There was a mad rush to get to the base of animal tree of life in the past twelve months, in order to establish most primitive animal on our planet, with many phylogenomics studies contradicting each other. In April 2008, Cassey dunn et el published their famous phylogenomics work in Nature, which placed Ctenophores at the base of the tree making them most primitive animal on Earth. Before that work Sponges were considered as first animals to branch off from rest of the animals and hence occupied a most basal …

Happy Birthday Charles Darwin !!!! It was on this day ,200 years ago Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury , considered by many as the most influential scientist of all time. Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution by natural selection in his famous book On the Origin of Species, which completely changed our perception towards planet Earth and our place inside it.This book of charles Darwin was mainly based on his famous ship journey. Darwin was an exceptional thinker and was way ahead of his time, that could be …

As we have already seen special tributes paid to Charles Darwin,by top journals through “15 evolutionary gems”(Nature Journal) and “Darwin’s Gift”(Lancet Journal) and now New Scientist also makes its TOP TEN EVOLUTION articles available freely for its readers.Its heartening to see the effort put in by various people to celebrate Darwin’s 200th Birthday and spreading more awareness in general public about Theory of Natural selection for Evolution. (245)

It will be all Charles Darwin this year,as it happens to his 200th Birth anniversary and “Origin of species” completes 150 years. Recently Nature Journal came out with “15 Evolutionary gems” as a tribute to Charles Darwin’s theory of Natural selection for Evolution and Lancet another leading journal also paid tribute to great Charles Darwin by releasing a special issue on Evolution called “Darwin’s Gifts”,to commemorate the two specials events in evolution this year. (129)

Year 2009 holds a special place in the field of Evolution as it celebrates 200 years of Charles Darwin’s Birth(12 February 2009) and 150 years of Publication of one of the greatest books “Origin of species”(24 November 2009).To celebrate these events and to create more awareness among the general public by providing evidence for evolution by natural selection,the editors of Nature(Henry Gee, Rory Howlett and Philip Campbell) came out with a compilation of some great examples of evolution.These enlightening examples were part of Nature’s issue during the last decade,which displays …

A special issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach, dealing with the evolution of eyes is available free online.The journal Evolution: Education and Outreach completes one year now and decided to come out with a special issue on eye evolution to celebrate a milestone completing Volume 1 in their first year of publication!The special issue is edited by T. Ryan Gregory, who also wrote the Introduction to the issue.
The eye is a complex organ that detects light from the surroundings and enable vision in metazoans. Although eyes have always been a …

Charles Darwin was born on 12 February 1809 .He abandoned his studies of medicine to study theology when he was just 22 years old, joined a voyage around the world on the ship, the Beagle.
The celebrations are beginning now as they span over two additional Darwin anniversaries – 150 years since Darwin and Wallace announced the theory that rocked science and society on 1 July 1858, and 150 years since On the Origin of Species was published on 24 November 2009.
As we approach the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of …