Environment
Warbler Species Fires Up Song Diversity
Hermit warblers in California have developed 35 different song dialects, apparently as a result of wildfires temporarily driving them out of certain areas.
Evolution11744 articles archived since 1845
Evolution
A 429-Million-Year-Old Trilobite Had Eyes like Those of Modern Bees
A rare cracked fossil shows the world through ancient eyes
Evolution
The World’s Highest-Dwelling Mammal Lives atop a Volcano
Scientists spotted a mouse at the summit of Llullaillaco, a 22,000-foot-tall volcano on the border of Chile and Argentina. Julia Rosen reports.
The Body
The Chance of Identical Fingerprints: 1 in 64 trillion
Originally published in June 1894
Physics
Translucent Frog Optics Create Camo Color
Rather than undergoing active chameleonlike color changes, glass frogs’ translucency allows light to bounce from their background and go through them—making their apparent color close to their setting...
Evolution
How Do Scientists Determine the Ages of Human Ancestors, Fossilized Dinosaurs and Other Organisms?
Experts explain how radiometric dating allows them to reconstruct ancient time lines
Evolution
Humans Evolved to Be Friendly
Cooperation made Homo sapiens the last human species standing
Evolution
One Mystery of Stonehenge’s Origins Has Finally Been Solved
Detailed testing of the chemical signature of the Neolithic monument’s most prominent large stones pinpointed where they came from
Evolution
When the First Farmers Arrived in Europe, Inequality Evolved
Forests gave way to fields, pushing hunter-gatherers to the margins—geographically and socially
Physics
Science News Briefs from around the Planet
Here are some brief reports about science and technology from all over, including one about how a lizard population responded to hurricanes by developing larger and stickier toe pads on average...
Arts & Culture
Old Art Offers Agriculture Info
Art museums are filled with centuries-old paintings with details of plants that today give us clues about evolution and breeding practices.
Evolution
World’s Smallest Dinosaur Is Probably a Lizard
The paper that reported the animal’s discovery was retracted following new evidence from a similar fossil
Evolution
Controversial Cave Discoveries Suggest Humans Reached Americas Much Earlier Than Thought
Archeologists say stone artifacts point to occupation more than 30,000 years ago—but not everyone is convinced
Evolution
Cricket Avoids Being Bat Food by Doing Nothing
The sword-tailed cricket can discern bats’ echolocation signals by only responding to calls of a certain volume—at which point it plummets out of their approach.
Public Health
Civil War Vaccine May Have Lessons for COVID-19
Vaccination used against smallpox during the Civil War reveals the identity of the distantly related virus used to keep troops disease-free.
Evolution
‘Tiny Bug Slayer’ Dinosaur Relative Would Fit in the Palm of a Hand
A fossil from Madagascar shows giant dinosaurs and pterosaurs originated from teensy ancestors
Evolution
How Oak Trees Evolved to Rule the Forests of the Northern Hemisphere
Genomes and fossils reveal their remarkable evolutionary history
Evolution
Polynesians and Native South Americans Made 12th-Century Contact
Scientists have found snippets of Native South American DNA in the genomes of present-day Polynesians, and they trace the contact to the year 1150. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Cognition
Bat Says Hi as It Hunts
Velvety free-tailed bats produce sounds that help them locate insect prey but simultaneously identify them to their companions.
Evolution
The Meaning of Time in the Place where Humanity’s Earliest Ancestors Arose
In Kenya’s Lake Turkana region, fossils of long-ago primates endure amid a transforming landscape
