Evolution
Treehoppers’ Bizarre, Wondrous Helmets Use Wing Genes to Grow
The elaborate structures, which are not actually wings, can resemble thorns, leaves, ants and more
Humans May Be Solely to Blame for the Great Auk’s Extinction
A new study suggests that the flightless birds were not declining due to environmental changes when humans began to hunt them in large numbers
Researchers Measure a Wild Blue Whale's Heart Rate for the First Time
The team found the world's largest mammal pushes its heart to its limits
How Cities and Lights Drive the Evolution of Life
Urbanization and the spread of artificial light are transforming all of earth's species, bringing about a host of unintended consequences
What Butterflies' Colorful Wing Patterns Can Teach Us About Evolution
Smithsonian scientists used genetically-engineered butterflies to learn that evolution can take a different path to achieve the same thing
Scientists Now Know Where the Largest Ape to Ever Exist Sits in Primate Family Tree
Proteins from a 1.9 million-year-old molar show that the 10-foot-tall 'Gigantopithecus' is a distant relative to modern orangutans
Newly Discovered Fossil Bird Fills in Gap Between Dinosaurs and Modern Fliers
A skeleton from the Cretaceous found in Japan reveals an early bird with a tail nub resembling the avians of today
New Ancient Ape Species Rewrites the Story of Bipedalism
<i>Danuvius guggenmosi</i>, a “totally new and different” species of ape, would have moved through the trees using its forelimbs and hindlimbs equally
Crabs Can Learn to Navigate Mazes, Too
A new study highlights the cognitive abilities of an understudied animal
Fossil Site Reveals How Mammals Thrived After the Death of the Dinosaurs
Recent discoveries highlight how mammals lived before and after the asteroid impact that triggered the world's fifth mass extinction
Trilobite Fossil Shows Animals Have Stood in Line for Hundreds of Millions of Years
A line of 480-million-year-old trilobites found in Morocco may be the earliest evidence of collective animal behavior
Shedding Genes Helped Whales and Dolphins Evolve for Life at Sea
When adopting an aquatic lifestyle, cetaceans ditched genetic code related to sleep, DNA restoration and more
Komodo Dragons Have Skin That Looks Like Chain Mail
CT scans show layered bone covers the adult reptile's body, likely to protect them when fighting for mates and food
1.7-Million-Year-Old Rhino Tooth Provides Oldest Genetic Information Ever Studied
Researchers read the proteins preserved in the tooth enamel of an ancient rhino, a trick that may allow them to sequence fossils millions of years old
Hundreds of Ancient Footprints Reveal a Snapshot of Neanderthal Family Life
A group of 257 footprints in Normandy come from 10 to 13 people, mostly children scampering around near the beach
What Happened the Day a Giant, Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Hit the Earth
Using rock cores from Chicxulub crater, geologists piece together a new timeline of the destruction that followed impact
Wolves Gave Tibetan Mastiffs Their Mountaineering Genes
The big, shaggy dogs of the Himalayas are 50 percent more efficient at transporting hemoglobin than lowland pooches
Dog Breeding Has Changed Pooches’ Brains
A new study has found that key anatomical differences in dogs’ brains are linked to the behaviors they were bred to perform
A 3.8-Million-Year-Old Skull Puts a New Face on a Little-Known Human Ancestor
The cranium of a male <i>Australopithecus anamensis</i>, a close relative of Lucy, provides clues about one of the earliest hominins to walk on two legs
These Caterpillars Can Detect Color Using Their Skin, Not Their Eyes
In experiments, peppered moth caterpillars successfully camouflaged themselves even when blindfolded
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