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California plain shows surprising winners and losers from prolonged drought

The Carrizo Plain National Monument is a little-known ecological hotspot in Southern California. Though small, it explodes in wildflowers each spring and is full of threatened or endangered species.

A long-term study led by the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley tracked how hundreds of species in this valley fared during the historic...

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Ants, acorns and climate change

The relatively swift adaptability of tiny, acorn-dwelling ants to warmer environments could help scientists predict how other species might evolve in the crucible of global climate change.

That's a big-picture conclusion from research into the some of the world's smallest creatures, according to evolutionary biologists at Case Western Reserve University.

More specifically, the scientists are comparing the...

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Study confirms truth behind 'Darwin's moth'

Scientists have revisited -- and confirmed -- one of the most famous textbook examples of evolution in action.

They showed that differences in the survival of pale and dark forms of the peppered moth (Biston betularia) are explained by how well camouflaged the moths are to birds in clean and polluted woodland.

"Industrial melanism" -- the prevalence...

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99-million-year-old beetle trapped in amber served as pollinator to evergreen cycads

Flowering plants are well known for their special relationship to the insects and other animals that serve as their pollinators. But, before the rise of angiosperms, another group of unusual evergreen gymnosperms, known as cycads, may have been the first insect-pollinated plants. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on August 16 have uncovered...

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Female mosquitoes get choosy quickly to offset invasions

Certain female mosquitoes quickly evolve more selective mating behavior when faced with existential threats from other invasive mosquito species, with concurrent changes to certain genetic regions, according to new research from North Carolina State University. The findings shed light on the genetics behind insect mating behavior and could have implications for controlling mosquito pests that...

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Most Americans accept genetic engineering of animals that benefits human health

Americans' views of possible uses of genetic engineering in animals vary depending on the mechanism and intended purpose of the technology, particularly the extent to which it would bring health benefits to humans, according to a new study released today by Pew Research Center.

Presented with five different scenarios of animal genetic engineering that are currently...

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