal stepwise loss of sex Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor The evolution of sex remains one of biology's greatest puzzles. While sexual reproduction dominates across the animal kingdom, scientists still debate why it persists despite its high costs. Even more mysterious is the loss of sex in favor of asexual reproduction whereby females give birth to copies of themselves without any contribution from males.

Phys.org 9d ago

Earth's first animals barely evolved until sex changed everything

Earth's first animals barely evolved until sex changed everything - Date: - June 10, 2026 - Source: - University of Cambridge - Summary: - Earth’s earliest animals may have held evolution back because they reproduced asexually, creating low-competition communities that changed very little over time. When environmental pressures pushed them toward sexual reproduction, biodiversity exploded and evolution accelerated dramatically.

Science Daily 18h ago

Integrating citizen science with experimental data uncovers how switchgrass adapts flowering by region

Integrating citizen science with experimental data uncovers how switchgrass adapts flowering by region Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor In its native habitat, switchgrass flowered earlier when growing farther north. In experiments with diverse genetic samples, it flowered earlier in the south. The discrepancy wasn't a welcome sight for a research team studying how prairie grasses respond in different environments, but resolving the apparent conflict led the...

Phys.org 7d ago

Whole-genome duplication shaped cell-type evolution in the vertebrate brain

Abstract The complex brains of vertebrates have more cell types than those of their closest relatives. Whole-genome duplications (WGDs) occurred during early vertebrate evolution1, but it is unclear whether the duplicated genes (ohnologues) facilitated cell-type evolution. Here using brain single-cell transcriptomes from five chordates—human2, mouse3, lizard4, lamprey5 and amphioxus—we report that many cell-type families with conserved core transcription factors in vertebrates do not show...

Nature 23h ago