The Palaeo Pad

Biologists have described the genome sequence of the ancient cnidarian, Hydra, in today’s online issue of the journal Nature. Hydra, a freshwater polyp, has been used for research for many centuries, and continues to this day to shed light on regeneration, stem cells and the origins of animal vision.

Students who recognise the Earth as being 4.5 billion years old are more likely to appreciate the concept of human evolution, research has revealed. The study by the University of Minnesota, published in this months’ issue of Evolution, could lead to the formation of a new approach to biology in US schools.

The Red Queen’s Hypothesis is valid, a team of researchers from the University of Liverpool have shown this week. The study, which is published in Nature, looked at the changing forms of bacteria-infecting viruses to study the effect that direct competition has on evolution.