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Darwin and Evolution

Lamarckism: Dead but Useful
May 11, 2012
Lamarck's theory of evolution was supposed to have died in 1859 when Darwin published his theory of natural selection. Despite textbook depictions of Lamarckism as obsolete, Lamarckian language still surfaces from time to time, even in prestigious journals.
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Dating Methods

Best Cave Art Is Still the Oldest
May 9, 2012
A new research study confirms that the exquisite cave art at Chauvet Cave is the oldest.
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Cell Biology

New Chirality Solution Proposed
May 9, 2012
It's long been a mystery why cells use one hand of two-handed molecules, like left-handed amino acids and right-handed sugars. A new proposal solves the mystery, explaining how this phenomenon called homochirality arises naturally. Wait a minute...
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Darwin and Evolution

Evolution for Men and Women
May 8, 2012
Two recent entries in the evolution literature have application to one sex or the other.
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Darwin and Evolution

Coelacanth: Survival of the Dullest
May 5, 2012
A new fossil species of coelacanth was discovered in Canada. Scientists think from its tail fin shape that it was a fast swimmer–perhaps a hunter. Sadly, it was a "spectacular failure" in evolution. The luck of the evolutionary draw went to today's slow-moving, docile species.
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Bible and Theology

We Became Human by Mistake
May 5, 2012
A new theme in human evolution is making the rounds. According to the story, a mistake led to the human brain, and the rest is history.
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Darwin and Evolution

Earth Myths with a Sprinkling of Data
May 3, 2012
Some recent articles on dating methods show that tiny bits of data can be used to generate whoppers.
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Amazing Facts

Animals Have Biological GPS
April 30, 2012
Global Positioning System (GPS): that's a function. Maintaining a suite of satellites is one method for achieving the function. But there are other ways to figure out where in the world you are, and two very different animals show the way – naturally – using Earth's global magnetic field.
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Amazing Facts

Why You Are Waterproof
April 29, 2012
Can you imagine inflating like a water balloon every time you jumped in a swimming pool? Or what if water leaked out of your skin every time you drank a glass of water? Your skin forms an impermeable barrier to water, a new study found, because of a unique way certain molecules are arranged.
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Birds

Questioning the Dino-Bird Hypothesis
April 27, 2012
The scientific consensus has pretty much declared it a fact of natural history that birds evolved from dinosaurs. One evolutionary professor remains a gadfly, though. He contests the evidence on which the hypothesis is based, and also believes his maverick position is growing.
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Bible and Theology

King David Ruled Cities, Not Shepherds
April 24, 2012
Ongoing archaeological finds from Khirbet Qeiyafa in ancient Judah now show conclusively that the site had fortified walls with gates, administrative buildings, bronze and iron objects, and artifacts suggesting extensive trade with foreign powers. These discoveries cast doubt on the "minimalist" chronology of some liberal scholars who claim that King David, even if he existed, was a tribal chief over pastoralists.
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Amazing Facts

From Wonders of Nature to Wonders of Technology
April 22, 2012
Living things have solved physics problems like design engineers. Inventors are just now catching on to their tricks in ways that could improve our technology, weaning us off our crude, polluting past and ushering in advanced technology that is not only greener but more effective. The latest stars are two insects and a bacterium.
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Darwin and Evolution

Cambrian Explosion: Sedimentary, My Dear Flotsam
April 20, 2012
"Then something happened." Question: are you reading a science article, or a fictional screenplay? Are you in the Science Department or the Humanities Department? Are you in the lab or the theater? Find out in today's episode of "Explain the Cambrian Explosion."
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Biology

Is This Plant Really 30,000 Years Old?
February 20, 2012
A plant said to be 30,000 years old has been brought to life in Russia. A team resurrected a fruit from a rodent burrow in Siberian permafrost, getting it to grow into a whole plant that produces viable seeds. This is now the oldest age claim, by an order of magnitude, for plant material made to live again. Other scientists are startled that plant material could remain viable for so long, since cells have to repair their DNA continually. Other botany news bring different problems to evolutionary theory.
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Biology

Fish Came from the Land
February 13, 2012
If you were taught fish evolved in the ocean, think again. There's a new idea that most fish evolved on land.
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