
Ancient Aquatic Flora Was among the First Flowering Plants
Pyrenees fossils suggest the Montsechia lived up to 130 million years ago and is the earliest known example of a fully submerged aquatic flowering plant

Ancient Aquatic Flora Was among the First Flowering Plants
Pyrenees fossils suggest the Montsechia lived up to 130 million years ago and is the earliest known example of a fully submerged aquatic flowering plant

Octopus Genome Reveals Secrets to Complex Intelligence
The largest invertebrate genetic code unleashes clues to camouflage, suckers, evolution


Bite Me: The Mutation That Made Corn Kernels Consumable
A single-point mutation in corn's ancestor teosinte got rid of the hard shell that used to encase every kernel

Giant Burst of Tiny Organisms Discovered on Tree of Life
A new technique for finding and characterizing microbes has boosted the number of known bacteria by almost 50 percent, revealing a hidden world all around us.

Some STIs Are Beneficial, and May Have Boosted Evolutionary Promiscuity
One sexually transmitted virus seems to cut HIV death rates

A New Era for Origins of Life Science?
A new effort to bring global cohesion to origins of life science launches, and with it a fresh look at how to crack one of the greatest existential questions.

Microbes Deep under Seafloor Reflect Ancient Land Origins
Microbes 2,500 meters below the seafloor in Japan are most closely related to bacterial groups that thrive in forest soils on land, suggesting that they might be descendants of ones that survived when their terrestrial habitat was flooded 20 million years ago

Nematodes Use Slugs Like Buses ... and Maybe Cruise Ships
To a tiny worm called a nematode, slugs may be the ultimate sexy ride: moist, secure, and maybe even pre-loaded with snacks.

Pollution Spurs Rapid Adaptation in Trout
Fish evolution is tied to key moments in human history

Bonobo Peeps May Be Necessary Language Precursors
Animal communication studies have shown only fixed vocalizations, such as alarm cries. But Bonobo chimps appear to have a call that has different meanings in different contexts

Diminutive Peoples Took Different Paths to Petite
Adults of the west African Baka people and east African Efé and Sua peoples average less than five feet tall. But while the Efé and Sua are born small, the Baka have slow growth rates in infancy

The Most Invasive Species of All Web Ex