Evolution Diary

‘Dead-bird’ posture likely resulted from brain damage due to trauma or asphyxiation
Berkeley — The peculiar pose of many fossilized dinosaurs, with wide-open mouth, head thrown back and recurved tail, likely results from the agonized death throes typical of brain damage and asphyxiation, according to two paleontologists. (…)

Large dinosaurs’ hearing was more sensitive to booms and thuds than squeaks and whistles, new research says. (…)

Before life emerged on earth, either a primitive kind of metabolism or an RNA-like duplicating machinery must have set the stage – so experts believe. But what preceded these pre-life steps? (…)

Tyrannosaurus rex’s fearsome reputation has taken another knock, with new research suggesting it was a slow-turning plodder. (…)

The local customs that define human cultures in important ways also exist in the ape world, suggests a study reported online June 7th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. (…)