Evolution

Academic gatekeeping obscures the contributions of communities vital to the study of ancient life

Felines move their ears, heads and tails more when they hear their names compared to when they hear similar words. Jim Daley reports.

Freshwater dolphins are evolutionary relics, and their calls give clues to the origins of cetacean communication in general. Christopher Intagliata reports.

The tiny brain of a honeybee is apparently able to calculate small numbers' addition and subtraction. Annie Sneed reports.

Female hyenas keep their clans in line by virtue of their complex social networks. Jason G. Goldman reports. 

Coyotes become fearless around people in just a few generations—which isn’t good for their longterm co-existence with humans in cities. Jason G. Goldman reports.

The second tiny ancestor found in the islands of southeast Asia, Homo luzonensis challenges prevailing views of early human dispersal and adaptability

A mastodon said to be pulverized by Ice Age humans was probably busted up by roadwork

When cultural beliefs clash with science, a little humor and a little humility never hurts

Several factors, from geography to group identity, helped this traditional body art endure—even as similar practices were lost in other cultures

A fossil skeleton found in California leads to the discovery of a new mastodon species.

The monkeys lower the pitch of their "whinnies" when they're far from the rest of their group, which might help the calls travel further through jungle foliage. Christopher Intagliata reports.