/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/d4/77/d4774712-2399-4cf9-b01b-6b52408f7568/black_smoker.jpg)
Behold LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor of Life on Earth
New discoveries suggest life likely descends from the inhospitable environment of deep sea vents
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Forced Closer to Humans, Crocodiles Face Their Greatest Existential Threat
These armored reptiles have long been considered indestructible, but new threats are shifting the equation
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Why the Turtle Grew a Shell—It’s More Than Safety
Its armor may have developed for more than safety
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How Parasites Became So Popular
A new study finds that parasitism evolved independently 223 times. But that number is actually surprisingly low
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Were Ants the World’s First Farmers?
A new study shows that a group of ants have been conducting a subsistence type of farming since shortly after the dinosaurs died out
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Self-Lubricating Swordfish Secrete Oil to Swim Faster
Greased lightning, go greased lightning
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What Do Goats, Puppies and Horses Have in Common?
Goats communicate with humans using eye contact, according to a new study
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Awkward Robots Show How Tails Propelled First Land Walkers to New Heights
A 3D-printed bot designed to move like amphibious fish suggests that the first land animals needed tails to climb slippery slopes
:focal(835x142:836x143)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/f2/e9/f2e9dfbc-89c2-44dc-8023-cf2cfb51dd73/julaug2016_k04_phenom-wr-v2.jpg)
Do Insects Have Consciousness?
A new theory has scientists buzzing
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No, a Mitochondrial ‘Eve’ Is Not the First Female in a Species
The latest story about a sperm whale “Eve” shows how people misunderstand the evolutionary term. Fear not: We can clarify
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Mammals May Have Dinosaurs to Thank for Their Night Vision
Mammals most likely developed a new pathway to night vision to avoid the jaws of dinos and other daytime predators
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This Tropical Fish Can Be Taught to Recognize Human Faces
New study trained fish to spit at human faces
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Ruff News: Man’s Best Friend May Have Been Domesticated Twice
Where did Fido come from? It’s complicated
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New Evidence Shows Peppered Moths Changed Color in Sync With the Industrial Revolution
Scientists used “jumping genes” as a time machine to track down changes in moths’ appearance
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Vladimir Nabokov’s Butterfly Drawings Take Flight in This New Book
A little-known fact: The author of “Lolita” was also an avid lepidopterist
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Australia Used to be a Haven for Giant Penguins
A single species, the little penguin, is left on Aussie shores today
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Why Do Humans Have Canine Teeth and More Questions From Our Readers
You asked, we answered
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When the Arctic Gets Warmer, It Also Affects a Tropical Ecosystem Thousands of Miles Away
As spring arrives earlier in far northern Russia, red knots get smaller—and have trouble in their African winter homes
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The Oldest Species May Win in the Race to Survive Climate Change
It’s survival of the fittest, and the oldest may be the fittest, new study says
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The Deadly Cunning of the Black Widow’s Color Scheme
Why did the spider evolve to have that crimson hourglass on its back?
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