
Why Humans Live So Long
Modern genomes and ancient mummies offer clues to why the life span of Homo sapiens far exceeds that of other primates

Why Humans Live So Long
Modern genomes and ancient mummies offer clues to why the life span of Homo sapiens far exceeds that of other primates

The Remarkable Throat Jaws of Cichlid Fish
This weird adaptation may have helped cichlids evolve their spectacular diversity of forms


What a Body Built to Last 100 Years Would Look Like
We would look a lot different if evolution had designed the human body to work well for a century or more

How Zoos Acquire Endangered Species
How do you transport two young orangutans to a zoo thousands of kilometers away from their native lands? Here's the simple answer: FedEx. Here's the less simple answer: It's a lot of work.

Keeping Tiny Delta Smelt Alive in Captivity is No Small Feat
The delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) may be all but extinct in the wild, but it turns out that hope is not quite lost for this controversial California fish.

Ferns Get It On After 60 Million Years Apart
An unassuming little fern has left scientists scratching their heads at the feat of reproductive hijinks it apparently represents. The fern, xCystocarpium roskamianum(the prefix ‘x’ indicates it is a hybrid), collected in the French Pyrenees, appeared to be a blend of two ferns they know well.

Hungry Polar Bears Could Soon Start Devastating Bird Populations
A hungry polar bear (Ursus maritimus) will eat just about anything. Oh sure, they prefer to dine on nice fatty seals (I mean, what Arctic creature wouldn't?), but when push comes to shove they'll eat caribou, walruses, nuts, birds, and even stinky, rotten whale carcasses.

Rare Ili Pika Photographed for the First Time in 20 Years
If ever there was a face that read, "Goddamn it, they found me," this is it. That small, downturned mouth, ever-so-slightly ajar in a moment of panicked contemplation, it really just says it all.

Fact or Fiction?: Dark Matter Killed the Dinosaurs
A new out-of-this-world theory links mass extinctions with exotic astrophysics and galactic architecture

Ahoy! Thar Be a New Seadragon in the Briny Deep
As fabulous, fantastical gems of evolution go, seadragons are hard to beat. The weedy seadgragon: “Weedy seadragon-Phyllopteryx taeniolatus” by Sylke Rohrlach – http://www.flickr.com/photos/87895263@N06/11259275943/sizes/l/in/photostream/.

Mystery of Darwin's "Strange Animals" Solved
An analysis using ancient collagen protein could permit the study of fossils older than DNA allows

With 6 Left, Controversial Fish Species Faces Extinction
Are we about to witness the extinction of the controversial delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus)? The most recent survey for the tiny fish, over which decades of battles over water rights have been fought, counted just four females and two males.