News stories tagged with "evolution"

(02/16/12) We think of evolution as moving in a linear progression from the sea to the land. But some creatures, such as whales and dolphins, clearly adapted to the land, then returned to the sea. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley talk about convergent evolution.

(11/10/11) Mutants are neither the creepy brain domes of science fiction, nor the smart-mouth turtles of the cartoons. Mutations arise all the time from environmental exposure to mutagenic substances and from imperfections in cellular reproduction. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk change--genetic change.

(11/03/11) What draws the line between one species and another? New species are said to diverge when mutations occur that make it impossible to interbreed. Sometimes it's not much -- case in point: humans and chimpanzees. Curt Stager tells Martha Foley the key difference came when two short chromosomes in the chimp joined to form one long chromosome in humans.

(06/16/11) Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager study the evolution of birds and discover that some unlikely species are very closely related. more

(05/19/11) Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley discuss plants that have outlived the animals they co-evolved with.

(09/02/10) All creatures breathe in some fashion, but how the job gets done has changed from fish to amphibian to reptile to mammal. Curt Stager and Martha Foley chart the evolution of animal respiration.

(07/22/10) Why would a heavy fur cape, like a lion's mane, be appropriate on a tropical savanna? As with male fashion in humans--it appears the that the lionesses of the Serengeti like it--the thicker and darker, the better. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk hair.

(10/15/09) From the bones of their fins to the free-floating and functionless pelvis, the bodies of cetaceans show clear signs of having once lived on land. Why go back to the sea? Dr Curt Stager and Martha Foley examine the tale of the whale.

(02/04/09) Next Thursday marks the 200th anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin's birth. Darwin collected scientific data and was among the first to ponder the issue of how animals and plants change over long periods of time. This year is also the 150th Anniversary of the publication of his famous book, On The Origin of Species. Colleges and high schools around the region are hosting Darwin Day events, as part of a global celebration of science and reason. So, we invited two North Country biologists into the studio to ask where evolutionary theory is now, how it got there and the relevance of Charles Darwin today.

(11/08/07) Evolution as a theory has more going for it than sheer speculation. Darwin's ideas about how new species arise are supported, for example, by the recent development of a distinct species of marsh grass. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager look at the scientific evidence supporting evolution.