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The Drama within a Drop of Seawater
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
05/11/11 |
| Summary: By analyzing seawater, scientists have unlocked information that may lead to a deeper understanding of a diverse range of organisms. |
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How the Hoyle State Made Life Possible
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
05/10/11 |
| Summary: After decades without success, scientists have now calculated the Hoyle state. The Hoyle state is an energy-rich form of the carbon nucleus and is the key to understanding the fusion reaction that leads from helium gas to carbon. Without this type of carbon nucleus, life might not exist. |
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Parareptiles and the End-Permian Extinction
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
05/07/11 |
| Summary: New research is helping astrobiologists understand the end-Permian extinction, a dramatic biological crisis that profoundly affected the history of life on Earth. However, the new data indicates that this major extinction event may not have been catastrophic for some organisms. |
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Hot Spring Horsetails Oldest Existing Land Plant
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
05/06/11 |
| Summary: Over 100 million years ago, the understory of forests was dominated by plants from the class Equisetopsida. Now, only one genus from this once-diverse group survives. Now, scientists believe that the horsetail may be the oldest genus of land plant on Earth today. |
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Lichens Two-Track Evolution
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
05/04/11 |
| Summary: New research has outlined a case of convergent evolution in two lichen species from separate continents. The study is helping scientists understand mechanisms behind the evolution of life. |
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How Water Shapes DNA
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
04/27/11 |
| Summary: New research shows that water molecules could actually influence the structure of DNA. The finding could provide clues about how DNA originated, and how it functions in modern cells. |
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Fossils Provide New Look at Ancient Climate
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
04/25/11 |
| Summary: Fifty million-year-old fossils from ancestors of today's dugongs are helping scientists understand the temperature and composition of the waters in which they swam. The study is providing new information about climate change events, both ancient and modern. |
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The Evolving Human Super-Brain
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
04/24/11 |
| Summary: Could the evolution of the human mind, and its ability to create a potentially infinite variety of thoughts, be attributed to the formation of a 'super-brain'. One theory about this collective mind centers around and event that took place in Africa no later than 75,000 years ago. |
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Achieving Eternal Life
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
04/22/11 |
| Summary: New research shows how sea squirts use the enzyme telomerase to protect their DNA and delay aging. The study provides insight into the molecular, genetic, and biochemical mechanisms that can effect evolution. |
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