| Reconstructing the New World monkey family tree: After landing in Americas, primates spread as far as Caribbean, Patagonia Posted: 03 Jan 2014 05:53 PM PST A Duke scientist has reconstructed the most comprehensive family tree to date of the monkeys that arrived in South America 37 or more million years ago and their subsequent evolution. The research uncovered several patterns, suggesting, among other things, that sea level rise and the arrival of humans likely caused the extinction of monkeys native to the Caribbean islands, and that monkeys once lived in the extreme southern reaches of South America.  |
| Amber fossil reveals ancient reproduction in flowering plants Posted: 03 Jan 2014 05:45 PM PST A 100-million-year old piece of amber has been discovered which reveals the oldest evidence of sexual reproduction in a flowering plant -- a cluster of 18 tiny flowers from the Cretaceous Period -- with one of them in the process of making some new seeds for the next generation.  |
| A novel look at how stories may change the brain Posted: 03 Jan 2014 05:44 PM PST Many people can recall reading at least one cherished story that they say changed their life. Now researchers have detected what may be biological traces related to this feeling: Actual changes in the brain that linger, at least for a few days, after reading a novel. Their findings, that reading a novel may cause changes in resting-state connectivity of the brain that persist, were published by the journal Brain Connectivity.  |
