Evolution

Gotcha! A frog's tongue can be five times faster than the blink of a human eye.

Inside Every Frog's Mouth Is a Sticky, Grabby Bullet

Investigating frog tongues—and some human ones!—in the name of science

An artist's recreation of what the ancient creature looked like.

Bag-Like, Big-Mouthed Sea Creature Could Be Earliest Human Ancestor

This minute wriggly sea blob could represent some of the earliest steps along the path of evolution

Victorian mores influenced ideas not just about men and women but animals too.

How Victorian Gender Norms Shaped the Way We Think About Animal Sex

No, females aren't always choosy and males don't always get around

A ruby seadragon, Phyllopteryx dewysea that washed up on the Point Culver cliffs in Western Australia.

Watch the First Footage of the Rare Ruby Seadragon Alive in the Wild

The sneaky critter has never been seen in its natural habitat before

Smallmouth salamanders reproduce sexually, which may give them certain advantages.

When Is Sex Worth Going the Distance? When You’re a Salamander, Apparently

Asexual amphibians may be less equipped to handle modern threats than their sexual counterparts

Standing water in urban areas is ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes that can spread dengue and other tropical diseases.

To Fight Deadly Dengue Fever in Humans, Create Dengue-Resistant Mosquitoes

How manipulating the immune systems of mosquitoes can halt the spread of dengue virus

The new fossil groundcherry Physalis infinemundi from Laguna del Hunco in Patagonia, Argentina, 52 million years old. This specimen displays the characteristic papery, lobed husk and details of the venation.

Researchers Uncover Fossils of 52-Million-Year-Old Tomatillos

The pair of ancient fruits suggest that the nightshade group to which they belong is much older than scientists once thought

Caption: Six pairs of hand and footprints were discovered in 1998, including two that are small enough to have belonged to children.

Footprints Found at Ancient Hot Springs Could Represent Earliest Settlement of Tibetan Plateau

New age measurements of the footprints help pinpoint when humans first settled the highest region on Earth

Besides exceptional facial hair, what could these two gentlemen have in common?

The Hidden Connections Between Darwin and the Physicist Who Championed Entropy

These magnificently bearded men both introduced a dose of randomness and irreversibility into the universe

The better to infect you with, my dear...

For Viruses, the Best Way to Infect Baby Is Through Mama

Some viruses might take it easier on women—to get to their children

Underside of preserved tail section, displaying paler plumage, numerous decay products, and an associated ant.

This 99-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tail Trapped in Amber Hints at Feather Evolution

The rare specimen provides new insights into how feathers came to be

Showy traits, like the large antlers of these bull moose, can be detrimental to an animal's health.

Go Big or Go Generic: How Sexual Selection Is Like Advertising

When it comes to attracting mates, it pays to either go all out—or not try at all

The shipworm, scourge of sailors everywhere, is actually a kind of ghostly saltwater clam.

How a Ship-Sinking Clam Conquered the Ocean

The wood-boring shipworm has bedeviled humans for centuries. What's its secret?

Erich Fitzgerald and Tim Ziegler with a 3D model of Alfred's skull.

The Earliest Baleen Whales Literally Sucked

No offense to toothy whale ancestors

Many scientists believe we are standing on the edge of an unprecedented era of extinction.

Why Should Humans Care if We're Entering the Sixth Mass Extinction?

In this episode of Generation Anthropocene, learn what a new era of extinction means for diverse species—including our own

The three-spine stickleback usually forages and builds its nest near the lake bottom. But in Enos Lake, it appears to have merged with a related species that spends its time near the surface.

Extinction or Evolution? The Answer Isn't Always Clear

The same factors that kill off some species cause others to evolve at lightning speed

Hanging Out With Friends Makes Chimps Less Stressed

We all need somebody to lean on

A common swift in flight.

Swifts Spend Nearly a Year on the Wing

The tiny birds spend about ten months of the year in the air almost without a break

The original Frankenstein didn't create a bride for his creature–and with good scientific reason.

Scientists Find That Frankenstein’s Monster Could Have Wiped Out Humanity

Thank goodness his creator never finished his proposed girlfriend

Cave Paintings Help Unravel the Mystery of the ‘Higgs Bison'

The hybrid bovine has been a missing link in the ancestral tree of modern European bison

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