Video: Dr. Dan Janes Discusses the Scientific Contributions of Charles Darwin

NIH: Darwin Day is an occasion to recognize the scientific contributions of 19th-century naturalist Charles Darwin. In this video (originally posted on Darwin Day 2016), our own evolutionary geneticist, Dan Janes, answers questions about Darwin and the role of evolution in health and biomedicine.

Apes make monkeys of us - we're weaker, fatter and sweatier

Scimex: US and South African scientists compared human bodies with those of our closest ape relatives, bonobo chimpanzees, to gain insights into our evolution. They found we're less muscular overall, fatter and have less skin than bonobos, but it's not all bad - at least we evolved the ability to sweat profusely, which bonobos can't do. Human skin, fat, and muscle proportions differ significantly from those of bonobos, suggesting evolutionary factors that may have shaped the body structure of Homo sapiens, according to a study.

Researchers Discover Possible Mechanism for Faster Evolution

University of Maryland. US: For more than a century, scientists have understood the basics of inheritance: if good genes help parents survive and reproduce, the parents pass those genes along to their offspring. And yet, recent research has shown that reality is much more complex: genes can be switched off, or silenced, in response to the environment or other factors, and sometimes these changes can be passed from one generation to the next.

Evolution continues despite low mortality and fertility rates in the modern world

Sheffield University. UK: Charles Darwin’s theory on evolution still holds true despite lower mortality and fertility rates in the modern world, according to new research by the University of Sheffield. Scientists looked at how cultural influences like easy access to contraception and medical advances reducing infant mortality, effects natural selection in modern human populations.