Sea Otters' Powerful Paw Prey Perception
The marine mammals have extraordinarily sensitive touch—which helps them nab prey in the absence of other sensory cues. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Evolution6840 articles archived since 1845
Genetic Tweak Gave Early Humans a Leg Up
A mutation in a key gene may have endowed humans with superior endurance—allowing them to compete better with other animals on the savanna. Christopher Intagliata reports.
How Mammals Maintain Symmetry during Development
Communication with the placenta is key to ensuring body parts grow at the same rate
The Search for ET May Be Missing Life on Low-Oxygen Worlds
Microbes thrived on ancient Earth, even with very little oxygen
Ritual Sacrifice May Have Shaped Dog Domestication
An ancient Arctic site suggests a complex relationship between humans and canines
Bonnethead Sharks Are Underwater Lawn Mowers
The hammerhead relatives consume copious amounts of sea grass, and have the digestive machinery to process it—making them true omnivores. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Hurricane Is a Natural Selection Experiment
When Hurricane Irma blew through the Turks and Caicos, lizards with shorter hindlimbs lucked out. Jason G. Goldman reports.
Here's Looking at Humanity, Kid
Senior Editor Gary Stix talks about the September special issue of Scientific American, devoted to the science of being human. And Brown University evolutionary biologist Ken Miller discusses human chromosome 2 and what it tells us about us.
"Death Masks" Reveal How Earliest Complex Organisms Became Fossils
A new experiment suggests our picture of the so-called Ediacarans may be incomplete
"Bone-Crushing" Dogs Left Evidence in Their Poop
Like hyenas, the ancient canines apparently ate their food bones and all
Why Is Homo sapiens the Sole Surviving Member of the Human Family?
Recent fossil, archaeological and genetic discoveries are revising the rise of our species
War Is Not Part of Human Nature
War may not be in our nature after all
The Cultural Origins of Language
What makes language distinctly human
Science News You Might Have Missed
A few very brief reports about science and technology from around the globe.
Cities Are Forcing a New Era of Rapid Evolution
Humans are changing the course of evolution
Are Humans Alone in the Milky Way?
Why we are probably the only intelligent life in the galaxy
Are Humans the Only Conscious Animal?
Decoding the puzzle of human consciousness
2 Mental Abilities Separate Humans from Animals
Two key features created the human mind
