There are approximately 3,500 known mosquito species out there, but contrary to common belief, the ability to transmit viruses to humans is the privilege of only a few of them. Among this very private club, Aedes aegypti, also known as the yellow fever mosquito, is... click to read more

As evolutionary biologists, one of our major objectives is to understand how competition for resources regulates the appearance and extinction of species and can lead to the increase or decline of entire groups of species. This is particularly difficult to study because each group has... click to read more

The central regions of disk galaxies are large-scale powerhouses. Galactic nuclei usually host super-massive black holes that release huge amounts of energy when matter spirals around them and eventually falls onto them. Many galaxies also show strong star formation activity in their inner regions, with... click to read more

Freshwater ecosystems cover a tiny portion of the Earth surface yet host an outstanding biodiversity. About one tenth of all known species inhabit rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, or floodplains. They are also essential to human well-being providing us with food, clean water, and leisure. Freshwater... click to read more

When the Isthmus of Panama formed, it connected North and South America, allowing the interchange of the previously separated faunas from two continents. A puzzling aspect of this interchange is that North American mammals seem to be more successful. The fossil record shows more mammals... click to read more