Evolution

Photos of two queen ants (left, the host species Mycocepurus goeldii and right, the parasitic species Mycocepurus castrator) shown side-by-side represent what may be an example of sympatric speciation—when a new species develops in the same geographic area with its sister species, but reproduces on its own.

This Ant Species May Support a Controversial Theory on Evolution

New research suggests that species don't have to be geographically separated in order to evolve

Here's What the Newly Sequenced Cat Genome Might Tell Us

In addition to teaching us more about kitties themselves, the cat genome could shed light on human disease

A pig appears to enjoy a refreshing bath.

From Panting to Pooping, 8 Weird Ways Animals Keep Cool

While you (and horses) are busy sweating buckets, some animals have evolved bizarre ways to keep cool

The Flores hobbit skull (left) compared to another H. sapiens skull recovered on the island that dates to around 4,000 years ago (right).

The Flores "Hobbit" Might Not Be a New Species at All

A long-standing debate on the original findings has been reignited

Lady Worms, Beware: Pick the Wrong Mate, End Up Dead

Sperm from the wrong species of worm will eat through a female worm's innards

Moose Spit is Antifungal

Moose may use their antifungal saliva to keep the fungus on their favorite foods in check

Without Oceans, Earth-Like Life Probably Can’t Evolve on Other Planets

It's not all about the planet's distance from its star, as researchers previously thought

You Can Now Riffle Through the Same Library Charles Darwin Used Aboard the Beagle

The digital library includes 195,000 pages of text and 5,000 illustrations

We Choose Friends Who Are Genetically Similar to Us

On average, our friends are like the genetic equivalents of fourth cousins

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Watch the Unnerving Gait of This 410 Million-Year-Old Arachnid

Working from well-preserved fossils, paleontologists reproduced the trigonotarbids' walk

When Homo Sapiens Began to Emerge, Herpes Was Already Waiting

Herpes first evolved in chimpanzees before colonizing the cells of Homo erectus

The heads of human ancestors like Australopithecus afarensis may have evolved to better withstand blows to the face.

Were Ancient Humans Built for Boxing?

Males may have bigger bones and stronger jaws to better withstand getting hit in the face

This is the first pterosaur egg ever found that had not been flattened, discovered by paleontologists at the Turpan-Hami Basin in northwestern China.

Found: 120-Million-Year-Old Colony of Fossilized Flying Reptiles, Plus Their Eggs

The eggs were unearthed in the midst of a boneyard of pterosaurs, lending insight into the behaviors of ancient flying reptiles

A Cyclosa ginnaga spider perched amid its silk web decoration looks strangely like the result of a bird relieved itself in the forest understory.

This Spider Web Was Deliberately Spun to Look Like Bird Poop

It’s not artistic license. The arachnid avoids predators by masquerading as bird droppings, say scientists

He makes it look so easy.

Humans Gave Up Our Strength to Support Our Big Heads

Evolution may have traded muscle mass for big brains

Tiktaalik roseae had fish-like fins, a flattened skull (similar to a crocodile), and is thought to have lived in shallow water, using its fins to prop itself up.

Did the Evolution of Animal Intelligence Begin With Tiktaalik?

How one marvelously preserved fossil sheds light on how the vertebrate invasion of land took place

A red-winged blackbird, the males of which (pictured) feature bright red spots. Females, on the other hand, are a mottled brown.

Drab Female Birds Were Once As Flashy As Their Male Mates

Biologists always assumed that sexual selection primarily drove differences in looks between male and female birds, but a new study challenges that notion

A drawing of the West Indian or Caribbean monk seal based on a specimen collected in Matanzas, Cuba.

For the First Time in More Than 100 Years, Scientists Discover New Seal Genus

The now extinct Caribbean monk seal shares an evolutionary connection with the endangered Hawaiian monk seal--one more reason to save the species

In her seminal rose diagram, Florence Nightingale demonstrated that far more soldiers died from preventable epidemic diseases (blue) than from wounds inflicted on the battlefield (red) or other causes (black) during the Crimean War (1853-56). “She did this with a very specific purpose of driving through all sorts of military reforms in military hospitals subsequent to the Crimean War," says Kieniewicz.

Infographics Through the Ages Highlight the Visual Beauty of Science

An exhibit at the British Library focuses on the aesthetic appeal of 400 years of scientific data

In an Emergency, We Act Like Ants

Like many animals, we tend to clump together when danger presents itself

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