Evolutionary Biology

An analysis of the oldest known DNA from a human reveals a mysterious group that roamed northern Asia

Hey, Darren, how's it going with that plan to discuss all the fossil crocodylomorph groups? Huh? Well, ha ha, it ain't going so well… goddam life getting in the way of my blogging.

Topping out at about 20 kilograms, a coyote has to be able to hunt both smaller and bigger prey, and avoid being prey itself, a combination that selects for intelligence. Steve Mirsky reports

 

Evidence of bony organs in ancient fish suggests that they copulated, although many of their descendants stopped doing so

The movement of lizards around the Caribbean is forcing an accounting for human activity in even the most basic ecological models

One of the most astounding events of my life was immediately preceded by one of the scariest: I turned out my dive light in the ocean at night.

In areas with few herbivores acacia plants don't bother to churn out many of the off-putting thorns. Cynthia Graber reports

 

Skinks (properly Scincidae… though read on) are one of the most successful of squamate groups, accounting for approximately 1500 species - in other words, for about 25% of all lizards.

A tiny species of poison dart frog barely the size of a human fingernail has been discovered in a pocket of forest in central Panama, but its unique chirps may not be heard for much longer.

One of the most robust findings in social psychology is the beauty-is-good stereotype: physically attractive people are perceived and treated more positively than physically unattractive people [1].

Highways and urban sprawl have left the cats' territories increasingly isolated from each other, a study shows