Evolutionary Biology1968 articles archived since 1845

Ahead of Their Time: Neandertals and the First Grandparents

Neandertals and early modern humans showed fits and starts of creativity before archaeology's big bang

Fast-Evolving Brains Helped Humans out of the Stone Age

People were once thought to have ancient psyches ill-suited to modern existence, but they have adapted much more quickly than early theories had predicted

Bird guts, not muddy feet, may help snails migrate overseas

When I'm not spending my time writing about the weird bugs I find in the garden, or even weirder creatures I just think the world ought to know about, I study land snails from Pacific Islands...

Bifocal Fish Sees Differently above and below Water Line

A fish ( Anableps anableps ) that keeps its eyes half submerged has specially adapted pupils and retinas to see clearly both above and below the water. Christopher Intagliata reports...

Early Interventions: Baby Brains May Signal Later Language Problems [Video]

See how researchers keep tabs on electrical activity inside the heads of the youngest young to spot developmental challenges

How to Build a Better Learner

Brain studies suggest new ways to improve reading, writing and arithmetic--and even social skills

Turtles More Like Lizards on Evolutionary Tree, New Gene Study Finds

Genetic data show turtles and lizards had a close common ancestor.

Odd Insect Fossils Suggest Early Carnivorous Lifestyle

A recently described swarm of fossil insects unearthed from a 100 million-year-old South American formation are a Frankensteinian riot of mismatched parts: lengthy praying mantis-like front legs; long, slim wings like a dragonfly; and wing-vein patterns to match those of modern-day mayflies...

Squid Studies: Saving the Sea of Cortez? We all need to help

Why Autism Strikes More Boys Than Girls

A gene that interacts with sex hormones may explain the gender gap

Want to Conserve Bats? There's an App for That

Many smartphone applications are designed more for fun than substance (Angry Birds, anyone?), but a new app from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Bat Conservation Trust offers individuals and communities a chance to get involved in citizen science in a very real way and to help conserve bat populations in the process.The app is called iBats, named after the Indicator Bats Program, which got its start in Transylvania in 2006...

Absence of Top Predators Brings Unanticipated Changes

Ecologists document the negative ripple effects of removing top predators from ecosystems. David Biello reports

News Scans: 6 Quick Science Tidbits

In Brief

How Well Do Miss USA Contestants Represent Their States?

Mole's Extra Finger Is Wrist Bone-us

What looks like the thumb on six-fingered moles is really a giant wrist bone that develops separately from the five true fingers. Steve Mirsky reports

100 Years Ago: Cancer's Roots

Innovation and discovery as chronicled in past issues of Scientific American

First Humans Who Left Africa Continued to Mate with Africans

The first humans to leave Africa continued to interbreed with Africans for tens of thousands of years.

Fistful of Fish: DNA Sequence for Limb Development Existed Long before Legs Evolved

Do my eyes deceive me or is a fish gene waving from inside a mouse embryo's paw? Well, to be precise, it is not exactly a fish gene: it is a genetic switch called CsB with analogs in a variety of animals, including humans...

Can We Be Trained to Like Healthy Foods?

Favorite flavors might be programmed in infancy, leading to new research investigating how to rewire our bad dietary habits

Experts Skeptical about Potential of Rare Earth Elements in Seafloor Mud

A newly discovered reservoir of rare earths, which are needed for high-tech, automotive and renewable energy applications, may remain on the ocean floor for some time