Topic collection
How species change, where biological diversity comes from, and what traces evolution has left in genomes and organisms.
6 articles
01Alaskan wood frogs remained frozen for an average of 193 days and survived temperatures as low as −18.1°C. High tissue glucose levels, possibly built up through repeated freeze–thaw cycles, may help protect them.
02Trypanosoma congolense affects both sides of transmission: it alters volatile cues from infected hosts and molecular sensory programs in tsetse flies. Field trapping showed that infection-associated odors drew more infected flies.
03The reflective layer behind a reindeer’s retina is gold-turquoise in summer but turns deep blue in winter. The change comes from a reorganization of collagen fibres that tunes this biological mirror to Arctic twilight.
04A remarkably preserved Archaeopteryx fossil reveals previously unseen feathers near the upper wing. By closing a gap between the wing and body, they may have helped create an effective aerodynamic surface for flight.
05An analysis of 953 bacterial and archaeal genomes suggests that LUCA had an incomplete enzymatic metabolism. The study links earlier metabolic chemistry to native metals and phosphite in serpentinizing hydrothermal systems.
06An analysis of 87 Homo skulls found that larger braincases and smaller faces fit neutral evolution and stasis better than sustained directional selection.
