My picks from ScienceDaily

Clues To Ancestral Origin Of Placenta Emerge In Genetics Study:

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have uncovered the first clues about the ancient origins of a mother's intricate lifeline to her unborn baby, the placenta, which delivers oxygen and nutrients critical to the baby's health.

Lizards Undergo Rapid Evolution After Introduction To A New Home:

In 1971, biologists moved five adult pairs of Italian wall lizards from their home island of Pod Kopiste, in the South Adriatic Sea, to the neighboring island of Pod Mrcaru. Now, an international team of researchers has shown that introducing these small, green-backed lizards, Podarcis sicula, to a new environment caused them to undergo rapid and large-scale evolutionary changes.

Presumed Extinct Javan Elephants May Have Been Found Again - In Borneo:

The Borneo pygmy elephant may not be native to Borneo after all. Instead, the population could be the last survivors of the Javan elephant race - accidentally saved from extinction by the Sultan of Sulu centuries ago, a new publication suggests.

More like this

The title gets the principal objection of any creationist out of the way: yes, this population of Podarcis sicula is still made up of lizards, but they're a different kind of lizard now. Evolution works. Here's the story: in 1971, scientists started an experiment. They took 5 male lizards and 5…
tags: researchblogging.org, evolution, speciation, Pod Mrcaru lizard, Podarcis sicula, reptiles Pod Mrcaru lizard, Podarcis sicula. Image: Anthony Herrel (University of Antwerp) [larger view] Evolution has long been thought to occur slowly, due to small and gradual genetic changes that…
Scientists release seemingly harmless Italian Wall Lizards on a deserted South Adriatic island in 1971... and return to find walking, talking, boccie playing super-lizards! That is the headline that would have been written if researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst had waited only…
The unusual fossil mammal skull posted here yesterday was, of course, that of the astrapotheriid astrapothere Astrapotherium magnum, as many as you said. But I'm a bit surprised that more people didn't get it straight away, given that astrapotheres were covered and covered again at Tet Zoo only a…