Since the Middle Ages, the size of wild and domestic animals has largely been shaped by human selection: domestic animals are increasingly larger; wild animals increasingly smaller. During the 7,000 years preceding this period, however, wild and domestic species evolved in a synchronous and similar manner, suggesting that environmental and climatic changes played a greater role in shaping animal morphology. These findings, unprecedented on such a time scale, are revealed by CNRS scientists1| CNRS
To understand how life emerged, scientists investigate the chemistry of carbon and water. In the case of water, they track the various forms, or isotopes, of its constituent hydrogen and oxygen atoms over the history of the universe, like a giant treasure hunt. Researchers from the CNRS, Paris-Saclay University, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), and the University of Pau and the Pays de l’Adour (UPPA),1| CNRS
Menée par des chercheurs du CNRS1| CNRS