Dino Devastator Also Ravaged Veggies
After the Chicxulub meteorite, more than half the plant species in temperate North America perished along with the dinosaurs, and the composition of post-impact vegetation changed markedly. Christopher Intagliata reports
Speedy Lizard Outraces Global Warming
A Bahamanian lizard has shown the ability to adapt to higher temperatures
Is Cryptozoology Good or Bad for Science?
I'm an unashamed fan of cryptozoology - this being (for the two of you that don't know) the field of study that revolves around those creatures thought to exist by some, but which remain unrecognised by mainstream science in general.
Chinese Sturgeon Give Up, Stop Breeding in Polluted Yangtze River
When an endangered species stops breeding, you know its days are probably numbered. In China the countdown has apparently begun for the critically endangered Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis).
Chimp Violence Fails to Support Deep-Roots Theory of War
On this blog, in my book The End of War and elsewhere (see Further Reading and Viewing), I have knocked the deep roots theory of war, which holds that war stems from an instinct deeply embedded in the genes of our male ancestors.
Ocean Algae Can Evolve Fast to Tackle Climate Change
Longer-lived creatures, from fish to shellfish, would not be able to evolve their way out of trouble
Paper Dragons Redefine an Ancient Art
Paper cutting as an art form is almost as old as paper itself. Traditionally, though, paper cuts are 2-dimensional, almost cartoonish depictions of scenes because of the nature of the process: either the paper is there, or it is cut away, leaving the artist with two tones to work with.
Do Dogs Fall for Magic Tricks?
Animals can be deceived, but do animals feel wonderment, awe, or sense that they have experienced the impossible?
How Gibbons Got Their Swing
The apes' genes explain their flexibility—and why their chromosomes are so peculiar
The Plan to Save the Rarest Fish in the World
The Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) is the rarest fish in the world. Found only in a single, tiny limestone cavern in the Devils Hole geothermal pool about 100 km east of Nevada’s Death Valley National Park, these fish have the smallest known geographic range of any vertebrate in the wild.
Lone Survivor? Weird New Animal May Be Long Sought Living Ediacaran
It’s not every day a new animal is discovered that could shake up the roots of animal taxonomy and simultaneously form its own new phylum, the top classification in the Animal Kingdom, but today is such a day.
Ancient Engraving Strengthens Case for Sophisticated Neandertals
One of the longest-running, most fervent debates in the history of human evolution research concerns the cognitive abilities of the Neandertals.