Evolution

By examining the fossils of ancient creatures, scientists are able to see the origins of features that make mammals different from other animals.

How to Make a Mammal in Nine Evolutionary Steps

From the formation of inner ear bones to the rise of hair to cover our bodies, these developments made us distinct from other animals

Silesaurids—including Silesaurus opolensis (pictured above) and the newly described fossil from Brazil (not pictured)—are usually considered non-dinosaurs. Some researchers are suggesting they might be more closely related to certain dinosaurs than previously thought.

A Rare Triassic Fossil Found in Brazil Could Shed Light on the Origin of Dinosaurs

The 237-million-year-old remains are among the oldest silesaurid fossils ever found, adding to paleontologists' understanding of this still-mysterious group of prehistoric reptiles

The researchers studied the dusky lory (pictured) and the rosy-faced lovebird.

A Simple Chemical Shift Explains Why Parrots Are So Colorful, Study Suggests

Unlike other birds, which get pigments from their diets, parrots produce their own—but scientists never fully understood the underlying mechanisms, until now

The arthropod fossil used to describe a new species (left) and CT scans of the specimen (right)

Scientists Reveal Rare 450-Million-Year-Old Arthropod Fossil Preserved in Glittering Fool’s Gold

The critter found in New York represents a new, extinct species of arthropod that could shed light on the evolution of today's insects, crustaceans and spiders

A visualization of Tiktaalik roseae, an extinct aquatic animal with fossils that shed light on the evolution of land animals from marine animals millions of years ago.

New 'Paleo-Robots' Could Shed Light on Animal Evolution, Revealing How Some Fish Evolved to 'Walk' on Land

A team of roboticists, paleontologists and biologists are building robots to simulate crucial evolutionary developments that can’t be tested with static fossils

A 2007 illustration of Arthropleura, the largest known arthropod, which grew nearly as large as a car. New research suggests previous visualizations of the animal's head were incorrect.

Fossils Reveal the Face of an Extinct Nine-Foot-Long 'Millipede,' the Largest Arthropod to Ever Live

Scientists in France solved the evolutionary mystery of this prehistoric monster, which resembles both the centipedes and millipedes of today

Two comb jellies have fused together and are being probed by a pipette.

These Frankenstein-Like Sea Creatures Can Actually Fuse Their Bodies Together

Two comb jellies can merge their digestive and nervous systems and even sync their bodily functions, according to new research. The discovery could have implications for human medicine

A new study suggests that coyotes, like the ones seen here, have the same face muscle as dogs that's used to make pleading "puppy eyes."

Coyotes Might Make 'Puppy Eyes,' Suggesting the Facial Expression Evolved for More Than Just Cuteness

The wild canines have the same muscles used by domestic dogs to create the wide-eyed, pleading look that captures humans' hearts

Some species of sea robins, such as Prionotus carolinus, use their leg-like appendages to dig out and taste prey beneath the sand. 

These Fish Have Legs—and They Can Use Them to Taste Prey

Sea robins have "the body of a fish, the wings of a bird and multiple legs like a crab"

Recent genetic research could be used to produce plants without prickles, making it easier for gardeners to pluck roses without getting jabbed.

Scientists Identify the Gene Behind Thorny Roses and Other Prickly Plants

A recent study could pave the way to cultivating various thornless plants, making them easier to grow and potentially more widely available

The South American lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa) has the largest known genome of the animal kingdom at 91 billion base pairs of DNA.

The World's Largest Animal Genome Belongs to an Odd, Air-Breathing Fish

Scientists sequenced the 91 billion base pairs in the South American lungfish’s genome, setting a record and revealing insights into vertebrate evolution

An artist's reconstruction of the two tardigrade species found preserved in a pebble-sized piece of amber in Canada.

Rare Fossils Give Clues to How Tardigrades Survived Mass Extinctions by Hitting the Snooze Button

Scientists have only four known tardigrade fossils, which preserve insights into how the hardy critters evolved their hibernation-like superpower of cryptobiosis

At Mata Menge, researchers found a tiny adult upper arm bone that belonged to an individual who lived 700,000 years ago, shedding light on the origins of Homo floresiensis.

Fossils Shed New Light on Small 'Hobbit-Like' Humans That Lived on a Remote Island

Two teeth and a small adult arm bone found in Indonesia suggest the ancestors of Homo floresiensis were even shorter than scientists previously thought

An artist's impression of the shrew-like Krusatodon kirtlingtonensis, which a new study suggests lived long and matured slowly, in contrast to modern small mammals.

Two Rare Jurassic Skulls Could Help Unlock the Secrets of Mammals' Evolutionary Success

Fossils reveal a prehistoric, mouse-like creature matured slower and lived longer than similar mammals of today

An illustration of the taco-shaped Odaraia, which researchers say likely swam upside-down and trapped prey in its spine-covered legs.

Taco-Shaped Creature Had a 'Major Edge' in Evolution—and 30 Pairs of Spiny Legs

This shrimp-like arthropod was among the first to have a mandible, and it used a complex feeding mechanism during the Cambrian explosion, according to a new study

Gerard Barron, chairman and CEO of The Metals Company, holds a nodule retreived from the seafloor in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean in 2021. The company plans to mine for these nodules, which researchers suggest produce oxygen underwater.

Scientists Discover 'Dark Oxygen' on the Ocean Floor Generated—Surprisingly—by Lumps of Metal

Researchers found that electric currents from polymetallic nodules are behind this alchemy—the same minerals that deep-sea miners are targeting

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How to Sweat Like an Olympian

This summer, don’t be embarrassed by those pit stains or your drenched workout clothes. Our expert on the science of sweat says perspiration is what makes humans faster, higher and stronger

Two chimpanzees at the Budongo Conservation Field Station in Uganda

Chimpanzees Take Turns in Fast-Paced Conversations, Just Like Humans Do

A new study finds the average chimpanzee response time in gestured conversations is 120 milliseconds, which isn’t that far from the human average of 200 milliseconds

Ranchers and landowners consider dingoes pests, while conservationists say they are vitally important to Australia's ecosystem.

Ancient DNA Unravels the Mysteries of the Dingo, Australia's Wild Dog

Researchers dove into thousands of years of evolutionary history, revealing new insights about the iconic, though sometimes vilified, canines

An artist's portrayal of Lokiceratops rangiformis, which lived in the swamps of western North America about 78 million years ago.

Dinosaur With Giant, Loki-Like Horns Has the 'Craziest, Coolest' Headgear—and Could Be a New Species

The discovery sheds light on the evolution of a surprisingly diverse group of horned dinosaurs in the western United States

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