Big-brained animals evolve faster

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Parrots have a big brain and are also one of the most evolutionarily diversified bird clades. Credit: Daniel Sol
Parrots have a big brain and are also one of the most evolutionarily diversified bird clades. Credit: Daniel Sol
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Ever since Darwin, evolutionary biologists have wondered why some lineages have diversified more than others. A classical explanation is that a higher rate of diversification reflects increased ecological opportunities that led to a rapid adaptive radiation of a clade.


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All News summaries for August 15, 2008

New penguin species found in New Zealand

9 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Australian and New Zealand researchers have used ancient DNA from penguin fossils to make a startling discovery that may change the way we view species extinctions.

Falling home ownership, equity, affect college enrollment

10 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Sagging college enrollments may be the next symptom of the sub-prime mortgage mess, according to a University of Michigan economist.

Scientists fight stem rust UG99 before it becomes a threat

11 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Wheat breeders and plant pathologists at Montana State University are part of a global effort to develop varieties of wheat resistant to a new fungus. UG99, a stem rust strain that was first discovered in ...

Scientist Unlocking the Secrets of Sea Slug that Lives Like a Plant

11 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Photosynthesis generates the oxygen needed for life on earth as well as the biomass for food and biofuel production. The process is driven by the absorption of the sun’s energy by tiny green "bodies" called ...

Archeologists say they found witch doctor skeleton

11 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- Archeologists believe a 12,000-year-old skeleton found in a grave containing 50 tortoise shells, a leopard pelvis, a cow tail and part of an eagle wing is the remains of a witch doctor.
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