The Evolution Current Event Thread

I have noticed, and been involved in several debates on whether or not Evolution is a valid theory so I decided to create a thread that deals specifically with the issue. The thread will only include news articles or published scientific articles on the matter. This thread will serve as a reference base for those peering into the origins of life on Earth.

Also this will not be pro-evolution or anti-evolution yet an objective reference guide. If you know of anything that should be added just U2U me.


Genetics
Chimp Chromosome Creates Puzzle � May 27, 2004 Humans and Chimps may not be so similar after all.

Parting Genomes: UA Biologists Discover Seeds of Speciation June 7, 2004, University of Arizona Grad Student observes the birth of a new species through Speciation.

Scientists find new type of gene in junk DNA Scientist Discover that Junk DNA may not be Junk at all

Life goes on without 'vital' DNA June 3, 2004 Here scientists actually delete portions of Junk DNA as well as supposed useful DNA without any observable effects.

Parasitic invasion credited with evolution of sex May 8, 2004 This is an interesting piece that states that sexual reproduction evolved when bacteria entered into a truce of sorts with larger cells.

Kangaroo hops in line for genome sequencing June 8 2004 This article announces the plans of the Human Genome Project to sequence the genome of the Kangaroo.

Researchers Reveal That Microbes Have Stolen Some Of Our Genes5/26/2004 Well in this article it appears that microbes steal host genes to make it more efficient at attacking the host.

A gene that keeps species apart June 15, 2004 Nearly 150 years after Darwin published On the Origin of Species, biologists are still debating how new species emerge from old--and even the definition of species itself. Darwin demurred from offering a hard and fast definition, suggesting that such a thing was "undiscoverable."

Knockout Mice Knockout mice contain the same, artificially introduced mutation in every cell, abolishing the activity of a preselected gene. The resulting mutant phenotype (appearance, biochemical characteristics, behaviour etc.) may provide some indication of the gene�s normal role in the mouse, and by extrapolation, in human beings. Knockout mouse models are widely used to study human diseases caused by the loss of gene function.

The Motherload of Mutations After five years and thousands of zebrafish breeding experiments, Mary C. Mullins, PhD, associate professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues have published a description of dozens of mutations that will help determine the earliest steps in vertebrate development, which take the spherical embryo to a complex creature. In time, these discoveries may help researchers understand human sterility and fertility problems, as well as what causes certain birth defects.

'Mighty mouse' gene works the same way in people By studying the genes of a German child born with unusually well developed muscles, an international research team has discovered the first evidence that the gene whose loss makes "mighty mice" also controls muscle growth in people.

How DNA Repair Machinery is a 'Two-Way Street' 7/1/2004 Biochemists at Duke University Medical Center have discovered key components that enable the cell's DNA repair machinery to adeptly launch its action in either direction along a DNA strand to strip out faulty DNA. Such flexibility exemplifies the power of the repair machinery, which guards cells against mutations by editing out errors that occur during the process of chromosome replication. Malfunction of the "mismatch repair" machinery is the cause of several types of cancer, including relatively common forms of colon cancer.



Epigenetics
NEXT UP: ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT EPIGENETICS With a $5 million, five-year federal grant, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is establishing what is believed to be the first university-based research center devoted to studying epigenetics, an effort that will set the stage for learning as much about our epigenetics as the Human Genome Project taught about the sequence of building blocks that make up our genes.



Evolution of Humans
Finding Homo sapiens' Lost Relatives Continuing a family tradition, Meave G. Leakey uncovers the skeletons in the human family closet.

Early hominid ears primed for speech June 22, 2004 Early humans evolved the anatomy needed to hear each other talk at least 350,000 years ago. This suggests rudimentary form of speech developed early on in our evolution.

Petite skull reopens human ancestry debate July 1 2004- The remnants of a remarkably petite skull belonging to one of the first human ancestors to walk on two legs have revealed the great physical diversity among these prehistoric populations.

Skull fuels Homo erectus debate The fossilised skull of a hominid that lived 930,000 years ago has been found in Kenya, Science magazine reports.

Elderly crucial to evolutionary success of humans Senior citizens played an important role in the dramatic spread of human civilisation some 30,000 years ago, a study of the human fossil record has shown.



Fossils
Experts Say New Whale Species Found June 14, 2004 Scientists say they have discovered a species of whale that lived 14 million years ago in a sea that covered what is now eastern Virginia.

Ancient hippo bones found in Norfolk The fossilised bones of two ancient hippos have been found in Norfolk.They are said to be more than 450,000 years old and were recovered from a quarry along with horse, hyena, fish and a variety of rodent remains.

Tiny fossils reveal key step in animal evolution June 3, 2004 This document states that evolutionists may have missed a key step in evolution because it was microscopic



Evolution in Action
Superbugs resist "last resort" antibiotics June 18, 2004 The team found that there were nine strains of VISA bugs and that had evolved from five different types of MRSA. Previously, all VISA superbugs were thought to come from one type of MRSA, called the New York/Japanese clone

Evolution At A Snail�s Pace Littorina saxatilis (right) is an unremarkable rough periwinkle � a small, grey-brown sea-snail which litters the coast by the million. But it has overcome its lack of charisma and grabbed the attention of scientists trying to unlock the secrets of evolution. Biologist John Grahame (left) said: �This is an example of evolution in action, and we are increasingly certain that we are seeing one species become two.�



Unchanged by evolution
Brazil Scientists Discover Prehistoric Ratfish June 17 2004 "The species that we found has fossil records that are 150, 180 million years old," Soto said in a telephone interview. "That's very rare."

Origin of West Indian Insect Eater Much Older Than Previously Thought June 18, 2004 Researcher Mark Springer, a professor of biology at the University of California, Riverside, is part of a team that has traced the origins of the shrew-like Caribbean creatures, known as solenodons, to the Mesozoic era, making them contemporaries with the dinosaurs.



Miscellaneous
Espionage May Have Driven The Evolution Of Bee Language According To UCSD-Led Study In Brazil June 15, 2004 A discovery by a University of California, San Diego biologist that some species of bees exploit chemical clues left by other bee species to guide their kin to food provides evidence that eavesdropping may be an evolutionary driving force behind some bees� ability to conceal communication inside the hive, using a form of animal language to encode food location.

History of species more precise under new formula, scientists say Jun. 22, 2004 Scientists say they can now explain why the history of evolution recorded in fossils doesn't always match the story told by genes Also the research can be found here xxx.lanl.gov/abs/q-bio.PE/0404027

Donkey domestication began in Africa June 17 2004 Genetic fingerprints indicate that wild African asses were the ancestors of domestic donkeys, making donkeys the only important domestic animal known to come from Africa.

Earliest evidence of hereditary genetic disorder discovered by Hebrew University researchers June 28 2004 The researchers are Dr. Uri Zilberman and Patricia Smith, the Joel Wilbush Professor of Medical Anthropology, both of the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the Hebrew University and Dr. Silvana Condemi a senior researcher at the French Research Institute in Jerusalem. They are among the authors of an article in the June issue of the Journal of Human Evolution that details the finding of a disease known as amelogenesis imperfecta in the teeth of a fossil found in archaeological excavations in Ethiopia. The fossil is dated as 1.5 million years old and is from a two-year-old Homo erectus child. Homo erectus was a precursor of modern man.

Climate may play role in lynx's hunting ability Snow quality may affect the Canadian lynx's ability to kill its prey, according to new research suggesting climate may be impacting one of the most fascinating ecological systems to intrigue biologists for decades. The University of Alberta's Dr. Stan Boutin is part of a research team to study the relationship between the lynx and the snowshoe hare--an interaction that has grave implications on the dynamics of the whole boreal forest.

Survival Strategies in Nature Plants are both components of ecosystems as well as the basis for the nutrition of an increasing world population. However, plants permanently cope with attack from thousands of insect and microbe species, and consequently have evolved complex strategies to repel these attackers.

Broad leaves evolved as carbon dioxide fell Dropping levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide may have given primitive land plants the cue to spread their leaves and soak up the sun.

Sneakiest primates have biggest brains June 30 2004 Monkeys and apes who are good at deceiving their peers also have the biggest brains relative to their body size. The finding backs the "Machiavellian intelligence" theory, which suggests the benefits of complex social skills fuelled the evolution of large primate brains.

Humble Bacteria Found to Possess Precision Clocks July 1 2004 It sounds like the beginning of a joke: "How do bacteria know what time it is?" The surprising answer, reported today in Nature, is that some of these single-celled entities actually have internal clocks.

Why do men have nipples? Like all "why" queries, the question of why men have nipples can be addressed on many levels. My four-year-old daughter, always suspicious of a trick when asked such obvious questions, answered: "because they grow them." In search of the trick answer, she quickly added that "chests would also look pretty funny with just hair."

Signs of Life in Acid-washed Rocks June 6, 2004 Basically just outlining techniques for looking for the origins of life inside rocks.

Sea change for first shellsJune 8, 2004 An explanation for Shells used by many sea creatures is set forth in this article.

Source for prehistoric global warming found This article deals with The 5 degree increase in temperature in the early Eocene period that allowed early mammals to disperse across the Earth and diverge into different groups, including primates.

Evolution Through Eating The notion that large-scale evolutionary change occurs through gradual adaptations is part of biology's bread and butter. Animals and plants don't suddenly alter fundamental characteristics from one generation to the next. There aren't big genetic jumps. Certainly not burps. Or are there?



General Evolution Theory
This Section contains items that are not included in any specific scientific articles or journals yet offer a good source of reference.

Five Major Misconceptions about Evolution October 1 2003 A large part of the reason why Creationist arguments against evolution can sound so persuasive is because they don't address evolution, but rather argue against a set of misunderstandings that people are right to consider ludicrous.




[edit on 6-7-2004 by BlackJackal]

Updated to include categories for easier browsing. 7/6/2004

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[edit on 6-7-2004 by browha]

Thanks for the link Browha! I have added it to the list.

EDIT: Corrected the incorrect link thanks browha

2nd EDIT: Actually there were 9 broken links on the page all of which are now corrected.

[edit on 6-7-2004 by BlackJackal]

[edit on 6-7-2004 by BlackJackal]

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Post no longer needed

[edit on 6-7-2004 by browha]

Just an update I saw on the news a few minutes ago related to

'Mighty mouse' gene works the same way in people By studying the genes of a German child born with unusually well developed muscles, an international research team has discovered the first evidence that the gene whose loss makes "mighty mice" also controls muscle growth in people.

This is my first post and I haven't read the T&C yet but did search for the topic and found my way here. Thus, I haven't learned how to quote yet either. My apologies but I wanted to be quick.

machinist.salon.com...

Basically they've engineered a rat (why couldn't it be a bunny? My shares in the battery market would be worth millions!) that can run for 4 km taking about 5 hours I think, which is about 1.2kmh according to the article. Where the average rat made 200m.

I think this is awesome, the Universal Soldier concept is definitely closer to being a possibility!