Evolution
This 200 Million-Year-Old Plant Species Helps Explain the Origin of All Flowers
Of the 300,000 flowering plants known today, Amborella is the only one that directly traces back to the common ancestor of them all
Ancient Reptiles Kept Switching Between Laying Eggs And Giving Birth to Live Babies
Colder temperatures seem key to triggering the switch to live births
Beautiful Anatomical Skeletons, Posed and Photographed As Sculptures
Photographer Patrick Gries transforms ordinary specimens, stripped of fur and flesh, into art that showcases motion, predation and evolution
Two Scientists Share Credit for the Theory of Evolution. Darwin Got Famous; This Biologist Didn’t.
When the Linnean Society of London hears the case for natural selection in 1858, Darwin shared credit with biologist A.R. Wallace
Domestic Cats Enjoyed Village Life in China 5,300 Years Ago
Eight cat bones discovered in an archeological site in China provide a crucial link between domestic cats' evolution from wildcats to pets
These Carnivorous Plants Glow Under Ultraviolet Light to Attract Prey
Their florescent blue glow lures ants to their death. Mask it, and the plants barely catch any
The More Rainbow Bright a Chameleon, the Greater His Battle Prowess
Male chameleons quickest on the color-changing draw and sporting the brightest palette tend beat out duller competitors
Many Animals, Including the Platypus, Lost Their Stomachs
Not only did those animals toss their stomachs out with the evolutionary garbage, they burned the genetic instructions, too
Scientists Just Sequenced the DNA From A 400,000-Year-Old Early Human
The fossil, found in Spain, is mysteriously related to an ancient group of homonins called the Denisovans, previously found only in Siberia
Predators May Use a Bit of the Old Razzle Dazzle to Snag Prey
The bright colors and harsh angles of dazzle camouflage confounds locusts, suggesting that predators who sport the abstract patterns can hunt more easily
Where Do Humans Really Rank on the Food Chain?
We're not at the top, but towards the middle, at a level similar to pigs and anchovies
Why Brain Size Doesn't Correlate With Intelligence
We can nurture growth, but never really control it
This Could Be the Oldest Flowering Plant Ever Found in North America
A new look at Smithsonian's fossil collection turned up a remarkably ancient flowering plant—scientists think it's at least 115 million years old
Watch Fire Ants Use Their Bodies To Form Living Architecture
One species of ant can build floating rafts, resilient bridges and temporary shelters using nothing but their own bodies
The Seahorse’s Odd Shape Makes It a Weapon of Stealth
The shape of the seahorse's snout and its painfully slow movements create help create minimal water disturbance, increasing its odds of bagging prey
Mating Snakes Engage in a Literal Battle of the Sexes
Male and female red-sided garter snakes have antagonistic genitals, evolved to further the interests of their respective gender
This Fossil Skull Unearthed in Tibet Is the Oldest Big Cat Ever Found
The fossil belongs to a newly discovered species called Panthera blytheae and is between four and five million years old
These Insects Died While Having Sex 165 Million Years Ago
A remarkable fossil from China captures two froghoppers copulating, showing how the insects' genital structures haven't changed despite time's passage
What Is a Species? Insight From Dolphins and Humans
More than 70 definitions exist for what makes a species--each is applied to a different group of organisms & uses different methods for determining a label
This Mouse Has Evolved An Immunity to Toxic Scorpion Venom
The bark scorpion's sting can be deadly—but one of its predators, the grasshopper mouse, is impervious to both the pain and paralyzing effects of its venom
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