Tag Evolution
The eyes are a gateway to evolution… of daddy longlegs at least.
While some people may first associate daddy longlegs with well, their legs, researchers from the Department of Integrative Biology have been especially focused on the arachnids’ eyes and what they can tell us about their evolution. Read More
In a first, researchers image adaptive immune systems at work in fish
A new study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison offers a first-of-its-kind visual of a non-mammal species' adaptive immune system in action. Read More
Daddy longlegs got their long legs by reusing some old evolutionary tools
The first genome of a daddy longlegs is giving up clues to the evolution of the gangly appendages that give members of the order Opiliones their common name. Read More
Changing environment at home genetically primes invasive species to take over abroad
New research findings could make future encroachments easier to predict, a huge priority since invasive species cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damage each year. Read More
Small Wyoming dinosaur helps rewrite the evolutionary story of birds, flight
A dinosaur found in Wyoming is helping UW–Madison researchers rewrite the family history of dinosaurs and modern birds. Read More
Study confirms horseshoe crabs are really relatives of spiders, scorpions
UW–Madison evolutionary biologists hope their study helps firmly plant ancient horseshoe crabs within the arachnid family tree — "a major shift in our understanding of arthropod evolution.” Read More
Putting the sloth in sloths: Arboreal lifestyle drives slow motion pace
Tree sloths have a unique lifestyle: They make the canopy their home and subsist solely on a diet of leaves. Their slow motion lifestyle, according to a new study from UW–Madison scientists, is the direct result of the animal’s adaption to its arboreal niche. Read More
Mara McDonald, ‘quintessential boundary crosser,’ dies at 68
Although the longtime assistant administrator in the Laboratory of Genetics and J.F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution retired from the university last year, she continued to touch lives. Read More
Recent evolutionary change allows a fruit fly to dine on a toxic fruit
A fruit called the noni, now hyped for a vast array of unproven health benefits, is at the heart of a new research study. Read More
Lewis Thomas Prize to be awarded to Wisconsin’s Sean Carroll
Carroll was instrumental in building the field of evolutionary developmental biology, known colloquially as evo devo. Read More
Study illuminates war between the sexes: fruit fly edition
New research from the Laboratory of Genetics pinpoints the effect on reproduction of a female's ability to masquerade as a male. Read More
Study finds people transformed how species associated after 300 million years
The researchers found a surprising and very recent shift away from the steady relationship among species. Read More
Galapagos tortoise species ID’d from specimen in UW museum
A new species of giant Galapagos tortoise, revealed this week in a study conducted by scientists at Yale University, also happened to be lurking in the collections of the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Zoological Museum, it turns out. Read More
Ancestors of land plants were wired to make the leap to shore
When the algal ancestor of modern land plants made the transition from aquatic environments to an inhospitable shore 450 million years ago, it changed the world by dramatically altering climate and setting the stage for the vast array of terrestrial life. Read More
UW study shows how a kernel got naked and corn became king
Ten thousand years ago, a golden grain got naked, brought people together and grew to become one of the top agricultural commodities on the planet. Read More
Darwin Day celebration focuses on islands, isolation
What do Madagascar and Jurassic Park have in common? Both are island-based evolutionary “experiments” that will be highlighted in this year’s Darwin Day celebrations, sponsored by the J.F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution at UW–Madison and its partners. “Darwin Day 2015: Islands and Isolation” will run all day Thursday, Feb. 12, and focus on the unique opportunity that islands provide to witness evolution and the diversity of life. Read More
Anthropologist, ‘underground astronaut’ strike fossil gold in South Africa dig
Squeezing through a gap called the International Postbox and climbing the jagged Dragon's Back were not in Alia Gurtov's plans for the fall semester, but she made an exception in order to participate in a wildly successful archaeological expedition into a South African cave. Read More
Darwin Day celebrates evolutionary diversity of sex and reproduction
The annual celebration of Charles Darwin's birthday at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will showcase the evolutionary expressions of sex and reproduction in the natural world. Read More