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Why Not All Chili Peppers Are Hot
Being spicy helps a chili plant protect its fruit from fungal rot, but it has a downside in dry conditions
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Scientists have several explanations for why modern humans are the only hominids that have chins
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Dinosaur tracks aren’t just scientific curiosities—they have also inspired many legends in China
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#5: Cartoons lie—elephants don’t like peanuts
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Why is an image of the Garden of Eden considered art, while an exquisitely detailed depiction of Jurassic life is derided as juvenile junk?
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Music Playlists to Soothe Your Mind
Neuropsychiatrist Galina Mindlin suggests that listening to particular songs on your mp3 player can make you a more productive person
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After all but disappearing, the mammals are again being sighted in Washington’s Cascade Range
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Wild Things: Killer Whales, Spiders and Woodpeckers
Yellow saddle goatfish, mastodon ribs and more in this month’s summary of wildlife news
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A Smithsonian Paleontologist Suggests His Evotourism Sites
For even more ideas on where to take an evolution vacation, we turned to one of our own dinosaur experts
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Birds Have No Reason to Like Fireworks
New Year’s Eve fireworks can badly startle and disorient birds
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The Greatest Dinosaur Hits of 2011
This was a big year for dinosaur discoveries and debates. Here are a few highlights
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Ten Great Science Stories You Might Have Missed
From zebras in the Kalahari to satellites pointed at the Sun, the magazine has covered a host of interesting science topics this year
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Top 10 Hominid Discoveries of 2011
A look back at the year’s most important and fascinating finds in the field of human evolution
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Top Ten Science Blog Posts of 2011
Cats, zombies, earthquakes, chickens—our readers have an eclectic taste
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How to Turn a Dinosaur Into a Bird
Two classic bits of animation beautifully visualized the evolution of birds from dinosaurs
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What In The World Is An Echidna?
This spiky monotreme can be found in Australia and New Guinea
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What did Iguanodon use its big thumb spikes for—stabbing attackers, breaking into seeds, or possibly stripping foliage from branches?
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Given their probable diet of conifers, I’m surprised there aren’t even more holiday sauropods in the Christmas tree mix
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A Holiday Angel Among the Stars
The star-forming region Sharpless 2-106 bears a certain resemblance, particularly during this time of year
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Huxley’s Apocryphal Dinosaur Dinner
Fossil lore says 19th century naturalist T.H. Huxley realized that birds were dinosaurs when he carved into a Christmas turkey, but what really happened?
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