Scientists Say the “Lizard Brain” Is a Myth, But the Truth About How Our Brains Evolved May Be Even Stranger
Scientists challenge the lizard brain myth, revealing two distinct neural systems that may explain how mammalian brains evolved.
evolution
Scientists Discover Bacteria Growing Microscopic “Electrical Wires” With Extraordinary Conductivity
Bacteria grow microscopic electrical wires with remarkable conductivity, revealing a new blueprint for flexible bioelectronics.
Hidden in a Museum Collection for More Than a Century, Researchers Have Just Made a Bizarre New Discovery
Researchers reveal several new species of a bizarre ocean creature that were uncovered after being hidden for decades in museum collections.
“One Origin of the Genetic Code, but Two Origins of Life”: Scientists Reveal the Ancient Evolutionary Split That Gave Rise to All Life on Earth
An international research team has uncovered how LUCA, the last ancestor of all life on Earth, split into the first two branches.
Backyard Mosquito Sprays May Be Helping These Blood-Sucking Parasites Evolve, Making Them Resistant to Insecticide
Recent research suggests localized mosquito-control practices may create conditions that favor the evolution of insecticide resistance.
Citizen Scientists Helped Reveal How Fatherhood Evolved in Spider Relatives
A new study reveals harvestmen, or daddy longlegs, account for more than half of all paternal care cases documented among arthropods.
A Slowly Aging Butterfly Could Help Scientists Understand Longevity
A University of Bristol-led study reports that a species of butterflies has evolved both longer lifespans and slower physical decline.
A Single Jawbone From Egypt Is Changing How Scientists Think About Ape Origins
For much of the past century, fossils from East Africa have shaped our understanding of ape evolution. Now, a jawbone found in the Egyptian desert adds a new dimension to that story.
DNA From a Decades-Old Museum Specimen Reveals the Hidden Lineage of a Tiny Underwater Predator
While most fruit flies are commonly known for their attraction to fermenting fruit, one species has evolved to hunt in the fast-moving streams of Africa, taking on the role of a predator.
10,000 Years of Human Evolution Reveals Natural Selection is Accelerating, Recent Human Genome Study Reveals
The human genome of West Eurasia has been far more affected by natural selection in the last 10,000 years than previously suspected.
The Strange Reason Humans Have Been Obsessed With Crystals for 800,000 Years—Chimps Might Have the Answer
Study reveals why humans and chimpanzees are drawn to crystals, uncovering deep evolutionary roots behind our fascination.
Scientists Discover Unusual Pigment Structures in Platypus Fur
A recent study published in Biology Letters reports that platypus hair contains hollow, spherical melanosomes, a combination not previously documented in mammals or other vertebrates.
New African Species May Reveal the Evolutionary Origin of Magic Mushrooms
An international team of researchers from Africa and the United States identified a newly described species of psychedelic mushroom that is the closest known wild relative of P. cubensis.
Scientists Say Left-Handed People Are More Competitive and There’s an Evolutionary Reason Why
New research suggests left-handed people may be more competitive than right-handers, offering clues to an evolutionary advantage.
“Their Mental Lives Go Beyond the Here and Now”: Scientists Say Imagination May Not Be Uniquely Human After All
Imagination may not be uniquely human. A new study shows an ape tracking pretend objects, reshaping ideas about cognition and evolution.
New Study Reveals Misinformation Isn’t Just a Human Problem—It’s a Fundamental Feature of Life Itself
Misinformation isn’t just human. A new study shows how false signals spread across biology, from bacteria to bird flocks.
1.5-million-year-old Skull Reveals Homo erectus Did Not Evolve the Way Scientists Thought
A 1.5-million-year-old skull suggests Homo erectus evolved through a messy transition, with multiple human forms coexisting.
Bearly Wild? Study Confirms Bears Living Near Humans Evolved to Become More Tame
Modern species of bears living near humans for extended periods show evidence of genetic changes making them less aggressive than others.
Will “Salt-Tolerant Plants” Soon Be Grown in the Lab? New Research Reveals How This Evolutionary Hack Could Happen
A new study offers a potential roadmap for protecting crops as sea levels rise and coastal soils become more saline.
Human Evolution Is Falling Out of Sync With Modern Life, New Research Warns
A new study warns modern life may undermine key human survival traits, from fertility to cognition, as environmental pressures intensify.
Scientists Discover Monkeys Can Keep a Beat—Challenging a Major Theory of Human Evolution
A new study shows monkeys can perceive and sync to a musical beat, challenging assumptions about rhythm, evolution, and cognition.
Newly Discovered Fossil Evidence Proves These Giants Roamed the Earth Over 12 Million Years Ago
Analysis of ancient fossils has shown that giant anacondas became extremely large over 12 million years ago and remain giants today.
The Next Frontier of Anti-Violence Tech? Scientists Discover Human Tears Carry a Chemical Signal That Lowers Aggression
Research reveals that a hidden evolutionary signal in human tears that may be hardwired to calm aggression.
Scientists Have Revealed the Hidden Evolutionary Reason Women Live Longer Than Men
A global study of over 1,100 species reveals an evolutionary reason why females consistently live longer than males.
“We Don’t Know Why It Happens”: Scientists Discover Bats That Glow an Eerie Green Under UV Light
Scientists studying North American bats have found several species that have the ability to glow when exposed to UV light.
4.4-Million-Year-Old Ankle Bone Discovery Reveals New Clues to the Mystery of How Ancient Humans Moved and Evolved
Analysis of a 4.4-million-year-old ankle bone supports the hypothesis that the earliest humans evolved from an ape-like creature in Africa.
Evidence of Hybrid Mammoths Roaming the Ancient Americas Reveals an Evolutionary Surprise
North American mammoths interbred more often than previously believed, suggesting hybrids were surprisingly common in the past 400,000 years.
Human Brain Evolution May Explain the High Prevalence of Autism, New Study Finds
New research reveals how human brain evolution may explain autism’s high prevalence, highlighting genetic trade-offs in cognition.
Strange Blue Bird Spotted in Texas Believed to Be the First Known Hybrid Between Blue and Green Jay Species
A recent study confirmed the existence of a hybrid bird between the blue jay and green jay species in nature.
125-Year Fossil Mystery Solved: “Newtonsaurus” Named as Wales’ Earliest Giant Carnivorous Dinosaur
After 125 years, a mysterious Welsh fossil is confirmed as Newtonsaurus, one of the earliest giant predatory dinosaurs ever found.
Culture May Be Replacing DNA as the Driver of Human Evolution, New Theory Suggests
Scientists are re-examining whether genetic changes remain the primary catalyst of human evolution, or if another factor has become more influential.
These Ant Queens Use Uncanny ‘Cloning’ Abilities to Give Birth to Two Entirely Different Species
Scientists have revealed that queen ants in southern Europe can produce male clones of a completely different species.
New Fossil Discoveries in Ethiopia Reveal Previously Unknown Branch in Human Evolution
New fossils reveal a previously unknown Australopithecus species that coexisted with early human ancestors 2.6 million years ago in Ethiopia.
New Dating of Enigmatic ‘Petralona Skull’ Reveals Neanderthals Weren’t Alone in Prehistoric Europe
New dating reveals the Petralona Skull is at least 286,000 years old, reshaping our understanding of human evolution in Europe.
Bizarre Krayt Dragon-Like “Penis Worm” Discovered in Grand Canyon Reveals Ancient Evolutionary Arms Race
A newly discovered Cambrian, "Kraytdraco," reveals a bizarre predatory 'penis worm' in an ancient arms race beneath Grand Canyon seas.
“It was Literally Hiding in Plain Sight”: Fossil Forgotten in a Harvard Museum Reveals Secrets of Early Evolution
When a string of misidentifications ended, a fossil sat in a drawer at Harvard for a century until its significance was recently discovered.
An Ancient Viral Code in Our DNA Is Still Shaping What It Means to Be Human, Study Reveals
New study reveals hidden viral DNA in primates plays key role in gene regulation and evolution through ancient regulatory elements.
Evolution Keeps Producing Anteaters, and New Research Finally Reveals the Strange Reason Why
New research has revealed the evolutionary reason anteaters have evolved at least a dozen times since the time of the dinosaurs.
From Ears to Rears, a Group of Chimpanzees is Putting Grass in Strange Places, and Scientists Are Fascinated
In Zambia, a peculiar trend has swept through a group of chimpanzees: blades of grass, stylishly dangling from ears and their behinds.
Human DNA Spliced into Mice Caused Them to Grow Abnormally Large Brains, Revealing Clues to Evolution of Intelligence
Genetic scientists have spliced human DNA into mice, resulting in rodents with increased brain mass, offering new clues to human evolution.
A Revolutionary Brain Mitochondria Map May Help Explain Cognitive Decline
The first brain mitochondria map has been assembled by scientists in what could be the key to unraveling age-related brain disorders.
Chimpanzee “Engineering” Observed in Groundbreaking Study Offers Clues to Ancient Human Tool Use
New research from Oxford University has revealed chimpanzee "engineering" capabilities that aid them in retrieving insects as food sources.
Researchers Say They Are Close to Successfully Crafting Synthetic Lifeforms
Dutch researchers say they are now attempting to build synthetic life forms from the ground up, and potentially more efficient than nature.
1,200-Mile-Wide Meteorite that Slammed Into Earth Billions of Years Ago May Have Actually Helped Life Flourish, Study Reveals
A meteorite 200 times larger than the one that killed the dinosaurs once hit Earth. Surprisingly, it may have helped kick start life.
Scientists Uncover a Hidden “Sixth Sense” in Geckos, Prompting Questions About Human Extrasensory Potential
Scientists uncover hidden "sixth sense" in geckos, raising interesting questions about potential for human extrasensory capabilities.
These Weird “Frankenstein” Ocean Creatures Can Fuse Together as One Following Injury, Scientists Reveal
Scientists have discovered a comb jelly that can fuse together with others of the same species to combine as a single animal following injury.
Longstanding Evolutionary Mystery Resolved as Researchers Reveal “Anomaly” in Statistical Data
A long-held theory involving the quickened pace of evolution over short time frames could be explained by an “anomaly” revealed by researchers in a new study.
Meals on Heels: These Fish Have Evolved to Taste with their Feet
In two new studies, researchers reveal that the sea robin, a fish with legs, uses them to detect prey buried in the seafloor.
Strange New Organism Found Thriving in One of Earth’s Harshest “Alien” Landscapes is Challenging Our Thinking on Evolution
The discovery of a new organism thriving in a seemingly inhospitable "alien" landscape is revealing new insights into the evolution of life.
34-Million-Year-Old Remains Unearthed in Wyoming Challenge Our Ideas on Reptile Evolution
The recent discovery of 34-million-year-old reptile remains in Wyoming are presenting new insights into the evolution of one of nature’s most fascinating slithering species.