evolution – Kettinki

2026-02-06 @ 16.21.42 ∈ In English

Sudanese Copts acquired malaria resistance thanks to a rapid evolutionary process, research reveals

An international study investigating the genomic diversity of the Sudanese population reveals that the Copts originating in Egypt—who settled in the country between the seventh and eleventh centuries—have acquired a genetic variant that protects them from contracting malaria.

2026-01-30 @ 11.56.48 ∈ In English

Tropical feedback loop: Butterfly mimicry patterns evolve faster near the equator

[If] one of your competitors was an Olympian speed runner, you'd quickly conclude that your time would be best spent chasing after some of the slower players. If there were multiple Olympian [runners, by wearing the same uniform they could implicitly tell] you not to bother trying to catch any of them.

2025-10-21 @ 17.39.13 ∈ In English

What goes up must come down: The ‘universal thermal performance curve’ that shackles evolution

Crucially, the new UTPC shows that as all organisms warm, performance slowly increases until they reach an optimum (where performance is greatest), but then, with further warming, performance quickly declines.

2025-10-01 @ 12.46.55 ∈ In English

Study reveals wild canids favor structured travel routes, unlike their feline counterparts

The next time you watch your dog visit the same places around your yard or notice that your cat seems to explore a new area every time it ventures outside, consider this: You might be witnessing an ancient evolutionary strategy in action.

2025-09-10 @ 18.13.52 ∈ In English

The tale of the creature with the most chromosomes

The Atlas blue [butterfly has been] confirmed as having the highest number of chromosomes out of all multicellular animals in the world. This insect boasts 229 pairs of chromosomes, while many of its close relatives have only 23 or 24 pairs.

2025-09-05 @ 19.29.10 ∈ In English

Current extinction rates haven’t reached level of ‘mass extinction’ just yet, study suggests

These findings suggest that modern extinction rates remain relatively low at the genus level and that these rates have not been increasing over the past century, contrary to some previous studies.

2025-09-05 @ 19.22.03 ∈ In English

Iberian harvester ant queens are cloning different species to produce hybrid workers

This new frontier in reproduction is referred to by the authors as "xenoparous," meaning the ant queens have a need to produce individuals of another species as an inherent part of their life cycle. The exact developmental mechanism of cross-species male cloning is still unknown, but the authors have some theories.

2025-08-28 @ 19.20.35 ∈ Suomeksi

Päiväaktiivisten yöperhosten suuremmat kuuloelimet kyseenalaistavat olettamukset niiden evoluutiosta | Helsingin yliopisto

Tutkijat tekivät odottamattoman löydön: päiväaktiivisilla yöperhosilla on suuremmat korvat kuin niiden yöaktiivisilla sukulaisilla. Havainto on yllättävä, koska päiväaktiiviset lajit eivät joudu kaikuluotaavien lepakoiden saalistamiksi.

2025-08-22 @ 19.16.37 ∈ In English

Dingoes are not domestic dogs – new evidence shows these native canines are on their own evolutionary path

In our new research, we lay out the scientific case showing dingoes do indeed meet these requirements, across genetic, behavioral, ecological and archaeological evidence. We now have a clear answer: dingoes are distinct.

2025-03-20 @ 19.18.27 ∈ In English

They’d rather die: The lesson that male roundworms refuse to learn

The female worms quickly learned to draw a link between the odor of the harmful bacteria and the disease that it causes, and therefore chose to eat the other bacterium. Most males, however, failed to learn and continued consuming the harmful bacterium, even though they got just as sick.