Hacker News with Generative AI: Evolution

Scientists uncover key mechanism in evolution: Whole-genome duplication drives (sciencedaily.com)
Sometimes, the most significant scientific discoveries happen by accident.

Evolution, Genetics, Biology, Scientific Discovery

76 points by docmechanic 6 days ago | 24 comments

Deadly bacteria have developed the ability to wipe out competitors (phys.org)
A drug-resistant type of bacteria that has adapted to health care settings evolved in the past several years to weaponize an antimicrobial genetic tool, eliminating its cousins and replacing them as the dominant strain.

Antibiotics, Bacteria, Science, Health Care, Evolution

5 points by zfg 12 days ago | 0 comments

When the Animals Went Electric (nautil.us)
What a superpower sense tells us about evolutionary creativity

Evolution, Animal Behavior, Neuroscience, Superpowers

10 points by dnetesn 17 days ago | 0 comments

Thrive is a free, open-source game about the evolution of life (github.com/Revolutionary-Games)
This is the code repository for Thrive. For more information, visit Revolutionary Games' Website.

Open Source, Games, Evolution, Biology

3 points by BSDobelix 18 days ago | 0 comments

Genomic study: our capacity for language emerged at least 135k years ago (phys.org)
It is a deep question, from deep in our history: when did human language as we know it emerge? A new survey of genomic evidence suggests our unique language capacity was present at least 135,000 years ago. Subsequently, language might have entered social use 100,000 years ago.

Genomics, Language, Evolution, History, Science

113 points by wglb 18 days ago | 90 comments

Tiny changes in gene expression make big difference in eye size of fruit flies (phys.org)
An international team of scientists has discovered that tiny changes in the timing of the expression of a single gene can lead to big differences in eye size.

Genetics, Biology, Fruit Flies, Evolution

57 points by PaulHoule 21 days ago | 16 comments

The Prehistoric Psychopath (worksinprogress.co)
Life in the state of nature was pleasant, cooperative and longer than you might think. Most of our ancestors avoided conflict. But this made them vulnerable to a few psychopaths.

Human History, Psychology, Evolution

8 points by satvikpendem 21 days ago | 0 comments

A 62M-year-old skeleton sheds light on an enigmatic mammal (sciencedaily.com)
For more than 140 years, Mixodectes pungens, a species of small mammal that inhabited western North America in the early Paleocene, was a mystery.

Paleontology, Mammals, Science, Extinct Animals, Evolution

29 points by docmechanic 21 days ago | 9 comments

A longer, sleeker super predator: Megalodon's true form (news.ucr.edu)
The megalodon has long been imagined as an enormous great white shark, but new research suggests that perception is all wrong.

Paleontology, Sharks, Science, Evolution

4 points by gnabgib 23 days ago | 0 comments

Chimeric particles expand species boundaries in chromosomal island mobilization (biorxiv.org)
Some mobile genetic elements spread among unrelated bacterial species through unknown mechanisms.

Genetics, Microbiology, Evolution, Biology, Research

4 points by lawrenceyan 33 days ago | 0 comments

What if Eye...? (eyes.mit.edu)
We created a virtual petri dish where digital creatures evolve eyes from scratch, replaying millions of years of evolution.

Evolution, Artificial Intelligence, Biology, Computer Science

414 points by smusamashah 49 days ago | 91 comments

Birds have developed complex brains independently from mammals (phys.org)
Two studies published in the latest issue of Science have revealed that birds, reptiles, and mammals have developed complex brain circuits independently, despite sharing a common ancestor.

Evolution, Neuroscience, Biology, Birds, Mammals

32 points by ftrobro 49 days ago | 6 comments

Ear muscle we thought humans didn't use activates when people listen hard (frontiersin.org)
If you can wiggle your ears, you can use muscles that helped our distant ancestors listen closely.

Human Biology, Evolution, Science, Hearing

247 points by geox 63 days ago | 197 comments

Tiny algae shaped the evolution of giant clams (colorado.edu)
Giant clams, some of the largest mollusks on Earth, have long fascinated scientists. These impressive creatures can grow up to 4.5 feet in length and weigh over 700 pounds, making them icons of tropical coral reefs.

Biology, Evolution, Marine Biology, Giant Clams

9 points by gmays 63 days ago | 0 comments

Giant, Mysterious Spires Ruled the Earth Long Before Trees Did (smithsonianmag.com)
When land plants were still the relatively new kids on the evolutionary block and the world’s tallest trees reached only a few feet in height, giant spires of life poked from the Earth.

Paleontology, Earth Science, Ancient Life, Evolution

20 points by Brajeshwar 71 days ago | 4 comments

Why did a frozen Earth coincide with an evolutionary spurt? (colorado.edu)
CU Boulder geologists Lizzy Trower and Carl Simpson win $1 million in support from W.M. Keck Foundation to try to solve an evolutionary puzzle and to extend Earth’s temperature record by 2 billion years

Earth Science, Evolution, Geology, Research Funding

4 points by isaacfrond 81 days ago | 3 comments

The Great Filter Comes for Us All (codinghorror.com)
With a 13 billion year head start on evolution, why haven't any other forms of life in the universe contacted us by now?

Space Exploration, Evolution

12 points by mooreds 86 days ago | 5 comments

Stone selection by wild chimpanzees shares patterns with Oldowan hominins (sciencedirect.com)
The use of broad tool repertoires to increase dietary flexibility through extractive foraging behaviors is shared by humans and their closest living relatives (chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes).

Chimpanzees, Archaeology, Tool Use, Animal Behavior, Evolution

36 points by benbreen 87 days ago | 4 comments

Software creators are the new content creators (workingtheorys.com)
No, this isn’t the end of software, but it is the beginning of a new software era. And I like the media industry analogy, but it’s an evolution, not a death.

Software Development, Content Creation, Media Industry, Evolution

10 points by antelopetracks 88 days ago | 3 comments

70 Years of Height Evolution in the NBA (runrepeat.com)
“You can’t teach height” - Red Auerbach

Sports, Basketball, NBA, History, Evolution

13 points by belter 89 days ago | 0 comments

Scientists Re-Create the Microbial Dance That Sparked Complex Life (quantamagazine.org)
Evolution was fueled by endosymbiosis, cellular alliances in which one microbe makes a permanent home inside another. For the first time, biologists made it happen in the lab.

Science, Biology, Evolution, Microbiology

25 points by isaacfrond 91 days ago | 1 comments

Scientists Re-Create the Microbial Dance That Sparked Complex Life (quantamagazine.org)
Evolution was fueled by endosymbiosis, cellular alliances in which one microbe makes a permanent home inside another. For the first time, biologists made it happen in the lab.

Biology, Evolution, Science, Microbes

12 points by billybuckwheat 91 days ago | 0 comments

How Did the "Smile" Become a Friendly Gesture in Humans? (scientificamerican.com)

Human Behavior, Evolution, Communication, Psychology

6 points by thunderbong 100 days ago | 1 comments

Cultural Evolution of Cooperation Among LLM Agents (arxiv.org)
Large language models (LLMs) provide a compelling foundation for building generally-capable AI agents.

Artificial Intelligence, Cooperation, Evolution

246 points by Anon84 106 days ago | 131 comments

Why do animals adopt? (nautil.us)
Taking responsibility for another’s young reveals the deep evolutionary roots of care.

Animal Behavior, Evolution, Parenting

47 points by dnetesn 115 days ago | 53 comments

What fossilized dino feces can tell us about their rise to dominance (arstechnica.com)
Paleontologists have long puzzled over how the dinosaurs—originally relatively small and of minor importance to the broader ecosystem—evolved to become the dominant species some 30 million years later. Fossilized feces and vomit from dinosaurs might hold important clues to how and why this evolutionary milestone came about, according to a new paper published in the journal Nature.

Paleontology, Dinosaurs, Evolution, Science

21 points by Brajeshwar 127 days ago | 3 comments

All Life on Earth Today Descended from a Single Cell. Meet LUCA (quantamagazine.org)
The clearest picture yet of our “last universal common ancestor” suggests it was a relatively complex organism living 4.2 billion years ago, a time long considered too harsh for life to flourish.

Evolution, Biology, Science

58 points by EA-3167 134 days ago | 15 comments

How human brains got so big: cells learned to handle stress that comes with size (nature.com)
Humans have evolved disproportionately large brains compared with our primate relatives — but this neurological upgrade came at a cost. Scientists exploring the trade-off have discovered unique genetic features that show how human brain cells handle the stress of keeping a big brain working. The work could inspire new lines of research to understand conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia.

Evolution, Neuroscience, Genetics, Brain Health

7 points by bookofjoe 135 days ago | 0 comments

Bird brain from the age of dinosaurs reveals roots of avian intelligence (cam.ac.uk)
A ‘one of a kind’ fossil discovery could transform our understanding of how the unique brains and intelligence of modern birds evolved, one of the most enduring mysteries of vertebrate evolution.

Paleontology, Evolution, Birds, Dinosaurs, Neuroscience

124 points by gmays 136 days ago | 6 comments

Why are Indian and African wildlife so similar? (wanderingthru.com)
How and why is Indian and African wildlife so similar? This is a question that we as guides often get asked when guests are interested in exploring these two special places. This not only includes the large mammals, but birds and vegetation too.

Wildlife, India, Africa, Evolution, Biodiversity

6 points by rkwz 138 days ago | 3 comments