Sex chromosomes linked to evolution of new species

October 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered seven new glow-in-the-dark mushroom species, increasing the number of known luminescent fungi species from 64 to 71. The discoveries also shed light on the evolution of luminescence, adding to the number of known lineages in the fungi 'family tree' where luminescence has been reported.

October 5th, 2009 STOCKHOLM - Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak of the US have won this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine, it was announced in Stockholm Monday. The three scientists solved a fundamental problem in biology on "how chromosomes can be copied in a complete way and how they are protected against degradation", the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute said.

October 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, biologists have genetically mapped the sex chromosomes of several species of cichlid fish from Lake Malawi, East Africa, and identified a mechanism by which new sex chromosomes may evolve. The research, by biologists Thomas Kocher, Reade Roberts and Jennifer Ser of the University of Maryland describe the genetic basis for two co-existing systems of sexual determination in cichlid fish from Lake Malawi.

September 26th, 2009 LONDON - American scientists have suggested that growing mountains may give rise to new species, thus making them cradles of evolution. "The major times of (species) diversification directly coincide with times of large tectonic events," Catherine Badgley, a palaeontologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, told Nature News.

September 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Just like great singers among humans, birds too have to deal with cover artists who copy songs. A new research has revealed that some bird species have evolved to sing the same tune as their rivals, in order to compete effectively.

September 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new revision of the taxonomic relationships among one group of moths, the subfamily Dioptinae, sheds light on the diversity of tropical moth species and presents a unique story of parallel evolution. "These diurnal moths are a microcosm of butterfly evolution," said James Miller, author of the new Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History and a research associate in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the Museum.

August 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study by paleontologists has statistically proven that new species emerge just as often as they die out, with most evolution occurring in small bursts. The study, by Luke Harmon, professor of biological sciences at the University of Idaho, who worked with a research team led by Michael Alfaro, UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) assistant professor of ecology and evolution biology, analyzed the evolution of the 60,000 species of jawed vertebrates using genetic data.

July 28th, 2009 SYDNEY - Mammals living in the tropics are evolving faster than those inhabiting cooler regions, according to a new study. Previously, it had been assumed that rates of genetic change in warm-blooded animals were independent of climate.

July 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has revealed that the sex chromosome that only males carry is deteriorating and could disappear within a few million years. Scientists at Penn State University (PSU) found that the male Y chromosome evolved at a much more rapid pace than X chromosome, which both males and females carry.

July 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The sex chromosome that only males carry is deteriorating and could disappear within a few million years. A pair of Penn State University (PSU) scientists discovered that the male Y chromosome evolved at a much more rapid pace than X chromosome, which both males and females carry.

July 16th, 2009 SYDNEY - The male members of an ancient fish species known as sea dinosaurs impregnated females with penis like organs 380 million years ago, just like modern day sharks. Some fish species engaged in penetrative sex and gave birth to young ones, according to a study conducted by Curtin University of Technology (CUT).

June 25th, 2009 LONDON - In a new study, scientists have found out that evolution in animals is faster in regions with warmer climates, which could help explain why the warm topics are so species-rich. According to a report by BBC News, researchers have found that among pairs of mammals of the same species, the DNA of those living in warmer climates changes at a faster rate.

June 5th, 2009 SYDNEY - A lizard's egg size shows whether it's going to be a boy or girl, says a new study. "We were astonished," said Richard Shine of the University of Sydney (U-S).

June 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has shown that different genes can cause loss of body parts in similar fish, by comparing how 2 species of sticklebacks lost pelvises and body armor. The research, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Divisions of Environmental Biology and Integrative Organismal Systems, shows that when two species of stickleback fish evolved and lost their pelvises and body armor, different genes in each species caused the changes.

May 25th, 2009 LONDON - Researchers at the Duke University Medical Center have found that an emerging form of the pathogenic yeast Candida can complete a full sexual cycle in a test tube, even though it is missing the genes for reproduction. The researchers say that the yeast may also do so while infecting people.