Evolution Diary

WASHINGTON — Around the world, a handful of scientists are trying to create life from scratch and they’re getting closer. (…)

Dinosaurs of all kinds abound here, from the stegosaurus silhouettes rearing atop the iron gates as you first reach the parking lot to the numerous and impressively convincing animatronic pterosaurs wagging their giant tails and chewing plastic cud inside. (…)

A rare “treasure trove” of ancient sea spiders found in France fills a 400-million-year gap in the mysterious creatures’ spotty fossil record, scientists say. (…)

EUGENE, Ore.—(Aug. 16, 2007)—Scientists have determined for the first time the atomic structure of an ancient protein, revealing in unprecedented detail how genes evolved their functions. (…)

The basic process for developing fingers and toes in land animals may have existed for more than 500 million years in shark genes, according to a new study. (…)