Evolution

Scientists named this oddball creature after the Demogorgon from Stranger Things

The last common ancestor of all living things may not have been alive at all

Scientists analyzing modern genomes may have found a long-lost branch of the human family tree

A newly discovered change in ribosomal RNA makes protein production more precise, potentially safeguarding these cephalopods’ complex nervous systems

Investigating the shape and evolution of animal joints

Johanna Gabriela Ottilie “Tilly” Edinger dedicated her career to studying ancient brains. It saved her life

Culture is humanity’s secret for world domination. This calculation shows just how powerful it is

Genetic analysis suggests interbreeding between two groups of human relatives

Despite decades of damage, the Persian Gulf’s ecological marvels remain—for now

Fossil jaws from colossal octopuses place them at the top of a prehistoric marine food chain

Scientists finally understand why birds were the only dinosaurs to pull through the end-Cretaceous mass extinction

Evolutionary studies make sense of the world’s strangest plant