Evolution

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.

Bitten bones offer insights into the feeding behavior of large megatooth sharks

A silica flake from Blombos Cave contains the oldest example of prehistoric abstract art, and it looks like one of the most used symbols online

An ancient Arctic site suggests a complex relationship between humans and canines

Fossil teeth of marine reptiles reveal a connection between ancient oceans and our own

The hammerhead relatives consume copious amounts of sea grass, and have the digestive machinery to process it—making them true omnivores. Christopher Intagliata reports.

The history of modern humans is deeply embedded with the history of other hominid groups. Our understanding of these connections is only just beginning to unfold

When Hurricane Irma blew through the Turks and Caicos, lizards with shorter hindlimbs lucked out. Jason G. Goldman reports. 

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.

Like hyenas, the ancient canines apparently ate their food bones and all

How we became a different kind of animal