The findings have implications for the conservation of rare and endangered species, in which low genetic diversity could increase the odds of extinction.
“Today’s rich biodiversity among marine fish shows the fingerprints of the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period,” said Michael Alfaro, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.
Denisovans, ancient hominids who lived alongside humans and Neanderthals, were first described in 2010 through DNA extracted from remains in a Siberian cave in 2008.
The animals, which are related to spiders and scorpions, “look terrifying, but are actually delicate, timid and afraid of you,” says UCLA doctoral candidate Kenneth Chapin.
Archaeologist Matthew Curtis was part of a team that recently discovered a skeleton that yielded the first complete ancient genome ever found in Africa.
Life scientists from UCLA and other universities in the U.S. and England argue that predatory animals helped keep the population of large herbivores in check.
Darwin’s writings focused much more on species that had changed over time than on those that hadn’t. So how do scientists explain a species living for so long without evolving?
A team of life scientists has found part of the answer: The amount and intensity of striping in different zebra populations can be best predicted by temperature.
In a day-long event, renowned scientists will highlight and celebrate the monumental contributions of Wallace, at one time the most famous scientist in the world.
Thomas Smith of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability says the next great extinction could be upon us, but humans can help threatened species survive.
UCLA professor Tom Smith says human-driven evolution is creating drug-resistant diseases, pesticide-proof bugs and mass extinctions due to climate change. "We can either choose to manage evolutionary processes or not, but evolutionary change will proceed regardless."