Stories by Asher Elbein

Controversial evidence hints that complex life might have emerged hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought—and possibly more than once

The incompleteness of the fossil record complicates efforts to figure out how life on Earth is faring today

The songbirds in your backyard hop around on such itty-bitty legs. Here’s why bird legs are so skinny and how they can support a bird’s weight

It’s not just nukes: the power at the heart of the Godzilla franchise is our awareness of the global consequences of human folly

A tiny, orange Brazilian tree frog may be the first known amphibian pollinator, further broadening our understanding of which animals perform this crucial biological function

Studies of bird feeding in the U.K. raise concerns about the ecological impacts of provisioning our feathered friends