Natural Disasters
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...
Evolution11745 articles archived since 1845
Evolution
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
Evolution
Humans Make Wild Animals Less Wary
From mammals to mollusks, animals living among humans lose their antipredator behaviors.
Evolution
Play Helped Dogs Be Our Best Friends
The ancestors of today’s dogs already exhibited some playfulness, which became a key trait during domestication.
Behavior & Society
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
Evolution
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
Evolution
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.
Evolution
Rare Fossil Reveals Cicada Entombed in Opal
An insect trapped in a precious gem points to new places to search for ancient life
Evolution
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
Evolution
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.
Evolution
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.
Evolution
The Matador in Your Fish Tank
The humble guppy has a surprising strategy for predators
Evolution
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. ...
Evolution
Evolution Education in the U.S. Is Getting Better
The percentage of public school bio teachers who present it as the broad consensus view among scientists—without presenting the creationist “alternative”—has increased markedly since 2007...
Evolution
How Scientists Discovered the Staggering Complexity of Human Evolution
Darwin would be delighted by the story his successors have revealed
EARTH
Some Dinosaurs Probably Nested in Arctic
The finding of a baby dinosaur fossil in the Arctic implies that some dinos nested in the region, which was milder than today but not toasty.
Evolution
Red Stalagmites Reveal Glimpses of the Past
In a cave in northern Spain, stalagmites rich in organic matter are environmental record keepers
Evolution
Buried Skeletons Reveal Tsunami Threat in East Africa
Newly analyzed remains depict the scope of a devastating event
Evolution
How Birds Evolved Their Incredible Diversity
An analysis of 391 skulls shows that birds evolved surprisingly slowly, compared with their dinosaur forerunners
Evolution
Prehistoric Marine Reptile Died after a Giant Meal
Researchers found extra bones within a 240-million-year-old ichthyosaur fossil—which they determined to be the ichthyosaur’s last, possibly fatal meal. Christopher Intagliata reports...
