PubHawk
Science February 2015 PMID 25700517

Animal evolution. Cope's rule in the evolution of marine animals.

Noel A Heim, Matthew L Knope, Ellen K Schaal, Steve C Wang, Jonathan L Payne

Full text PDF Download social card

Mentions

20
Peak: 4 in Feb 2015
across 5 sources since Feb 2015

Extended reach

1,038,986
potential audience

Total likes

293

Video views

7,059

Mentions per month

Feb 2015 – Aug 2025

Where it's discussed

  • News11 articles
  • X / Twitter5 posts
  • YouTube2 videos
  • Facebook1 posts
  • Blogs1 articles

AI synopsis

What people are saying

The group shows a positive attitude towards the publication, with some users emphasizing its significance by describing it as 'very interesting' and mentioning its explanation of long-term size trends. The tone and context reveal curiosity and recognition of the research's relevance, with specific mentions of concepts like 'differential diversification' underscoring thoughtful engagement.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions acknowledge the relevance of the research, with some expressing curiosity or appreciation, reflecting a general agreement with its importance.

InterestModerate interest

Participants show moderate interest, as seen in comments like 'Wow, this looks very interesting!' and acknowledgments of missing key publications from the past.

EngagementModerate engagement

Comments include referencing specific concepts like 'differential diversification' and noting the research's broader implications, indicating active engagement.

ImpactModerate impact

The discussions suggest the research influences understanding of evolutionary patterns and prompts further exploration, indicating a moderate perceived impact.

Abstract in brief

  • The Copes rule suggests that marine animal lineages tend to evolve toward larger body sizes over millions of years, which is supported by data showing a significant increase in average biovolume across thousands of genera over 542 million years.
  • The data reveal that while the average body size has dramatically increased, the smallest species have only decreased slightly, and the largest species have grown exponentially, indicating a trend toward larger sizes driven by diversification among different animal groups, not just random variation.
  • The observed pattern cannot be explained by neutral drift or random changes, implying that evolution toward larger size in marine animals is influenced by specific selective pressures and diversification across different animal classes.]
Read the full abstract

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Phys.org
@physorg_com · X

Theoretical research offers explanation as to why some animals shrink over #time @unirdg_news @CommsBio https://t.co/VYDGj5P1fF https://t.co/V6mQxXvuVl

Jan 18, 2024 · 8 likes · 3 shares · 1,016,851 followers View post →
Erik Svensson
@EvolOdonata · X

Wow, this looks very interesting! From 2015, but I missed it when it came out. https://t.co/RqNX7HwdEk

Oct 29, 2022 · 7 likes · 1 share · 7,925 followers View post →
A. Morrell
@abmorrell · X

RT @physorg_com: Theoretical research offers explanation as to why some animals shrink over #time @unirdg_news @CommsBio https://t.co/VYDGj…

Jan 18, 2024 · 3 shares · 2,963 followers View post →
JoannaMasel@ecoevo.social
@JoannaMasel · X

Differential diversification can explain long-term trends in body size (Cope's rule) https://t.co/A9Wlj0pPyS. 4/11

Oct 28, 2022 · 2,266 followers View post →

All mentions

Understanding Megafauna and Its Role in Ecosystems

You've heard of megafauna, but what does it mean in biology? This video explores the definition of megafauna, its relevance to ecosystems and evolution, and discusses extinct ancient megafauna like mammoths and…

AB Biology · Aug 21, 2025 2,660 views
A. Morrell
@abmorrell · X

RT @physorg_com: Theoretical research offers explanation as to why some animals shrink over #time @unirdg_news @CommsBio https://t.co/VYDGj…

Jan 18, 2024 · 3 shares · 2,963 followers View post →
Phys.org
@physorg_com · X

Theoretical research offers explanation as to why some animals shrink over #time @unirdg_news @CommsBio https://t.co/VYDGj5P1fF https://t.co/V6mQxXvuVl

Jan 18, 2024 · 8 likes · 3 shares · 1,016,851 followers View post →
Andrej Spiridonov
@AndrejSpiridon4 · X

RT @EvolOdonata: Wow, this looks very interesting! From 2015, but I missed it when it came out. https://t.co/RqNX7HwdEk

Oct 29, 2022 · 1 share · 1,777 followers View post →
Erik Svensson
@EvolOdonata · X

Wow, this looks very interesting! From 2015, but I missed it when it came out. https://t.co/RqNX7HwdEk

Oct 29, 2022 · 7 likes · 1 share · 7,925 followers View post →
JoannaMasel@ecoevo.social
@JoannaMasel · X

Differential diversification can explain long-term trends in body size (Cope's rule) https://t.co/A9Wlj0pPyS. 4/11

Oct 28, 2022 · 2,266 followers View post →
K Lomp Maker 2015 | PDF | Bootstrapping (Statistics) | Standard Error
News

1260065) Bergmann's rule. J. Biogeogr. 30, 331–351. (doi:10. 3. Martin ... (doi:10.1126/science. Am. Earth Sci. 47, 116–135. (doi:10.1016/j.jsames. 47 ...

Dec 12, 2025 View →
Vesmír 04/2015 | PDF
News

DOI: 10.1126/science.1260065). Po moc fosili shromdili potebn da ta o17208 ... 10.1126/science.1254390) Peter Mikula, PF UK. elv GPS navigace. U dv ...

Dec 12, 2025 View →
Cope's rule in the evolution of marine animals | Science
News

Science. 20 Feb 2015. Vol 347, Issue 6224. pp. 867-870. DOI: 10.1126/science.1260065 · PREVIOUS ARTICLE. Trapping a transition state in a computationally ...

Dec 12, 2025 View →
Size of the Great White Shark (Carcharodon) | Science
News

1260065 · Abstract. Kenshu Shimada,; Matthew F. Bonnan,; Martin A ... Copy the article link. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.181.4095.169. Copy Link.

Dec 12, 2025 View →
Arsenic: Properties, Uses, and Risks | PDF
News

doi:10.1126/science.1219861 (https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.1219861). PMC ... do.org/record/1260065). Toxicology Letters. 133 (1): 1–16. doi:10.1016 ...

Dec 12, 2025 View →
How many creationists here think dog breeds don't share Common ...
Facebook

Here's just a simple example here: https://www.science. org/doi/full/10.1126/science.1260065. For some reason you don't think there are ...

Dec 7, 2024 View →
Late inception of a resiliently oxygenated upper ocean
News

Science. 347, 867–870 (2015). doi:10.1126/science.1260065 Medline. 37. L. Cao, M. Eby, A. Ridgwell, K. Caldeira, D. Archer, A. Ishida, F. Joos ...

May 31, 2018 View →
Ecological selectivity of the emerging mass extinction in the oceans
News

Science 347, 867–870. (2015).doi:10.1126/science.1260065 Medline. 44. IUCN, The IUCN red list of threatened species. Version 2014-2 ...

Sep 14, 2016 View →
Mennesket bremser udviklingen af kæmpe fisk
News

Cope's rule in the evolution of marine animals, Science, 2015, DOI: 10.1126/science.1260065. \ Find mere om. Naturvidenskab Dyr Evolution ...

Sep 25, 2015 View →
Sjødyrene blir større og større
Blogs

Dette er fortsatt åpne spørsmål, skriver forskerne i fagartikkelen i tidsskriftet Science. ... doi 10.1126/science.1260065. SE OGSÅ. Ingen ...

Feb 20, 2015 View →
Animals tend to evolve toward larger size over time | ScienceDaily
News

Wang, Jonathan L. Payne. Cope's rule in the evolution of marine animals. Science, 2015 DOI: 10.1126/science.1260065. Cite This Page ...

Feb 20, 2015 View →
Bluebird moms inadvertently fuel wars between species
News

Vol. 347, February 20, 2015, p. 875. doi: 10.1126/science.1260065. Susan Milius. About ...

Feb 19, 2015 View →
Evolution macht groß - wissenschaft.de
News

Originalarbeit der Forscher: Science: 10.1126/science.1260065. © wissenschaft.de – Martin Vieweg. © wissenschaft.de. Teilen ...

Feb 19, 2015 View →