Biology
Humans May Be the Most Adaptive Species
Constant climate change may have given Homo sapiens their flexibility
Evolutionary Biology1967 articles archived since 1845
Evolution
Why Fish Don't Need to Be "Schooled" in Swimming
The answer lies in the fish genome, suggesting that complex social behavior in other animals, including humans, is also genetically ingrained
Biology
Insects Invented Gears Long before Humans Did
Planthopper nymph hind legs meet under the belly in plates fringed with interlocking teeth that function like mechanical gears, to ensure a straight jump. Wayt Gibbs reports
Biology
"Annual Fish" Grow Up at Top Speed
Certain African fish evolved short generations to survive in temporary ponds that dry up after just a few months each year. Sophie Bushwick reports
Biology
Evolution Is an Opportunist
A computational study reveals surprising flexibility hidden within metabolic networks, providing new evidence for an evolutionary concept called exaptation
Biology
Beetle Busts Brood's Begging By Biting
Burying beetles discourage their offspring from excessive begging for food by eating any particularly pesky progeny. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Evolution
Monkey's Alarm Calls Reveal Predator's Who and Where
Black-fronted titi monkeys mix and match their calls to detail and expose threats
The Sciences
Farming a Toxin to Keep Crops Healthy
Genetically modified crops that produce the pest-killing toxin Bt increase yields and reduce the use of noxious chemical insecticides. But like any powerful tool, they must be used responsibly...
The Sciences
What’s Good to Eat? More Resources on Food and Nutrition
Further reading related the new Scientific American special issue about food
Biology
Adam Rutherford's Creation Science (The Real Kind) Part 2
Science journalist, author and Nature editor Adam Rutherford talks about new book Creation: How Science Is Reinventing Life Itself , which looks at the science of the origin of life and at the emerging science of synthetic biology...
Biology
Leaders Are Born, Not Made, Fish Study Finds
An experiment to train bold stickleback fish to be followers and shy fish to be leaders produces unexpected results
Evolution
Crows Show Off Their Social Skills
New findings on crows' intelligence lend perspective on how social smarts evolve
Biology
How Small Is Too Small to Qualify as a Discrete Species?
Applying mathematical models to real data suggests that for organisms smaller than one millimeter the concept of a species as a cohesive unit breaks down
Biology
Megafauna Extinction Affects Ecosystems 12,000 Years Later
A researcher describes how his mathematical model based on heat diffusion reveals the critical role played by large animals in dispersing nutrients
The Sciences
Bollux Bacteria Biofilm Formation To Prevent Disease
Bacteria with mutations that enhance their swimming abilities have a decreased ability to form biofilms associated with some illnesses. Dina Fine Maron reports.
The Sciences
Urbanization Alters Bird Behavior
Blackbirds living in a city were more leery of approaching a food source than were their country cousins. Cynthia Graber reports.
Biology
Seemingly Unimportant Mutations Can Foster Disease
Initially innocuous genetic changes known as neutral mutations may play a role in disorders ranging from the flu and bacterial infections to schizophrenia
The Sciences
How to Love a Whale Shark
Every year thousands of tourists descend on congregations of the world’s largest fish. What is the cost of all that attention?
Biology
Fossils Throw Mammalian Family Tree into Disarray
Studies disagree on whether Jurassic haramiyids were true mammals
Biology
Sleep Is the Brain's Way of Staying in Balance [Video]
The connections between neurons get weaker, not stronger, when we sleep—and that keeps brain cells from becoming overtaxed by waking events
