Evolution
This Weird Anatomical Feature Shows Humans Are Still Evolving
And researchers estimate that by 2100, most people will have it.
Discovery May Rewrite Shark Evolution
410-million-year-old fish suggests that sharks once had bony skeletons before they evolved to become cartilaginous.
Tiny Ancestor of Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs Stood Just 4 Inches Tall
The reptile is an early member of the animal group Ornithodira to which both dinosaurs and pterosaurs belong.
Beards May Have Evolved to Protect Men From Punches to the Face
The facial hair may serve a similar function to a lion's mane, scientists believe.
Huge Saber-Toothed Anchovies Emerged After Dinosaurs Went Extinct
The largest of these prehistoric species was 10 times the length of anchovies living today.
Fossils of Bizarre Plant-like Animals Found to Contain Ball-like Structures
The shape of the structures resemble that of complex carbon molecules known as "fullerenes," which were one of the first nanoparticles discovered by scientists.
Genetic Quirk Could Explain How Pangolins Can Tolerate Coronaviruses
Pangolins are missing two genes that alert mammals to invading viruses. Scientists suggests understanding how they tolerate the virus without these genes could pave way for COVID-19 treatments.
Electrical Activity in Animals Is Similar to Atmospheric Electric Fields
Most electrical activity in vertebrates and invertebrates occurs at extremely low frequencies, but the reasons for this have long remained a mystery.
Frozen Bull Semen May Have Sparked Outbreak of Bluetongue Virus in Europe
The virus reemerged in France in 2015, five years after the original outbreak was brought under control.
Fossil of Gondwanan 'Crazy Beast' From 66 Million Years Ago Discovered
The skeleton is the most complete of a fossil mammal from the Mesozoic era in the regions that once formed the supercontinent Gondwana.
New Bizarre Species of Turtle Discovered By Scientists
Researchers say the mata mata turtle split into two species during the late Miocene approximately 13 million years ago.
Origin of Brain Network Crucial for Language Pushed Back 20 Million Years
"It is like finding a new fossil of a long-lost ancestor," researcher Chris Petkov said.
Wormlike Creature May Be the Ancestor of Almost All Living Animals
Scientists have used 3D scanning to identify the earliest animal with a front, a back, two symmetrical sides and openings at both ends connected to one another by a gut.
These Female Toads Have Sex With Another Species If Own Males Are Lacking
Scientists described how some species of toad choose to mate with males of a different species, showing that females can place sexual pressure on another species for the first time.
One of Darwin's Evolutionary Theories Has Been Proved By Scientists
More than a century ago, Darwin reasoned genera with more species would contain more variation within those species.
'Wonderchicken' From 66 Million Years Ago Is 'Oldest Known Modern Bird'
The extinct animal may reveal how modern birds survived the asteroid that wiped out large dinosaurs.
Our Hands Originated in Earth's Oceans at Least 380 Million Years Ago
"[The discovery] shows that some of the big steps in evolution we thought were restricted to land animals actually first took place in fishes," said researcher John Long.
Bizarre Worm-like Creature Lost Its Legs Because They Were No Longer Useful
Facivermis is a rare animal that evolved to become more primitive, loosing its back limbs when they were no longer useful.
Mike Pence's Most Controversial Science Remarks
Vice President Mike Pence has some highly controversial "scientific opinions" that have raised more than a few professional eyebrows over the years, from climate change to creationism.
Billion-Year-Old Green Algae Found in China Is the Oldest Ever Discovered
Scientists hope the remains will offer new clues about the emergence of photosynthesising green plants.
Prehistoric Engravings Offer Clues to the Evolution of Symbolism and Art
Symbolism has been an important part of human society since prehistoric times. Scientists show that engravings become more salient, more memorable and easier to reproduce over time.
Female Disgust May Have Caused Humans to Evolve Less Hair
New research adds weight to the idea that people became less hairy via sexual selection, with results suggesting women with higher levels of disgust prefer clean-shaven men.
Oldest Known Guts Discovered in 550 Million-Year-Old Fossil
Researchers identified digestive tracts in an extinct worm-like creature known as Cloudina.
HIV May Be Getting More Infectious as a Result of 'Natural Selection'
"Viruses, like all organisms, adapt and evolve," co-author Joel Wertheim told Newsweek.
Strange Swamp-Dwelling Prehistoric Ape Poses Evolutionary Puzzle
Oreopithecus bambolii lived in what is now Italy between 8.3 and 6.7 million years ago.
Chimps Aren't Throwing Rocks at Sacred Trees As Part of a Ritual: Study
Researchers analyzing the perplexing behavior say it appears to be some form of communication.
These Female Fish Are Creating New Hybrids by Mating With Other Species
Scientists identified more than 40 new species of cichlid fish in Lake Mweru, East
Hundreds of Doomed Ancient Shrimp Killed While Looking for Mates Discovered
The swarm of male shrimp were killed in a "mass mortality" event during the time of the dinosaurs.
Today's Great Apes Are Probably Brainier Than Our Pre-Human Ancestors
Traditionally, scientists thought Australopithecus' larger brain size meant it was smarter than modern great apes, but new research suggests that assumption is wrong.
Discovered Fossils May Be the 'Missing Link' Between Apes and Humans
New discoveries in Bavaria of an ape with "orangutan arms" but human-like legs has the science community excited about connecting the dots of evolution between great apes and humans.