All articles tagged with #darwin
A developer ports Darwin to the Nintendo Wii and boots OS X 10.0 on the console with a custom bootloader and patched kernel, showing OS X can run on PowerPC hardware outside traditional Macs, though performance is limited and it boots from an SD card.
Chicago’s Archaeopteryx fossil, unusually well-preserved with soft tissues, was CT-scanned and examined under UV light, revealing detailed anatomy from snout to tail and long tertial feathers. The findings suggest this bird could fly and imply that flight evolved more than once among dinosaurs, lending fresh support to Darwin’s theory of evolution.
A global online experiment with 4,000+ participants tested whether humans' sound preferences align with those of other animals when judging mating calls from 16 species. Using audio recordings manipulated to isolate traits, the study found a broad overlap: humans tended to pick calls that animals also prefer, and when they did, choices were about 50 milliseconds faster. Both groups favored acoustic adornments and ancestral sounds, though humans showed a stronger preference for lower pitches; factors like training or occupation did not predict alignment. The authors conclude the results broadly support Darwin's idea that a common sensory basis underlies aesthetic taste across species, while noting limits and proposing future research.
Scientists used Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) to analyze preservation liquids inside Charles Darwin’s sealed Beagle-era specimens without opening the jars, identifying fluids in about 78% of samples and revealing historical preservation methods for noninvasive museum conservation.
Researchers propose that vertebrate eyes originated from a single ancestral eye in ancient invertebrates around 560 million years ago, later splitting into two—offering a potential answer to how the complex eye evolved and addressing Darwin’s long-standing questions.
Researchers re-examined five large vertebrae found near Darwin, Australia, and concluded they belong to a previously unknown giant shark from the early Cretaceous Cardabiodontidae, about 115 million years old, reaching up to 26 feet (8 m) and weighing around 3,000 kg. This finding, published in Communications Biology in 2025, pushes back the emergence of giant sharks by ~15 million years and provides rare insight into cartilage-preserving fossils that reveal the anatomy of these prehistoric predators.
Researchers found that more than 20 bird species across four continents share nearly identical warning cries for brood parasites; these calls are learned through social transmission but rest on an innate instinct, representing a rare case of a vocalization that blends learned meaning with an inborn response and offering clues about how language could evolve from instinctive sounds.
Scientists used portable spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) to peek inside Charles Darwin’s 200-year-old preserved specimen jars at the Natural History Museum without opening them. The technique identified preservation fluids in about 80% of jars (mammals/reptiles often in formalin then ethanol, invertebrates in formaldehyde-based mixtures), with 15% partially identifiable and 6.5% not confidently identified. The method helps conserve delicate collections while guiding storage practices across museums, and the study was published in ACS Omega (2026).
A new theory suggests that the molecular clock, which estimates the timing of evolutionary events, may have sped up during major evolutionary transitions, potentially explaining the 30-million-year gap between the predicted age of the common ancestor of complex animals and their first fossil appearance, thus aligning Darwin's theory with fossil evidence.
A recent study explores the genetic and molecular basis of the evolution of upright walking in humans, highlighting its significance as a key trait that distinguishes humans from other primates, building on Darwin's theories of human evolution.
New research analyzing earthworm genomes suggests that evolution may occur through rapid, significant changes rather than slow, incremental ones, challenging traditional Darwinian theory and indicating that our understanding of evolutionary processes might need to be revised.
NPR's correspondent shares her fascination with the blue-footed booby during a trip to the Galápagos Islands, highlighting their unique appearance, behavior, and historical significance in Darwin's theory of evolution.
In the early 1800s, the debate over whether animals could evolve into new species was fueled by the discovery of mummified animals from Egypt. Naturalists Georges Cuvier and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck represented opposing views, with Cuvier mocking Lamarck's theory of transformism in an obituary. The mummified animals, including ibises, cats, and crocodiles, were examined for evidence of species change, but their similarity to modern counterparts seemed to support Cuvier's belief in the unchanging nature of species. However, this debate was reignited with the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species in 1859, acknowledging Lamarck as a predecessor in the study of species modification.
An aircraft incident involving US defense personnel occurred during Exercise Predator's Run 2023 near Darwin, Australia. The Australian Department of Defence confirmed the incident and stated that the focus is on the response and safety of those involved. No further details about casualties have been provided at this time.