Evolution
Some Animals Take Turns While Talking, Just Like Humans. Why?
Understanding their courteous exchanges—from frog croaks to elephant rumbles—could shed light on the origins of human conversation
Fear of Humans Is Forcing Daytime Animals Into Night Mode
The stress is pushing some animals to adjust their schedules—but not all will be quick enough to adapt
Like Birds, Some Bats Warble to Woo Their Mates
They join an elite club of mammals—including mice, whales and humans—whose melodies convey complex information
This Prehistoric Sea Creature Had Fanged, Killer Babies
The discovery of a juvenile <i>Lyrarapax unguispinus</i> fossil reveals that even the tiny terrors had a developed claw-like appendage and sharp teeth
Oldest Footprints Show When Life On Earth Got Legs
Tiny fossil tracks found in South China firmly date appendages back to the Ediacaran period
Oldest Lizard Fossil Shows These Reptiles Are The Ultimate Survivors
The 250-million-year-old specimen from the Alps suggests that lizards evolved before Earth's largest mass extinction—and thrived after it
How the Ancestors of Birds Survived the Dino-Killing Asteroid
Forest cover was crucial to avian evolution, a new study on the mass extinction event asserts
How Do Scientists Identify New Species? For Neanderthals, It Was All About Timing and Luck
Even the most remarkable fossil find means nothing if scientists aren’t ready to see it for what it is
How Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Evolved
A new Smithsonian Book highlights firsthand accounts, diaries, letters and notebooks from aboard the <i>HMS Beagle</i>
What We Can Learn From a New Bird Tree of Life
Sequencing the DNA of more than 10,000 birds could reveal how best to conserve our feathery friends—and when they evolved from dinosaurs
How to Talk With Evangelicals About Evolution
For two years, researchers from the Smithsonian traveled the country explaining the science of our shared origins
What the Large Penises of Tiny Crustaceans Tell Us About Evolution
Massive male sex organs have their perks, but in the long run, a little modesty pays
Why Did a Venomous Fish Evolve a Glowing Eye Spike?
A newly discovered “lachrymal saber” could illuminate relationships between an order of deadly fishes
Why Are Whales So Massive? It's All About Energy
Marine mammal size is a delicate balance between chowing down and chilly waters
Dinosaur Horns Were For Making Love, Not War
The elaborate horns and frills were more likely for attracting mates than fighting off enemies
What Aardvark Milk Reveals about the Evolution of Lactation
Samples from the Smithsonian National Zoo’s Exotic Animal Milk Repository help scientists study the unifying trait of all mammals
Colored Pigments and Complex Tools Suggest Humans Were Trading 100,000 Years Earlier Than Previously Believed
Transformations in climate and landscape may have spurred these key technological innovations
How Cheese, Wheat and Alcohol Shaped Human Evolution
Over time, diet causes dramatic changes to our anatomy, immune systems and maybe skin color
These Curious Spiders Evolved the Same Way Over and Over and Over Again
A new study suggests the stick spider evolved the same way in multiple different places
What’s a "Missing Link"?
While some still use the term, experts abhor it because it implies that life is a linear hierarchy
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