Evolutionary Biology

Analysis of a 325 million-year-old fossil suggests that modern sharks have evolved extensively, rather than remaining unchanged since prehistoric times

Corvid cleverness is making news lately. Two of my favorite science writers, Sharon Begley and James Gorman, describe a variety of experiments--reported in PLOS One by researchers in New Zealand–in which crows mimic the hero of Aesop’s ancient fable “The Crow and the Pitcher.” By dropping objects into containers of water, crows raise the water’s [...]

Stress alters the expression of small RNAs in male mice and leads to depressive behaviors in later generations

In the 1994 film Junior, a male scientist becomes pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl. It's a rather ridiculous tale, but if any man could be given the superpower of giving birth, my dad should have been the one.

The world’s 100 most endangered and unique birds have been ranked in a newly published study, and the list includes a corpse-eater with legendary skills of decapitation, a shameless self-inflator, and the world's heftiest parrot.

Researchers propose a new evolutionary reason for why many underfed lab animals live longer

This weeks post is a guest post from the wonderful E.E. Giorgi of Chimera blog I AM MY MOTHER'S CHIMERA. CHANCES ARE, SO ARE YOU For years now the concept of a "genetic chimera" has sparked the imagination of writers: the idea that an individual could harbor his/her own twin is creepy and intriguing at the [...]

I have had extensive turtle guilt of late - that is, there just haven't been enough turtles on Tet Zoo for a while… by which I mean, there haven't been any.

High-speed video reveals why flies are so hard to swat

A spider-like arachnid fossil helps explain the evolutionary path of modern harvestmen, often called 'daddy longlegs'

Analysis of an ancient thylacinid's skeleton suggests that the marsupial had a very powerful bite despite its small size
 

Is it time to add two more species to the list of recent extinctions? New research indicates that two critically endangered fish species may now be extinct in the wild following the destruction of their only habitats.