Animals
These Creatures are Probably the Closest Thing Nature Has to Real Werewolves
Under the right conditions, the spadefoot tadpole will transform into a voracious predator of its own species.
Evolution11827 articles archived since 1845
Animals
Some Parents Show Their Kids They Care With a Corpse
If you’re a silphid beetle, a dead body is all your children really want, and it's your job—no matter how difficult it is—to get it for them.
Evolution
The Theory That Men Evolved to Hunt and Women Evolved to Gather Is Wrong
The influential idea that in the past men were hunters and women were not isn’t supported by the available evidence
Plants
We Finally Know Where Oranges and Lemons Come From
In addition to finding where citrus come from, researchers have pinpointed the genetic origins of the fruits’ tart taste
Animals
Cats Are Perfect. An Evolutionary Biologist Explains Why
Cats have attained evolutionary perfection
Evolution
Possible New Human Species Found through 300,000-Year-Old Jawbone Fossil
A jawbone from eastern China that displays both modern and archaic features could represent a new branch of the human family tree
Dinosaurs
‘Weird’ Dinosaur Prompts Rethink of Bird Evolution
A newly described fossil is as old as the “first bird,” Archaeopteryx, and represents a birdlike dinosaur that might have specialized in running or wading instead of flying...
Anthropology
Human Ancestors Nearly Went Extinct 900,000 Years Ago
A new technique for analyzing modern genetic data suggests that prehumans survived in a group of only 1,280 individuals
Evolution
Two New Toxic Birds Discovered
Here’s how newfound “spicy” birds resist their potent neurotoxin
Climate Change
The World’s Oldest Moss Outlived the Dinosaurs, but It May Not Survive Climate Change
The world’s oldest moss has survived Earth’s shifting landscapes for more than 400 million years, but climate change is happening faster than it can adapt
Animals
These Salamanders Steal Genes and Can Have up to Five Extra Sets of Chromosomes
Unisexual salamanders in the genus Ambystoma appear to be the only creatures in the world that reproduce the way they do. Researchers know how, but the why is still being figured out...
Evolution
Munching Bugs Gave the First Mammals an Edge
Early mammals got ahead by eating insects
Animals
Dolphins and Whales Will Never Evolve Back into Land Animals
Scientists have discovered that once mammals, such as dolphins or orcas, have become fully aquatic, they pass a threshold that makes a return to terrestrial landscapes almost impossible...
Evolution
These Predators Had a Face like an Axe and Will Haunt Your Nightmares
Terror birds were the grizzly bears of birds, the great white sharks of the land, Jack the Ripper but with feathers. They were also truly fascinating.
Anthropology
This Small-Brained Human Species May Have Buried Its Dead, Controlled Fire and Made Art
Extraordinary claims about the small-brained human relative Homo naledi challenge prevailing view of cognitive evolution
Education
India Cuts Periodic Table and Evolution from School Textbooks
The periodic table, as well as evolution, won’t be taught to under-16s in India as they start the new school year
Animals
Why Do Animals Keep Evolving into Crabs?
Crablike bodies are so evolutionarily favorable that they’ve evolved at least five different times
Evolution
The Closest Living Relative of the First Animal Has Finally Been Found
A debate has been settled over the earliest animal ancestor—a free-swimming creature with a well-developed nervous system
Animals
The Lifesaving Sled Dog Balto Had Genes unlike Those of Dog Breeds Today
The genome of the 1920s Siberian husky Balto suggests that greater genetic diversity and less inbreeding contribute to better health
Evolution
How Zombifying Fungi Became Master Manipulators
The real-life fungi that inspired The Last of Us hijack the bodies of ants, wasps, cicadas, and more.
