http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches How have organisms become what we see today? This blog focuses on the process of evolution and the richly diverse, intricately interconnected world of species it has generated. http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/goodbye After 127 posts spread over more than two years, Sarah Jane and I have decided t... Mon, 01 Feb 2016 15:50:43 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/goodbye 2016-02-01T15:50:43Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/a_fungusfarming_bee A couple of years ago, I wrote about fungus-farming ants . These ants are a fam... Mon, 18 Jan 2016 06:53:22 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/a_fungusfarming_bee 2016-01-18T06:53:22Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/when_the_going_gets_tough A version of this article was originally published in The Scorpion and the F... Mon, 04 Jan 2016 17:13:01 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/when_the_going_gets_tough 2016-01-04T17:13:01Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/adapting_to_a_cheesy_lifestyle With the gift-giving season upon us, I thought it might be nice to write about a... Mon, 21 Dec 2015 22:26:07 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/adapting_to_a_cheesy_lifestyle 2015-12-21T22:26:07Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/are_gmo_fish_safe_for The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first geneti... Mon, 07 Dec 2015 17:44:59 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/are_gmo_fish_safe_for 2015-12-07T17:44:59Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/divide_and_conquer_coaxing_cheaters Bacteria are responsible for many human diseases, but rather than striving to ki... Mon, 16 Nov 2015 13:13:55 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/divide_and_conquer_coaxing_cheaters 2015-11-16T13:13:55Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/body_armor_is_not_always When we see an animal covered in scales and plates, we assume that it has evolve... Mon, 02 Nov 2015 15:51:39 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/body_armor_is_not_always 2015-11-02T15:51:39Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/preadapting_to_evolve A common misconception imagines evolution as an artisan, honing species to their... Mon, 19 Oct 2015 15:19:44 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/preadapting_to_evolve 2015-10-19T15:19:44Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_fungus_makes_ant_zombies The parasitic fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu latu ( O. unilateralis... Mon, 05 Oct 2015 16:55:52 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_fungus_makes_ant_zombies 2015-10-05T16:55:52Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/learning_from_lice To most people, lice are just parasites to be exterminated, but their parasitic ... Mon, 28 Sep 2015 12:12:21 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/learning_from_lice 2015-09-28T12:12:21Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/an_incredibly_complete_tree_of This remarkable image greeted me when I opened my Twitter feed yesterday morning... Mon, 21 Sep 2015 08:42:12 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/an_incredibly_complete_tree_of 2015-09-21T08:42:12Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/humans_evolved_to_enjoy_songs Humans are remarkably talented musicians. We can recognize a tune despite when i... Mon, 14 Sep 2015 09:08:42 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/humans_evolved_to_enjoy_songs 2015-09-14T09:08:42Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/dogs_have_coopted_our_physiology Why do we feel genuine love and friendship for our dogs? The social relationship... Mon, 07 Sep 2015 14:10:46 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/dogs_have_coopted_our_physiology 2015-09-07T14:10:46Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/a_life_of_ice_and A while ago I wrote about how bacteria make their way into clouds, where they a... Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:11:39 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/a_life_of_ice_and 2015-08-31T08:11:39Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/evolving_by_alternative_splicing Creatures of various species often look far more different than the similarity o... Mon, 24 Aug 2015 08:44:58 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/evolving_by_alternative_splicing 2015-08-24T08:44:58Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/of_moss_and_microarthropods Mosses were among the first plants to colonize land over 400 million years ago, ... Mon, 17 Aug 2015 11:33:03 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/of_moss_and_microarthropods 2015-08-17T11:33:03Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_origins_of_kin_discrimination Last week Sarah Jane explained the evolutionary advantage of helping out family... Mon, 10 Aug 2015 11:44:45 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_origins_of_kin_discrimination 2015-08-10T11:44:45Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/cooperating_for_selfish_reasons This article was originally published in The Scorpion and the Frog . To see... Mon, 03 Aug 2015 17:39:59 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/cooperating_for_selfish_reasons 2015-08-03T17:39:59Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/tinkering_with_fins Last year, I wrote about the adipose fin found in some fish, which researchers... Mon, 27 Jul 2015 10:01:25 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/tinkering_with_fins 2015-07-27T10:01:25Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_we_know_the_colors Through their studies of bones, fossils, and geology, paleontologists have uncov... Mon, 20 Jul 2015 18:05:02 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_we_know_the_colors 2015-07-20T18:05:02Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/an_introduction_to_sexual_selection Sexual selection is an important mechanism of natural selection which may not ge... Mon, 13 Jul 2015 16:32:19 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/an_introduction_to_sexual_selection 2015-07-13T16:32:19Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/song_battles_with_other_species Many animals defend territories from members of their own species for mating, br... Mon, 06 Jul 2015 14:19:40 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/song_battles_with_other_species 2015-07-06T14:19:40Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/was_the_jurassic_world_a Our perception of the past is coloured by phrases like “the age of the dinosaurs... Mon, 29 Jun 2015 13:26:31 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/was_the_jurassic_world_a 2015-06-29T13:26:31Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_suicidal_sex Although most species breed repeatedly over their lifetimes , a select few inve... Mon, 22 Jun 2015 20:58:46 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_suicidal_sex 2015-06-22T20:58:46Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/warning_signals_evolved_from_other Some of the most strikingly colored animals are also quite deadly, their conspic... Mon, 15 Jun 2015 17:47:37 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/warning_signals_evolved_from_other 2015-06-15T17:47:37Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/jumping_jaws_help_ants_escape Trap-jaw ants snap their mandibles shut with one of the fastest movements in the... Tue, 09 Jun 2015 00:42:36 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/jumping_jaws_help_ants_escape 2015-06-09T00:42:36Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/mindmanipulating_slavemaking_ants This article was originally published in The Scorpion and the Frog . An e... Mon, 01 Jun 2015 15:58:08 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/mindmanipulating_slavemaking_ants 2015-06-01T15:58:08Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/shape_matters_for_gene_expression In 2011, researchers described how the mutation of a single gene is sufficient t... Mon, 25 May 2015 14:29:28 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/shape_matters_for_gene_expression 2015-05-25T14:29:28Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_dogs_and_humans_grew Dogs are commonly called our best friends and truest companions, but what makes ... Mon, 18 May 2015 15:25:01 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_dogs_and_humans_grew 2015-05-18T15:25:01Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/a_dinosaur_that_flew_on In one sense, the dinosaurs never went extinct. While you're not going to run i... Mon, 11 May 2015 14:48:54 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/a_dinosaur_that_flew_on 2015-05-11T14:48:54Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/counting_chicks It's probably not a surprise that humans aren't the only animals with a sense o... Mon, 04 May 2015 10:45:54 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/counting_chicks 2015-05-04T10:45:54Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/a_groovy_cervix_helps_sperm While the labyrinthine vaginas and spiralling penises of ducks have become fam... Mon, 27 Apr 2015 12:55:31 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/a_groovy_cervix_helps_sperm 2015-04-27T12:55:31Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_drove_the_great_dying As long ago as forever and as far away as home, life was withering away wherever... Mon, 20 Apr 2015 14:00:49 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_drove_the_great_dying 2015-04-20T14:00:49Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_pangenome_of_emiliania_huxleyi Emiliania huxleyi has more going for it than just a beautiful name. Despite bei... Mon, 13 Apr 2015 17:32:27 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_pangenome_of_emiliania_huxleyi 2015-04-13T17:32:27Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/behavioral_transplants Twelve Canadian scientists accomplished something we've only heard about in scie... Mon, 06 Apr 2015 14:14:27 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/behavioral_transplants 2015-04-06T14:14:27Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/drug_resistance_evolves_in_inbred It all starts with a mosquito bite. When a hungry mosquito pierces someone’s ski... Mon, 30 Mar 2015 12:36:47 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/drug_resistance_evolves_in_inbred 2015-03-30T12:36:47Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_did_the_first_skulls As one of the earliest tetrapods, Acanthostega gunnari can tell us a lot about... Mon, 23 Mar 2015 20:31:03 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_did_the_first_skulls 2015-03-23T20:31:03Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_oldest_jewelry_in_europe Over a century ago, excavation workers discovered ancient human remains near the... Mon, 16 Mar 2015 19:05:54 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_oldest_jewelry_in_europe 2015-03-16T19:05:54Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_human_cortical Of all the traits that separate humans from their cousins, few draw as much fasc... Mon, 09 Mar 2015 15:37:51 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_human_cortical 2015-03-09T15:37:51Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/choosing_mates_wisely_is_all Choosing our mates is among the most important decisions of our lives. We agoniz... Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:30:39 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/choosing_mates_wisely_is_all 2015-03-02T15:30:39Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/evolutionary_constraints_from_regulatory_gene Evolutionary biology is full of great stories about why life on Earth is the way... Mon, 23 Feb 2015 15:12:32 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/evolutionary_constraints_from_regulatory_gene 2015-02-23T15:12:32Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/tracking_down_the_genes_behind The 'species' concept is one of the most important in biology, providing the fra... Mon, 16 Feb 2015 10:15:49 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/tracking_down_the_genes_behind 2015-02-16T10:15:49Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/dueling_genitals Although chastity belts are a fixture of the popular conception of medieval Eu... Mon, 09 Feb 2015 15:52:55 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/dueling_genitals 2015-02-09T15:52:55Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/melatonin_is_not_a_magic Many animals undergo seasonal physiological changes in order to ensure that thei... Mon, 02 Feb 2015 14:57:22 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/melatonin_is_not_a_magic 2015-02-02T14:57:22Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_snakes_teach_us_about Make your way along the length of a vertebrate and it becomes pretty clear that ... Mon, 26 Jan 2015 17:53:45 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_snakes_teach_us_about 2015-01-26T17:53:45Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/for_boneeating_worms_smaller_is In 2002, researchers discovered a genus of quirky little deep-sea worms in Monte... Mon, 19 Jan 2015 17:24:14 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/for_boneeating_worms_smaller_is 2015-01-19T17:24:14Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/collective_personailty_and_our_environment We are all familiar with the concept of the personality of an individual. We a... Mon, 12 Jan 2015 15:00:17 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/collective_personailty_and_our_environment 2015-01-12T15:00:17Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_bonehouse_wasp This brief post will be the last of the year on Accumulating Glitches. We're tak... Mon, 22 Dec 2014 14:15:12 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_bonehouse_wasp 2014-12-22T14:15:12Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_and_when_did_humans As winter deepens (in the North — hello, summery South!), many people's minds ar... Mon, 15 Dec 2014 16:43:09 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_and_when_did_humans 2014-12-15T16:43:09Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/why_do_mosquitoes_bite_humans The mosquito Aedes aegypti , which preys on humans in tropical and subtropical ... Mon, 08 Dec 2014 10:42:34 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/why_do_mosquitoes_bite_humans 2014-12-08T10:42:34Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/crocodilians_hunt_with_tools What would happen to mankind if crocodiles and alligators were to develop enough... Mon, 01 Dec 2014 17:23:00 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/crocodilians_hunt_with_tools 2014-12-01T17:23:00Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_makes_a_cat Cats have always been a part of my life. One of my earliest memories is of follo... Mon, 24 Nov 2014 19:03:13 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_makes_a_cat 2014-11-24T19:03:13Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/treehoppers_have_wings_on_their Treehoppers are a group of insects distinguished by their impressive head orname... Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:42:46 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/treehoppers_have_wings_on_their 2014-11-17T14:42:46Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_meaning_of_fitness Thanks to the phrase “survival of the fittest”, fitness is quite a prominent ide... Mon, 10 Nov 2014 14:32:28 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_meaning_of_fitness 2014-11-10T14:32:28Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_war_and Syria and Iraq . Ukraine . The Gaza Strip. People are dying in large numbers at... Mon, 03 Nov 2014 16:23:36 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_war_and 2014-11-03T16:23:36Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_giant_kangaroos_that_didnt Ask anyone to describe a kangaroo and the word 'hopping' is likely to feature in... Mon, 27 Oct 2014 15:14:05 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_giant_kangaroos_that_didnt 2014-10-27T15:14:05Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_do_whales_taste Taste is so important that it's wheedled its way deep into our language. We call... Mon, 20 Oct 2014 21:04:05 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_do_whales_taste 2014-10-20T21:04:05Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_plants_that_died_with When a meteor impacted with the Earth 65 million years ago, it did more than jus... Mon, 13 Oct 2014 13:10:54 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_plants_that_died_with 2014-10-13T13:10:54Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/scientists_discover_mushroomlike_animals_possibly Nearly 30 years ago, a research vessel off the southeast coast of Australia drag... Mon, 06 Oct 2014 17:42:59 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/scientists_discover_mushroomlike_animals_possibly 2014-10-06T17:42:59Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/island_biogeography_in_the_era In some ways, islands provide a ready-made laboratory for studying evolution. Th... Mon, 29 Sep 2014 13:54:47 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/island_biogeography_in_the_era 2014-09-29T13:54:47Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/from_chimps_to_chickens_how I've written before about how epigenetic differences enable very similar genome... Mon, 22 Sep 2014 06:46:23 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/from_chimps_to_chickens_how 2014-09-22T06:46:23Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_wolbachia_learned_to_help Wolbachia , Wolbachia , Wolbachia ! Though these ubiquitous insect symbionts a... Mon, 15 Sep 2014 15:06:53 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_wolbachia_learned_to_help 2014-09-15T15:06:53Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_some_critters_evolved_to Since plants generally can’t move around, they have to rely on other strategie... Mon, 08 Sep 2014 09:56:24 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_some_critters_evolved_to 2014-09-08T09:56:24Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_starvation_causes_heritable_changes A growing body of evidence is pointing towards unknown inheritance mechanisms th... Mon, 01 Sep 2014 10:05:31 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_starvation_causes_heritable_changes 2014-09-01T10:05:31Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_need_for_speed_constrains Despite the seemingly limitless potential of mutation and selection, evolution i... Mon, 25 Aug 2014 12:34:44 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_need_for_speed_constrains 2014-08-25T12:34:44Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_tibetans_ancestors_adapted_to In response to low oxygen conditions, our body produces extra red blood cells in... Mon, 18 Aug 2014 11:33:35 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_tibetans_ancestors_adapted_to 2014-08-18T11:33:35Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/horizontal_gene_transfer_promotes_altruism The origin of altruism is one of the enduring mysteries of evolutionary biology.... Mon, 11 Aug 2014 10:15:41 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/horizontal_gene_transfer_promotes_altruism 2014-08-11T10:15:41Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/does_biology_have_laws Science is our way of trying to understand the universe, to make sense of the ... Mon, 04 Aug 2014 13:02:55 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/does_biology_have_laws 2014-08-04T13:02:55Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_language_of_dna One of the striking things about the genetic code is the remarkable way it twi... Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:53:26 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_language_of_dna 2014-07-28T10:53:26Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/friends_are_genetically_similar You and your friends are surprisingly genetically similar, according to a study ... Mon, 21 Jul 2014 08:51:56 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/friends_are_genetically_similar 2014-07-21T08:51:56Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/of_mice_microbiomes_evolving_gut The microbiome, the microbial community that lives in our gut, has been a tremen... Mon, 14 Jul 2014 08:32:11 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/of_mice_microbiomes_evolving_gut 2014-07-14T08:32:11Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_giveandtake_between_mothers_and This is a story about a gene which makes nursing mice produce more nutritious ... Mon, 07 Jul 2014 18:03:37 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_giveandtake_between_mothers_and 2014-07-07T18:03:37Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_first_animal_reefs Sandwiched between two deserts, the dry landscapes of Namibia see less rainfall ... Mon, 30 Jun 2014 12:54:21 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_first_animal_reefs 2014-06-30T12:54:21Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/spiders_hunt_fish Since I'm a biologist, friends and relatives sometimes assume I know a lot about... Tue, 24 Jun 2014 02:14:05 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/spiders_hunt_fish 2014-06-24T02:14:05Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/one_year_on This week (yesterday, in fact) marks one year since Accumulating Glitches laun... Fri, 23 May 2014 17:49:49 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/one_year_on 2014-05-23T17:49:49Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/evolving_separate_tasks_8212_how The distinction between somatic and germ cells is fundamental to multicellular l... Mon, 19 May 2014 14:23:25 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/evolving_separate_tasks_8212_how 2014-05-19T14:23:25Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/biologists_should_study_female_genitalia Evolutionary biologists are unduly interested in male genitalia and don't pay en... Mon, 12 May 2014 20:56:26 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/biologists_should_study_female_genitalia 2014-05-12T20:56:26Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/reservoirs_for_retrovirus_evolution Retroviruses are a family of viruses that use RNA instead of DNA as their geneti... Mon, 05 May 2014 19:46:16 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/reservoirs_for_retrovirus_evolution 2014-05-05T19:46:16Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_viruses_that_made_us Most people's probably associate viruses mainly with disease, a reputation that ... Mon, 28 Apr 2014 15:08:54 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_viruses_that_made_us 2014-04-28T15:08:54Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/unravelling_regeneration_in_planaria Planarian flatworms are one of nature's little wonders. Although their 'cross-ey... Mon, 21 Apr 2014 17:11:27 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/unravelling_regeneration_in_planaria 2014-04-21T17:11:27Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_yeasts_that_make_lager Around 500 years ago, a group of stowaways crossed the Atlantic to begin an illu... Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:32:56 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_yeasts_that_make_lager 2014-04-14T14:32:56Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/speciation_in_reverse Darwin's finches have become a textbook example in evolutionary biology, specia... Mon, 07 Apr 2014 16:42:08 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/speciation_in_reverse 2014-04-07T16:42:08Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/fossils_of_early_stick_insects Stick insects are fascinating and beautiful creatures, exquisitely mimicking lea... Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:27:45 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/fossils_of_early_stick_insects 2014-03-31T17:27:45Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_body_plans A group of genes known as homeobox (Hox) genes control embryonic development of ... Mon, 24 Mar 2014 09:24:44 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_body_plans 2014-03-24T09:24:44Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/where_do_genes_come_from Mutations may be the grist of evolution, but we usually imagine them as modifyin... Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:56:21 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/where_do_genes_come_from 2014-03-17T21:56:21Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_adipose_fins A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about research into the evolution of tetrapod li... Mon, 10 Mar 2014 15:11:05 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_adipose_fins 2014-03-10T15:11:05Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/invasion_of_the_crazy_ants A war is being waged across the southern US. Over a decade ago, the invaders est... Mon, 03 Mar 2014 22:19:50 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/invasion_of_the_crazy_ants 2014-03-03T22:19:50Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/evolution_and_development_of_leaf Leaves come in a dizzying array of shapes, from simple, single bladed leaves to ... Mon, 24 Feb 2014 22:11:16 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/evolution_and_development_of_leaf 2014-02-24T22:11:16Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_limbs_evolved_from_fins Around 400 million years ago a group of creatures made their way onto land to fo... Mon, 17 Feb 2014 16:30:08 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_limbs_evolved_from_fins 2014-02-17T16:30:08Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/dogs_are_not_domesicated_wolves At some point long ago, our ancestors domesticated dogs and we've been constant ... Mon, 10 Feb 2014 08:45:10 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/dogs_are_not_domesicated_wolves 2014-02-10T08:45:10Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/sex_and_sociality_the_genetics An international team of researchers studying fire ants have discovered the fi... Mon, 03 Feb 2014 18:24:35 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/sex_and_sociality_the_genetics 2014-02-03T18:24:35Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/why_is_there_so_much spacer Reference s Bagchi, R. et al. Pathogens and insect herbivores drive ra... Mon, 27 Jan 2014 22:27:59 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/why_is_there_so_much 2014-01-27T22:27:59Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/we_are_each_a_community In our world of antibacterial soaps, we have learned that bacteria are evil, dir... Mon, 20 Jan 2014 20:37:06 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/we_are_each_a_community 2014-01-20T20:37:06Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/wolbachia Wolbachia , which I briefly mentioned in an earlier post, are pretty neat little... Mon, 13 Jan 2014 14:49:57 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/wolbachia 2014-01-13T14:49:57Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_secrets_of_the_snake I kept snakes as pets for most of my graduate career. It started with a pair of ... Mon, 06 Jan 2014 11:14:15 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_secrets_of_the_snake 2014-01-06T11:14:15Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/metabolism_and_body_size_influence When we watch TV or a movie, we are essentially watching a series of still image... Mon, 30 Dec 2013 14:48:15 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/metabolism_and_body_size_influence 2013-12-30T14:48:15Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_the_cavefish_lost_its In the 1990s, Suzanne Rutherford and Susan Lindquist discovered that mutation of... Mon, 23 Dec 2013 10:41:49 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_the_cavefish_lost_its 2013-12-23T10:41:49Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_regulation_of_recombination Genetic variation is the raw material of natural selection. Mutation is one sour... Mon, 16 Dec 2013 15:09:33 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_regulation_of_recombination 2013-12-16T15:09:33Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/personality_and_the_spread_of Studies of the spread of infectious diseases have shown that behavior plays a st... Mon, 09 Dec 2013 16:24:01 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/personality_and_the_spread_of 2013-12-09T16:24:01Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_genetics_of_speciation Herbivorous insects that switch to eating a different kind of plant are evolutio... Tue, 03 Dec 2013 00:14:25 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_genetics_of_speciation 2013-12-03T00:14:25Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_making_of_sex_chromosomes Many animals use a special pair of chromosomes to determine their sex during dev... Mon, 25 Nov 2013 22:04:48 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_making_of_sex_chromosomes 2013-11-25T22:04:48Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_cetaceans_can_teach_us We often think of culture as being food dishes, music, dance, and clothing that ... Mon, 18 Nov 2013 15:33:57 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/what_cetaceans_can_teach_us 2013-11-18T15:33:57Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/suicidal_reproduction_in_mammals Some spiders get eaten by their mates , and male salmon famously fight to the d... Mon, 11 Nov 2013 11:43:39 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/suicidal_reproduction_in_mammals 2013-11-11T11:43:39Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/these_feet_were_made_for [Note: This article is adpated from a post on Inspiring Science . I'm very bu... Mon, 04 Nov 2013 14:56:55 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/these_feet_were_made_for 2013-11-04T14:56:55Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_mimic_octopus_master_of Different animal species have evolved a number of ways to hide in their environ... Mon, 28 Oct 2013 15:12:28 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_mimic_octopus_master_of 2013-10-28T15:12:28Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/constraints_on_evolution Mutation provides grist for the mill of evolution, but these genetic changes are... Mon, 21 Oct 2013 18:10:12 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/constraints_on_evolution 2013-10-21T18:10:12Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/selfish_genes_emergent_properties [Note: This was originally posted as part of a series about natural selection ... Mon, 14 Oct 2013 14:44:04 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/selfish_genes_emergent_properties 2013-10-14T14:44:04Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/honeybees_can_avoid_deadlock_when **Note: This article was adapted in part from previous posts written on group de... Mon, 07 Oct 2013 15:33:10 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/honeybees_can_avoid_deadlock_when 2013-10-07T15:33:10Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/epigenetics_and_evolution We share most of our genome with our closest relatives, the other great apes, an... Mon, 30 Sep 2013 15:35:18 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/epigenetics_and_evolution 2013-09-30T15:35:18Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/antibiotics_and_applied_evolution The emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria has become a textbook example... Mon, 23 Sep 2013 14:13:32 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/antibiotics_and_applied_evolution 2013-09-23T14:13:32Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/hiding_in_plain_sight Sometimes the best place to hide is right under everybody's nose. If you look li... Mon, 16 Sep 2013 16:24:03 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/hiding_in_plain_sight 2013-09-16T16:24:03Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/tracking_the_evolution_of_a Most of the articles on this blog have talked about evolution as though it were ... Mon, 09 Sep 2013 12:52:37 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/tracking_the_evolution_of_a 2013-09-09T12:52:37Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/viruses_genes_in_our_brain How did a gene from a virus end up in our brain? That's just one of the interest... Mon, 02 Sep 2013 15:07:08 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/viruses_genes_in_our_brain 2013-09-02T15:07:08Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/some_city_birds_are_changing The human world population has climbed to over 7.1 billion people and for the ... Mon, 26 Aug 2013 12:38:08 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/some_city_birds_are_changing 2013-08-26T12:38:08Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/shaping_the_balance_of_the We tend to think that offspring are just as likely to be male as female, but tha... Mon, 19 Aug 2013 13:06:56 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/shaping_the_balance_of_the 2013-08-19T13:06:56Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/forewarned_is_forearmed_crickets_exposed Organisms respond to their environment in a variety of ways, and natural selecti... Mon, 12 Aug 2013 12:26:31 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/forewarned_is_forearmed_crickets_exposed 2013-08-12T12:26:31Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/in_the_evolution_of_a Finding and attracting a mate is tricky business for most species. It can be qui... Mon, 05 Aug 2013 13:57:03 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/in_the_evolution_of_a 2013-08-05T13:57:03Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/attraction_gone_wrong_butterfly_mating Leptidea sinapis and L. juvernica , two similar-looking species of Wood White ... Mon, 29 Jul 2013 15:38:48 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/attraction_gone_wrong_butterfly_mating 2013-07-29T15:38:48Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_the_rhino_beetle_got For some beetles, size definitely matters. Male Japanese rhinoceros beetles ( A... Mon, 22 Jul 2013 17:19:24 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_the_rhino_beetle_got 2013-07-22T17:19:24Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_laws_of_attraction_mangrove In the game of love, we typically think of males as being the showy courting sex... Mon, 15 Jul 2013 15:35:09 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_laws_of_attraction_mangrove 2013-07-15T15:35:09Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_first_forests Sometime around 500 million years ago, green algae floating in shallow coastal w... Mon, 08 Jul 2013 20:06:51 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_first_forests 2013-07-08T20:06:51Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/an_example_of_convergent_evolution The sun bathes the world around us in light, and we use the reflected light to ... Mon, 01 Jul 2013 17:08:00 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/an_example_of_convergent_evolution 2013-07-01T17:08:00Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_personality " Evolutionary biologists have long been interested in individual differences (D... Mon, 24 Jun 2013 22:16:16 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_evolution_of_personality 2013-06-24T22:16:16Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/ant_agriculture I thought I'd try something a bit different in this post. I wanted to write abo... Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:30:36 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/ant_agriculture 2013-06-17T23:30:36Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/seeing_is_believing_8212_the Tell all the truth but tell it slant Success in circuit lies, Too bright for our... Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:39:03 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/seeing_is_believing_8212_the 2013-06-10T16:39:03Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/cicadian_rhythms_why_does_the The 2013 Swarmageddon is here! After years of their absence, cicadas are overrun... Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:36:25 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/cicadian_rhythms_why_does_the 2013-06-03T13:36:25Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/ancient_life_in_ancient_water All of the amazing riches of biodiversity we see around us exists in just a thin... Mon, 27 May 2013 14:45:09 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/ancient_life_in_ancient_water 2013-05-27T14:45:09Z http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/do_species_really_exist " Nor shall I here discuss the various definitions which have been given of the ... Wed, 22 May 2013 15:27:23 GMT http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/do_species_really_exist 2013-05-22T15:27:23Z