Tag Archives: evolve

Can Species Evolve Rapidly Enough to Adapt to Global Warming?

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California’s Drought-Induced Cracked Sacramento River Bed

Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Recent observations show that a species has thrived despite extreme weather through rapid evolution. Does this suggest that species increasingly affected by soaring temperatures and challenging conditions can adapt as the planet continues to warm?

Historically, evolution has rescued numerous species from climate-related threats. Over the past 500 million years, Earth’s climate has fluctuated significantly, with species, including crocodiles, thriving in regions like the Arctic. Plants and animals have consistently adapted to survive as their environment changes.

The critical factor is time. Previously, the quickest climatic shift known was the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, occurring approximately 56 million years ago, when temperatures jumped by 5 to 8 degrees Celsius over about 20,000 years. Today’s projections suggest temperatures could exceed 4°C by century’s end. Can evolution effect such rapid change?

The answer, particularly for organisms with short life cycles, is a resounding yes. Compelling evidence comes from the wild plant known as the Scarlet Monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis), which adapted rapidly during the drought that hit California from 2012 to 2015.

Daniel Anstedt, a researcher at Cornell University in New York, began an extensive study of the monkeyflower in 2010. He assessed the plants’ growth annually across many habitats and collected samples for DNA analysis.

The Scarlet Monkeyflower thrives near water, making it vulnerable to drought conditions. Anstedt notes, “If you plant it in a pot and don’t water it for a few days, it simply dies.”

Remarkably, while three local populations disappeared, many surviving plants exhibited numerous mutations related to climate adaptation in their genomes, indicating they evolved drought tolerance within a remarkable three years. These populations were also the fastest to recover post-drought.

This phenomenon is termed “evolutionary rescue,” where species survive critical threats through rapid evolutionary changes. While lab studies have demonstrated this, Anstedt asserts that this is the first real-world case of its kind.

Scarlet Monkeyflower: A Water-Loving Plant

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“Demonstrating exponential evolution is challenging,” Anstedt explains. “It requires showing a population’s decline due to a threat, illustrating genetic adaptation, and confirming that these changes facilitated recovery.”

Numerous instances of evolutionary rescue exist; for example, finches in the Galápagos Islands adapted to drought, Tasmanian devils evolved in response to contagious cancer, pests gained resistance to pesticides, and killifish adapted to pollution in U.S. rivers. However, Anstedt notes that verifying all three key factors in these instances remains uncharted territory.

“This research is pivotal as it shows recovery can be attributed to rapid evolution, a realization that hasn’t been documented extensively across species,” he adds.

Andrew Stouffer, a professor at Washington State University studying Tasmanian devils, concurs: “While we’ve observed rapid evolution in species like the Tasmanian devil, evidence linking it to demographic recovery is scarce.”

It’s important to note that the three-year drought detailed here is weather-related, not necessarily indicative of long-term climate shifts. “Determining long-term adaptation to climate change requires additional time,” Stouffer emphasizes.

In essence, the Scarlet Monkeyflower’s adaptation to survive one severe drought doesn’t guarantee it can evolve to withstand rising temperatures or extreme weather variations a century or more down the line. “Future droughts could be even worse than those experienced recently,” Anstedt warns.

Moreover, as populations decline, valuable genetic diversity—the key to evolutionary adaptability—is lost. Frequent and severe population declines diminish a species’ evolutionary potential each time.

Consequently, as global warming escalates, the frequency and intensity of threats will likely increase, while the capacity for evolution may diminish, particularly in long-lived species with extended generation times.

Nevertheless, Anstedt views his findings as promising. “Many current predictions about species decline neglect to account for evolution,” he concludes. “This insight brings hope for future adaptability.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Ancient Reptiles Evolve from Four Legs to Two During Adolescence: Unveiling Evolutionary Mysteries

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Artist's reconstruction of Sonselasuchus cedrus in its environment, 215 million years ago

Reconstruction by artist Sonselasuchus cedrus in its environment, 215 million years ago

Credit: Gabriel Ugueto

Ancient crocodilian relatives navigated their early years on all fours before transitioning to a bipedal stance as they matured.

This evolutionary adaptation involved differing growth rates in their arm and leg bones. “The forelimb length starts at about 75% of the hindlimb length and ends up being about 50%,” explains Elliot Armor Smith from the University of Washington in Seattle.

This discovery contributes to a growing body of evidence indicating that crocodile-like ancestors from the early dinosaur era showcased remarkable diversity, with some developing body shapes and lifestyles akin to modern ostriches.

Christian Sidor, Armor Smith’s collaborator, excavated the Cay Quarry, located in Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. This site comprises mudstone and sandstone laid down by ancient rivers during the Triassic period, around 215 million years ago.

Through their excavation, Armor-Smith and Sidor unearthed over 3,000 bones from early crocodilian relatives known as Shubosauridae. “It’s a jumble of individual limb bones that aren’t necessarily related,” notes Armor-Smith.

They successfully identified a new species within the Shubosaur family, naming it Sonselasuchus cedrus. Over 950 bones belong to this species, which diverges significantly from modern crocodiles, resembling more of a flightless bird or theropod dinosaur with short arms and a toothless beak instead of a jagged mouth full of teeth.

Other Shubosaurs share similar body features. “Shubosaurids are unique creatures that existed in the late Triassic period,” asserts Michelle Stocker from Virginia Tech. “They bear a striking resemblance to dinosaurs.” Most closely, they resemble ornithomimids, ostrich-like dinosaurs from the late Cretaceous period, occurring more than 100 million years after the Shubosaurids.

Sonselasuchus cedrus marks the beginning of a four-legged life. Fossils from young individuals exhibit similar sizes in forelimbs and hindlimbs, while older specimens showed larger hind limbs capable of supporting greater weight. “The robust femur indicates strength,” Armor-Smith remarks, “though even the largest humerus is relatively delicate.”

This is unusual, yet not entirely surprising. A 2019 study uncovered evidence of two dinosaur species transitioning from quadrupedal to bipedal locomotion as they matured. One was a sauropod, an ancestor of colossal sauropods like Brachiosaurus, while the other was a distantly related early ceratopsian akin to Triceratops.

Both juvenile and adult S. cedrus likely lived somewhat distinct lives, even adopting different diets, according to Stocker.

Common narratives of the dinosaur age often imply that dinosaurs, especially avians, evolved in remarkable ways, while crocodiles have largely remained unchanged. This perception misrepresents the extensive diversity of pseudosuchians, the lineage that includes crocodiles. Stocker clarifies, “They engaged in numerous unique and radical adaptations first, paving the way for dinosaurs.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Unlocking the Mystery: Why Did Magic Mushrooms Evolve? Discover the Answers Here!

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Many mushroom species produce the psychoactive compound psilocybin

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Magic mushrooms have been providing transformative experiences for thousands of years. Researchers suggest that fungi developed hallucinogenic compounds like psilocybin as a biological defense against insect herbivores.

Psilocybin is the main psychoactive component in magic mushrooms, present in various species found on every continent except Antarctica. Historically, these mushrooms have been utilized by shamans in traditional cultures. Recent studies are investigating psilocybin’s potential as a therapy for mental health disorders, including depression and PTSD.

This psychedelic compound primarily interacts with serotonin receptors in the human brain. However, the evolutionary reasons that lead fungi to produce compounds similar to animal neurotransmitters remain unclear. As John Ellis from the University of Plymouth points out, “There’s speculation that psilocybin serves a protective role against invertebrate fungivores, but these ideas need further exploration.”

To explore the effects of psilocybin on insects, Ellis and his team fed fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) larvae with dried magic mushrooms (Cylocyber cubensis). The researchers monitored the larvae’s survival rates, growth rates, and adult size and development.

Additionally, the team created liquid extracts from the mushrooms, combined them with a minimal amount of sucrose, and observed the larvae’s movements after exposure. “It resembled immersing them in a sweet magic mushroom solution,” says team member Kirsty Matthews Nicholas.

“By quantifying how rapidly the insects crawled, the distances traveled, and their overall movement coordination, we assessed the immediate impacts on their nervous systems,” Nicholas explains.

Results showed that larvae exposed to a magic mushroom diet exhibited significantly reduced survival rates. At lower doses, more than half of the larvae did not survive to adulthood. At higher doses, survival rates dropped to just about 25%.

“Among the flies that did reach adulthood, the consequences were evident. Adult flies were smaller, had shortened bodies, and asymmetrical wings – all indicators of developmental stress,” Nicholas reported. “They crawled shorter distances, moved less overall, and displayed erratic movement patterns, leading to slower and less coordinated motion.”

However, it is unlikely that insects experience psychedelia as humans do. “Our findings imply that compounds like psilocybin disrupt essential insect physiology and behavior in ways that could be detrimental rather than psychedelic,” she notes.

The research team also collected and analyzed seven mushroom species from Dartmoor, UK, and found that the DNA of invertebrates present varied according to the psilocybin-producing fungi—indicating a specific interaction pattern between these fungi and their insect hosts.

Unexpected outcomes highlighted the complexity of psilocybin’s ecological role. For instance, fruit flies with decreased serotonin receptor counts, typically impacted by psilocybin, were found to be more affected. Furthermore, the flies also showed adverse reactions to extracts from control mushroom species devoid of psilocybin.

Fabrizio Alberti from the University of Warwick indicates that their findings demonstrate that non-psilocybin mushrooms also generate other metabolites that harm insects’ speed and survival.

“Ongoing research utilizing pure psilocybin on insects will be essential to clarify its ecological significance and explore whether this psychedelic compound evolved as an insect deterrent,” Alberti emphasizes.

This study raises critical challenges in understanding the evolutionary implications of psilocybin-producing fungi. Bernhard Rupp from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, suggests, “Mushrooms producing psilocybin and similar compounds may have significant evolutionary advantages, such as deterring consumption by insects and snails.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Why Did Ancient Humans Evolve Language Just Once?

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My child is extraordinary. He enters the kitchen, glances at me, and articulates enchanting words: “Could I please have a cheese and tomato sandwich?” Moments later, that very snack materializes in front of him.

Other young animals express their hunger through sounds and murmurs, but only humans possess advanced grammar and vocabulary systems that enable precise communication.

This narrative is part of our themed special, showcasing expert perspectives on some of science’s most astonishing concepts. Click here for additional insights.

Research into animal behavior reveals that these creatures exhibit many traits previously thought to be exclusive to humans—from culture to emotional depth, and even aspects of morality. While language may seem to set us apart, “I believe language gives us a unique status as a species,” says Brian Relch from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Given this context, one critical area of research focuses on how language originated and why it evolved solely within our human lineage.

Psychologist Simon Edelman from Cornell University proposes in The Magical Power of Language that there is a straightforward evolutionary rationale. Alongside his colleague Oren Korodny, now at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, he theorizes that the origins of language may date back approximately 1.7 million years, coinciding with early humans developing the ability to create stone tools—a skill beyond the capabilities of non-human animals.

The notion is that tool-making locations functioned as learning environments, where novice tool creators required guidance from experienced individuals. Proto-language may have developed as a way for mentors to instruct their students, possibly explaining why both language and tool-making appear to necessitate cognitive structures that organize thoughts in a coherent sequence.

However, around a decade ago, a pivotal experiment questioned this narrative. In 2014, Shelby Putt from Illinois State University and her team investigated how individuals learn to create tools, exposing 24 volunteers either to expert instructions or to direct demonstrations while occasionally engaging their attention. Surprisingly, both approaches proved effective, indicating that intricate tool-making may not rely on verbal language.

This does not imply that Putt views language and tool-making as entirely disconnected. She posits that creating complex tools required individuals to structure their thoughts and organize them to achieve their task. She asserts that this ability led to an expansion of brain regions associated with working memory, enabling easier mental manipulation of concepts.

Nonetheless, Putt suggests that humans utilized these cognitive frameworks to devise language, enhancing communication and potentially increasing survival odds.

All these scenarios presume that language functions fundamentally as a communication tool among individuals. However, an alternative perspective on the evolution of language emphasizes the ways it aids individuals in organizing their thoughts when confronted with complex tasks.

Some, including prominent linguist Noam Chomsky, argue that this may have driven language evolution, suggesting it had no relation to tool-making. These researchers propose that language emerged approximately 70,000 years ago, possibly due to random genetic mutations that reconfigured brain circuitry.

Ultimately, the origins of language remain a subject of debate. If Chomsky and his associates are correct, the development of language was less about magic and more about fortunate circumstances.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

How does a narcissist’s personality evolve as they grow older?

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Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental illness characterized by an excessively high sense of personal importance, and it is relatively common. Up to 5% of the population may be affected. Recent research has shed light on how this disorder changes over time in individuals diagnosed with it.

Studies have shown that with age, individuals tend to become less self-centered. This decrease is observed from childhood through old age.

While overall narcissism tends to decrease with age, individual differences remain consistent over time. This means that individuals who displayed higher levels of narcissism compared to their peers in childhood are likely to maintain that characteristic into adulthood.

The lead author, Professor Ulrich Orth from the University of Bern, emphasized the importance of these findings in understanding how narcissism impacts not only the individual’s life but also the lives of their family and friends.

Published in the journal Psychology Bulletin, the study analyzed data from 51 research studies involving 37,247 participants ranging in age from 8 to 77 years, with a nearly equal distribution of men and women.

The research identified three types of narcissism: agentic narcissism, hostile narcissism, and neurotic narcissism. While all three types showed a decline from childhood to old age, the rate of decline varied among them.

Although narcissism is considered a stable personality trait that remains relatively unchanged compared to peers over long periods of time, the study acknowledges the need for further exploration across different cultures and regions to validate these findings.

The team also aims to investigate why narcissism tends to decrease with age. One theory suggests that assuming adult social roles like partner, parent, or employee may contribute to the development of more mature personality traits, leading to reduced narcissism.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Light pollution may be causing urban moths to evolve smaller wings

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Spindle ermine moth perched on a flower

DP Wildlife Invertebrates / Alamy

Moths trying to survive in bright cities may have evolved smaller wings to limit the amount of light they absorb.

Artificial lights that shine at night disrupt the lives of many insect species, diverting them from their habitats and mates, and exposing them to predators. Ecological changes due to light pollution may also have caused evolutionary changes, but clear examples are hard to find.

In search of such changes, evert van de shoot Researchers from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium analyzed the wing and body sizes of 680 spindle-shaped stoat moths.Yoponomeuta cañajera). These moths are previous experiment Test your reaction to light.

In their experiment, the researchers collected moth larvae from bright urban and dark rural locations in France and Switzerland and raised the moths together in the same garden. In the ‘flight to light’ test, urban moths were captured in 30 percent fewer light traps than rural moths, suggesting that they were less responsive to light.

Van de Schoot and his colleagues may have found an explanation for this. Careful measurements of the insects’ bodies revealed that moths in urban environments had slightly smaller wings on average than moths in rural areas. In both urban and rural populations, this small wing size correlated with a weak response in light trap experiments.

“What’s really surprising is that despite small changes in plumage, there are differences in rural and urban moth populations,” he says. Samuel Fabian At Imperial College London. He said the study’s focus on flight mechanics adds a new dimension to thinking about the effects of light on insects. “Nature is not static,” he says. “Nature adapts to us.”

Small wings can limit the distance and speed these moths can disperse to find mates and food. But if the trade-off makes moths less susceptible to the negative effects of being sensitive to light, it could be a beneficial adaptation in urban ecosystems, van de Scoot says.

The researchers say they cannot rule out the possibility that this change was driven by other differences between urban and rural areas, such as more fragmented habitats. Changes in visual acuity may also contribute to urban moths’ reduced response to light. Other insect species may also be affected differently.

But if such shifts in mobility were widespread, they could separate insect populations from each other and from the plants they pollinate, van de Scoot says. “It could be important for the entire ecosystem.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com