evolution – Behind The Black – Robert Zimmerman

Life found that hasn’t changed in 2 billion years

Robert Zimmerman — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 01:00:20 +0000

Scientists have discovered a micro-organism that has not evolved in more than 2 billion years.

Schopf and his colleagues used a variety of spectroscopic imaging techniques to study sulfur bacteria fossils embedded in deep sea rocks of varying ages. Analysis of the microorganisms from 1.8 billion-year-old rocks from Western Australia and 2.3 billion-year-old rocks collect off the coast of Chile showed that ancient sulfur bacteria looks the exact same now as it has for more than two billion years.

The tree that hitched a ride for 11,000 miles.

Robert Zimmerman — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 15:41:41 +0000

The tree that hitched a ride for 11,000 miles.

This is a fascinating science story that illustrates the element of randomness and chaos in all things, despite the efforts of humans to assign logic and organization to existence.

Why the crickets on the Hawaiian islands stopped singing twenty years ago.

Robert Zimmerman — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 16:24:02 +0000

Why the crickets on the Hawaiian islands stopped singing twenty years ago.

Believe it or not, they actually evolved.

A newly discovered fossil of a very early dinosaur strongly suggests that all dinosaurs had some form of plumage.

Robert Zimmerman — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 22:42:17 +0000

A newly discovered fossil of a very early dinosaur strongly suggests that all dinosaurs had some form of plumage.

A microscopic algae-eater that lives in a Norway lake has now been identified as one of the Earth’s oldest living organisms.

Robert Zimmerman — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:59:54 +0000

A microscopic algae-eater that lives in a Norway lake has now been identified as one of the Earth’s oldest living organisms.

The elusive, single-cell creature evolved about a billion years ago and did not fit in any of the known categories of living organisms – it was not an animal, plant, parasite, fungus or alga, they say.

Rather than gliding, the first flying bats used their wings to flutter down on their prey

Robert Zimmerman — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:04:24 +0000

Rather than learning to fly by gliding, a new theory proposes that the first flying bats learned how to fly by fluttering down on their prey.

How blind cave fish find food

Robert Zimmerman — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:10:50 +0000

How blind cave fish find food. Key quote:

“Vibration Attraction Behavior” (or VAB) is the ability of fish to swim toward the source of a water disturbance in darkness. Postdoctoral associate Masato Yoshizawa measured this behavioral response in both wild caught and laboratory raised cave and surface-dwelling fish using a vibrating rod at different frequencies as a stimulus. Most cavefish displayed VAB and would swim toward the vibrating rod and poke at it, while few surface fish did.