Evolution

Huge and widespread volcanic eruptions triggered the end-Triassic extinctionSome 200 million years ago, an increase in atmospheric CO2 caused acidification of the oceans and global warming that killed off 76 percent of marine and terrestrial species on Earth.

Mapping the early history of the moonIn 41st annual Killian Lecture, Maria Zuber describes looking deep into the moon’s interior to chart its early history.

How human language could have evolved from birdsongLinguistics and biology researchers propose a new theory on the deep roots of human speech.

Evolution: It’s all in how you splice itMIT biologists find that alternative splicing of RNA rewires signaling in different tissues and may often contribute to species differences.

When the first stars blinked onThe very first stars may have turned on when the universe was 750 million years old.

GRAIL reveals a battered lunar historyTwin spacecraft create a highly detailed gravity map of the moon, finding an interior pulverized by early impacts.

It pays to cooperateYeast cells that share food have a survival edge over their freeloading neighbors — particularly when there is bacterial competition.

Most massive and luminous galaxy cluster identifiedDetection may confirm long-held theory.

Getting to the root of geneticsManolis Kellis uses computational techniques to decipher human disease.

Prions play key role in yeast survival and evolutionFor the first time, researchers find prions in wild strains of yeast, and show they can help the organisms withstand stress.

Microbe metabolismFor the smallest organisms, size determines how microbes spend energy.

The first hairy microbesNew fossils reveal oldest known ciliates.

Evolution, reversedPhysicists’ study of evolution in bacteria shows that adaptations can be undone, but rarely.