#evolution

en.killbait.com

Modern Human Evolution: Five Physiological Adaptations Shaping Our Species

The article explores ongoing human evolution through five physiological adaptations observed in modern populations. It begins with lactose tolerance, a genetic adaptation that spread through natural selection in populations domesticating dairy animals, with 30-35% of global adults now able to digest lactose. In the Andes, potato domestication led to genetic adaptations for starch digestion, with Quechua populations showing higher copy numbers of a gene variant linked to survival advantages. Tibetan highlanders exhibit adaptations for oxygen efficiency in blood, with studies showing higher oxygen saturation in red blood cells correlating with reproductive success. Skin pigmentation changes reflect adaptation to varying UV exposure, with lighter skin variants becoming more common in West Eurasia over the past 10,000 years. Finally, myopia (nearsightedness) has increased due to natural selection, with genetic variants linked to this condition rising in frequency, demonstrating antagonistic pleiotropy where genes beneficial early in life may cause issues later. The article emphasizes that human evolution continues through these subtle physiological changes, driven by environmental pressures and dietary shifts over millennia.

www.amazon.com

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theconversation.com

NZ has unique stories of evolution and geology. Is it time for a natural history museum?

Like the Galapagos Islands, New Zealand’s unique isolation makes it an iconic natural history location of global importance. Already famous for its flightless birds and their story of evolution on a mammal-free archipelago, New Zealand is home to many other, less well known but equally important plants and animals. This includes horopito, which has the most primitive flower of any plant alive today, or the hihi/stitchbird, which is the only member of an entire avian family. I often wonder why New Zealand doesn’t have a dedicated natural history museum (like those in London, Paris, Vienna or New York) to celebrate its unique biodiversity, geology and fossil record. With ongoing changes in leadership at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, it might be time to have this conversation. The case for a natural history museum The research of natural history scientists at Te Papa is world class. But in terms of public-facing displays, the museum cannot do New Zealand’s geological and biological heritage justice. It has to be too many things to too many people, leaving too little space for natural history. Some treasures are currently on display, including New Zealand’s first dinosaur fossil discovered by famed palaeontologist Joan...

www.sciencedaily.com

An ancient ocean full of giant predators reveals a surprising twist in evolution

Scientists from McGill University and the Centro de Investigaciones Paleontológicas (CIP) identified this unusual pattern while studying fossils from Colombia's Paja Formation. The ancient marine ecosystem preserves an exceptional mixture of surviving Jurassic lineages and emerging Cretaceous groups, offering a rare glimpse into a period of profound biological change. Drawing on these findings, McGill biology professor Hans Larsson and PhD graduate Dirley Cortés have proposed a new concept called a "Biotic Inflection." The term describes an evolutionary turning point when older groups nearing extinction coexist with newer lineages that are beginning to expand and diversify. A Perfect Storm for Ancient Ocean Biodiversity The researchers believe an unusual combination of environmental conditions helped make this remarkable coexistence possible. Warm greenhouse temperatures, elevated sea levels, and coastal waters rich in nutrients may have supported an unusually diverse range of marine life. Another important factor was the emergence of new ocean connections between the eastern Pacific and the early Atlantic through the region that is now Colombia. Together, these conditions likely created opportunities for different groups of animals to thrive within the same ecosystem. Many of these environmental influences continue to shape biodiversity around the world today. "The Paja Formation records an extraordinary...