evolution Content

Geerat Vermeij Discusses New Book: The Evolution of Power: A New Understanding of the History of Life

Andy Fell — November 02, 2023 - 4:08pm

Geerat Vermeij wasn’t sure he had another book in him. The 77-year-old paleobiologist and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Earth and Planetary Sciences already had six books and hundreds of academic publications to his name. But Vermeij, if anything, is a constant student and writing, for him, is still one of the best ways to learn.

How Students Dive into Marine Science at 51�ԹϺ�� Davis

Jocelyn C Anderson — October 24, 2023 - 9:15pm

What’s it like to take a summer session in a marine lab? Explore our undergraduate marine research from mussels’ byssal threads to ocean ecosystem impacts.

Climate Catastrophe Produced Instantaneous Evolutionary Change

Andy Fell — October 12, 2023 - 4:19pm

Catastrophic hurricane rainfall provides evidence of spatial sorting as a mechanism for evolution as an alternative to natural selection.

More Genes, Fewer Toes: Were Gene Copies the Key to an Evolutionary Leap for Horses?

Andy Fell — June 12, 2023 - 10:25am

Eighteen million years ago, a genetic duplication event coincided with the evolutionary split between horses and their four-toed, forest-browsing ancestors. A recent study, led by Professor Danika Bannasch, Department of Population Health and Reproduction in the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and graduate student Kevin Batcher investigated specific genetic duplications in horses, finding evidence of important roles for these elements and countering historical conventions that they have no f

Zoonomia Consortium Unveils Mammal Genomes, Creates Evolutionary Timeline

Andy Fell — April 27, 2023 - 11:00am

Mammals are an extraordinarily diverse and successful group of animals, from the tiniest pygmy shrew to the mighty blue whale, and including, of course, ourselves. In a special issue of the journal Science published today (April 27), the Zoonomia Consortium shows how comparing the genomes of 240 modern mammals sheds light on mammalian evolution, with implications for conservation and understanding human and animal health.

Discovering Sirtuin Longevity Proteins in Early Branches of Animal Life

Andy Fell — September 22, 2022 - 11:45am

Animals on the early branches of the tree of life, such as jellyfish and sea sponges, defy the usual conventions of aging.

Reef Fish Evolution Driven by Biting

Andy Fell — July 27, 2022 - 9:40am

Coral reefs are home to a spectacular variety of fish. A new study by biologists at the University of California, Davis, shows that much of this diversity is driven by a relatively recent innovation among bony fish — feeding by biting prey from surfaces. The work is published the week of July 25 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Global Study of White Clover Shows Urbanization Driving Evolution

Andy Fell — March 17, 2022 - 5:03pm

A newly published global study of white clover, Trifolium repens, shows how the plant has repeatedly adapted to environmental changes in 160 cities around the world. The study was published March 17 in Science.

Freezing Forests and the Icehouse Climate of Pangaea

Andy Fell — October 21, 2021 - 3:58pm

A new study by scientists at Baylor University, 51�ԹϺ�� Davis and others considers how tolerance of plants to freezing temperatures affected forest cover and hydrology during the Pennsylvanian period, roughly 340 million to 285 million years ago during the Paleozoic Era.

Male Size Advantage Drives Evolution of Sex Change in Reef Fish

Andy Fell — March 09, 2020 - 5:24pm

Some species of fish, notably parrotfish and wrasses living on coral reefs, change their biological sex as they age, beginning life as females and later becoming functionally male. New work from the University of California, Davis, shows that this sequential hermaphroditism evolves when bigger males gain an advantage in reproductive success — for example by defending a permanent mating territory.