Pterosaurs Just Keep Getting Weirder
They beat birds at powered flight. Were they also a step ahead with feathers?
Evolution6886 articles archived since 1845
Join Blue Planet II Live-Tweet
Starting December 16, ocean scientists will live-tweet the BBC documentary series Blue Planet II, available via Netflix.
Huge Brain Study Uncovers "Buried" Genetic Networks Linked to Mental Illness
Enormous genomic analysis yields tantalizing insights into mechanisms behind conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Big-Boned Chickens May Be Humans' Geologic Legacy
Millions of years from now, the geologic record of the "Anthropocene" will be littered with plastics, yes, but also chicken bones. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Ancient Marine Reptiles Had Familiar Gear
Ichthyosaurs had traits in common with turtles and modern marine mammals, like blubber and countershading camouflage. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Little Aphids Ride Big Ones to Safety
When trouble lurks, juvenile aphids drop off of the plants they're eating and hitch a ride on bigger aphid escapees.
Who's a Smart Dog?!
An estimate of dog intelligence requires looking at non-dogs as well to understand what's special to canines and what is just typical of the taxonomic groups they're in.
Geologists Measure Bullet Damage to Ancient Middle Eastern Settlements
The ultimate goal is to inform efforts to conserve or repair heritage sites
Ingenious Method Reveals Precious Human Remains Hidden in Fossil "Junk"
A new technique for identifying tiny fragments of fossilized bone is helping to answer key questions about when, where and how human species interacted with one another
Plants That Lived on Mount Everest Rediscovered in Forgotten Lab Collection
The specimens, which went unstudied for nearly seven decades, show adaptations to high elevation
A Supervolcano with a Cold Heart May Be Brewing in Chile
A supervolcano may be brewing underneath Chile, with a cold interior that is upending ideas about triggers of huge eruptions
Rolling under the Sea: Scientists Gave Octopuses Ecstasy to Study Social Behavior
Cephalopods on the recreational drug behave much like humans do, even touching and hugging their peers
Blue Whales Have Changed Their Tune
In the last few decades blue whale calls have been getting lower in pitch—and a rebound in their numbers may be the reason. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Your Dog May Not Be a Genius, after All
New study finds that canines are not exceptional in the animal world
Rains Bring a Microbial Massacre to Chilean Desert
Freak heavy rainstorms in 2015 and 2017 wiped out many dry-adapted microbes in the Atacama Desert, useful info in the search for life off Earth. Christopher Intagliata reports.
From Pine Cones to Hobbit Holes, Mimicking Nature Can Help Humans Adapt to Wildfires
Looking to fire-adapted trees and animals could reduce the impacts of California’s deadly blazes
Scientists Spot Giant Crater Hidden under Greenland's Ice
The enormous crater is among the 25 largest known on Earth, and likely came from a meteorite impact within the past three million years
U.S. Immigrants Leave Country—and Microbes—Behind
Immigrants to the U.S. lose their native mix of gut microbes almost immediately after arriving in the U.S.—which researchers can't quite explain. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Bats Beat Dolphins in the Battle over Who Has the Best Sonar
But the dolphins are no slouches either
Babies and Chimps Share a Laugh
Adult humans laugh primarily on the exhale, but human babies laugh on the inhale and the exhale—as do chimps. Christopher Intagliata reports.
