Evolution11753 articles archived since 1845

Earliest ‘Chickens’ Were Actually Pheasants

A new analysis ruffles the story of poultry domestication 

Colorful Corals Beat Bleaching

Exposed to mildly warmer waters, some corals turn neon instead of bleaching white. The dramatic colors may help coax symbiotic algae back. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

A Failure of Imagination

Nature does not have to play fair with our puny human brains

Malaria Mosquitoes Are Biting before Bed-Net Time

Mosquitoes that like to bite at night are being thwarted by bed nets, leading to the rise of populations that prefer to bite when the nets are not up yet.

Bumblebees Bite Plants to Force Them to Flower (Seriously)

The behavior could be an evolutionary adaptation that lets bees forage more easily

Pointy-headed Pygmies Evolved into Humans

Originally published in August 1906

Barn Owl Babies Can Be Helpful Hatch Mates

Food sharing is mainly found in adult animals as a part of social bonding. But in a rarely observed behavior in birds, older barn owl chicks will share food with younger ones.

100,000-Year-Old Human at Home on the Subway

Originally published in July 1948

Lemur Flirting Uses Common Scents

To entice female ring-tailed lemurs, males rub wrist secretions, which include compounds we use in perfumes, onto their tail and then wave it near the gals.

Flamingos Can Be Picky about Company

They don’t stand on one leg around just anybody but often prefer certain members of the flock.

A swimming dinosaur: The tail of Spinosaurus

Giant Volcano Rewrites the Story of Seafloor Formation  

Tamu Massif and dozens of other seafloor volcanoes formed like sheet cakes, not layer cakes 

Life inside the Extinction

These are startling times, but there’s a way out

Virus-Infected Bees Practice Social Distancing

Bees infected with a virus cut back on interactions within their hive but find it easier to get past sentries at neighboring hives.

Where Is Everybody Else in the Universe?

Guest host W. Wayt Gibbs talks with Jason Wright, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, about what’s known as the Fermi paradox: In a universe of trillions of planets, where is everybody?...

Birds on Rhinos’ Back Help Them Avoid Poachers

Oxpeckers riding on rhinoceroses feast on ticks, and their calls warn the nearsighted herbivores about approaching humans.

Possible Dinosaur DNA Has Been Found

New discoveries have raised the possibility of exploring dino genetics, but controversy surrounds the results

Signs of Modern Human Cognition Were Found in an Indonesian Cave

Painted images of intriguing human-animal hybrids are signs of modern thought

Melting Ice Reveals a “Lost” Viking-Era Pass in Norway’s Mountains

Artifacts show people used the route for 1,000 years—then abandoned it, possibly amid a plague

Livestock, Pets and People Will Dominate Future Fossils

The bones of humans and their domesticated animals will overwhelm biodiversity in the fossil record