Dinosaur Asteroid Hit Worst-Case Place
The mass-extinction asteroid happened to strike an area where the rock contained a lot of organic matter and sent soot into the stratosphere, where it could block sunlight for years.
Humans Make Wild Animals Less Wary
From mammals to mollusks, animals living among humans lose their antipredator behaviors.
Play Helped Dogs Be Our Best Friends
The ancestors of today’s dogs already exhibited some playfulness, which became a key trait during domestication.
Why the World’s Biggest Dinosaurs Keep Getting Cut Down to Size
Debate erupts over how best to estimate the sizes of the largest creatures ever to have walked the earth
Neandertal DNA May Be COVID Risk
A stretch of Neandertal DNA has been associated with some cases of severe COVID-19, but it’s unclear how much of a risk it poses. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Humans Are All More Closely Related Than We Commonly Think
Humanity’s most recent common ancestor and so-called genetic isopoint illustrate the surprising connections among our family trees
Gallery: The Maya Who Escaped Spanish Conquest
The Lacandon Maya eluded the conquistadors and survived in the jungle for hundreds of years. Archaeological discoveries are revealing their past
Rare Fossil Reveals Cicada Entombed in Opal
An insect trapped in a precious gem points to new places to search for ancient life
Moving in sync creates surprising social bonds among people
Dancing, rowing and even finger tapping in unison unleash powerful forces in the brain that drive good feelings
Fluttering Feathers Could Spawn New Species
Fork-tailed flycatchers make a fluttering sound with their wings—but separate subspecies have different “dialects” of fluttering. Christopher Intagliata reports.
These Small Mammals Snort to a Different Tune
Hyraxes, which live in Africa and the Middle East, punctuate their songs with snorts. And the snorts appear to reflect the animals’ emotional state. Jason G. Goldman reports.
High-Elevation Hummingbirds Evolved a Temperature Trick
Hummingbirds in the Peruvian Andes enter a state of torpor at night to conserve energy, dipping their body temperature to as low as 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Christopher Intagliata reports.