evolution news stories on Newser

Holding a Gun Makes You Look Bigger

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:41:05 CDT

A person wielding a gun appears bigger and brawnier than a person without a gun, according to a new UCLA study. Researchers showed photographs of hands clutching guns, power drills, handsaws, and other tools to test subjects and then asked them to guess the size and muscularity of the person...

Tennessee's Anti-Evolution Bill to Become Law

Mark Russell — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 06:13:00 CDT

Tennessee was the site of the infamous Scopes monkey trial nearly 90 years ago (spoiler alert: creationists lost), but the state is still fighting evolution. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said yesterday he'll allow a bill to become law that protects teachers who criticize evolution, as well as global warming and...

Humans Had Fire 1M Years Ago

Kevin Spak — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:41:19 CDT

Scientists believe they've uncovered the earliest known evidence of human fire usage. Charred bones and plant ash sediment found in Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa suggest that Homo erectus was playing with fire a whopping 1 million years ago, more than twice as far back as previous evidence had indicated,...

Scientists Find Bones of Another Pre-Human Walker

Kevin Spak — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:16:16 CDT

Lucy was not alone. Scientists have unearthed fossilized bones that they believe must have belonged to the foot of another pre-human species that walked upright around 3 million years ago, the AP reports. It's the first evidence of such a species during that era since the one made famous by...

Tennessee Bill Encourages Critiques of Evolution

Matt Cantor — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:32:57 CDT

A bill in Tennessee's legislature would protect teachers who encourage debate in the classroom about evolution—a measure that opponents say is just a guise to teach creationism or intelligent design, reports the Tennessean . Top science groups and the ACLU have come out against the bill, which the state Senate...

Bees Might Have Personalities

Dustin Lushing — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 07:35:05 CST

Bees are not merely mindless, mechanical insects with rigid behavior patterns. They may actually exhibit personalities and feelings. A new study from the University of Illinois reveals that some bees display a higher willingness to head off on adventures than others, which can be interpreted as a personality trait, reports...

Middle-Aged Folks Are Evolution's 'Pinnacle': Scientist

Matt Cantor — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:21:05 CST

Middle aged? Don't get down on yourself: You're the "pinnacle of evolution," according to a Cambridge scientist. Middle age is a period "not of decline but of development," says David Bainbridge. Humans are unusual in that they remain healthy well beyond their child-bearing years. They have long helped societies flourish...

Human, Gorilla DNA: Just 1.75% of It Is Different

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:04:33 CST

In decoding the DNA of a western lowland gorilla, scientists made a discovery that may surprise you: Humans and gorillas differ in just 1.75% of their DNA, making our genomes more similar than previously thought. That percentage actually drops to 1.37% when compared to chimpanzees, our closest living...

Atheist Richard Dawkins: Slavery Profiteer?

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:38:32 CST

Renowned atheist Richard Dawkins fired back at the Telegraph today after the paper accused him of profiting—albeit indirectly—from slavery, the Guardian reports. The Telegraph 's article notes that Dawkins' great great great great great grandfather, Henry Dawkins, owned 1,013 Jamaican slaves before he died in 1744. Dawkins...