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Hot Topic
Origins
Origin & Evolution of Life
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Life in Ordovician Oceans
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
05/16/10 |
| Exceptionally preserved fossils are providing new information about life in the oceans between 480 million and 472 million years ago. This period, known as the Ordovician, marks a time of intense diversification of life on Earth. |
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Peptides May Hold Missing Link to Life
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
05/08/10 |
| Scientists have discovered that simple peptides can form membranes that may have been essential for life's origin. The contents of all living cells are surrounded by membranes that separate cells from their surrounding environment. The origin of such membranes is thought to be an essential step in the beginnings of life as we know it. |
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Life as Small as Viruses
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
05/07/10 |
| Scientists have discovered a microbe living deep in former copper mines that contains one of the smallest genomes ever reported. The ultra-small microbe can teach astrobiologists about how small life can be, and will help us understand how to search for tiny microbes on other worlds. |
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Resurrected Mammoths are Cool
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
05/05/10 |
| Using ancient DNA preserved in mammoth bones, scientists have learned how the extinct species survived extreme cold. The study could provide new insights into the history of life on Earth. |
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Aphids Got Genes From Fungus
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
05/04/10 |
| A new study shows that aphids are genetic pioneers and have evolved unique traits. Aphids are the only animals that produce pigments known as carotenoids. They may have acquired this trait by 'snatching' genes from fungi. The study can help astrobiologists understand mechanisms behind evolution. |
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Anoxic Animals
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
04/10/10 |
| In the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, a team of researchers has discovered the first animals that live their entire lives without oxygen. Instead, the animals thrive in an environment surrounded by 'poisonous' sulphides. Previously, only microbes and viruses were thought to be active in such environments. |
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Frozen in Amber
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
04/06/10 |
| Scientists have discovered a 95-million-year-old amber deposit - the first of its kind found in Africa. The amber and the organisms encased inside are providing a wealth of information about the evolution of life during the age of the dinosaurs. |
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Why Sea Lilies Walk
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
03/21/10 |
| New research has shown that sea urchins have been preying on sea lilies for over 200 million years, and this interaction led to lilies developing the ability to creep along the ocean floor. The study provides a unique look into how organisms are able to evolve in response to environmental pressures over time. |
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Flipping the Amoeba
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
03/14/10 |
| A major step in the evolution of life occurred some 1.5 billion years ago when cells began storing their DNA inside a nucleus. Scientists are gaining new insights into this evolutionary leap from prokaryotes to eukaryotes by studying the genome of a unique, single-celled organism. |
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First Fossil-Makers in Hot Water
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
03/01/10 |
| Microbe mats in Yellowstone's hot springs may be living analogs of the primordial microbe communities that constructed the oldest rock fossils on Earth. |
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