Sustainability
Royal Descent: Monarch Butterflies Suffer Sharp Drop in Numbers
The royal butterflies' numbers have plummeted over the last two decades
Evolutionary Biology1969 articles archived since 1845
The Sciences
Group Finds Big Feet Fine
A rural Indonesian cultural group bucks the trend and judges women with large feet to be more attractive than those with small feet. Sophie Bushwick reports
The Sciences
Dog Genetics Spur Scientific Spat
Researchers disagree over the whens and wheres of canine domestication
The Sciences
Scientists Use Faux Fossils to Learn How Insect Colors Evolved
Scientists artificially age insects in a bid to learn how their colors evolved
Evolution
Empathy and Disgust Do Battle in the Brain
An injured rat helps us understand the struggle between empathy and disgust
Evolution
Reverse Biological Engineering: Tinkering with Life Teaches Us How It Began [Excerpt]
In his new book, Creation, Adam Rutherford explores the emergence of synthetic biology and how it is not only leading to solutions for humanitarian problems but also unraveling the mystery of life’s origin...
The Sciences
Unhatched Turtles Move within Eggs to Beat the Heat
Embryos shift in their eggs to adjust temperatures—which determine sex
Evolution
Help Scientists Stalk Cicadas
Various citizen-science projects let you contribute to our understanding of the periodical cicada swarm. Karen Hopkin reports
The Sciences
Why Did the Chicken Lose Its Penis?
Only 3 percent of bird species have males with obvious organs of intromission, and now we know the genetics behind that situation. Karen Hopkin reports
The Sciences
City Life Turns Blackbirds into Early Birds
Urban songbirds also stay active longer, due to an altered biological clock
Health
Recommended: How We Do It
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
Sustainability
Tree Rings Tell a Tale of Climates Past
Trees tell a tale of changing climate
The Sciences
Why Efforts to Bring Extinct Species Back from the Dead Miss the Point
A project to revive long-gone species is a sideshow to the real extinction crisis
The Sciences
Early Land Animals Lacked Good Bites
Tens of millions of years passed between the emergence of land animals and the evolution of an efficient apparatus for munching on the available fare. Karen Hopkin reports
Health
Infant Tooth Reveals Neandertal Breast-Feeding Habits
An analysis of chemicals in primate teeth shows that a Neandertal infant nursed exclusively for a little more than seven months
Ecology
Genomics Reveals Great Famine Culprit
Genome analysis of stored potato leaf samples identified exactly what strain of blight ravaged potatoes in the Irish famine. Sophie Bushwick reports
The Sciences
Why Penguins Cannot Fly
The energy required to swim efficiently is likely what makes some seabirds poor fliers
The Sciences
Good Gut Bacteria May Keep Bad at Bay
Mice given a healthy colony of human gut bacteria were able to ward off infections by pathogen E. coli bacteria. Christopher Intagliata reports
The Sciences
Invasive Ladybug Thanks Its Parasite for Competitive Advantage
Harlequin ladybirds carry a parasite that does not kill them--but does kill other ladybug species that attempt to eat the harlequin progeny. Sophie Bushwick reports
Evolution
Fossils Indicate Common Ancestor for Old World Monkeys and Apes
A discovery of the oldest known fossils from two major primate groups fills in a 10-million-year gap in the record and reveals new information about evolution
