Why Are Humans the Only Species to Cry Emotional Tears?
Darwin called them "purposeless", but emotional tears have their place.
Tag: evolution
The hands of great apes tell a story about our own evolution
Take a closer look at your hands—they carry millions of years of evolutionary history, connecting you to our closest primate ...
Scientists Unearth a ‘Missing Link’ in Bird Brain Evolution in 80-Million-Year-Old Fossil
Navaornis is likened to a sort of Rosetta Stone for decyphering the evolution of bird brains.
Giant 160-million-year-old tadpole sheds new light on frog evolution
Amphibian fossils, particularly those capturing larval stages, are exceptionally rare due to tadpoles’ soft, delicate bodies, which are highly prone ...
Meet the Sea Robin: A Fish That Walks and Tastes the Seafloor With Its Legs
The sea robin walks on leg-like fins that can taste the seafloor, showcasing evolution's clever repurposing of traits.
Scientists Learn How a 500-Million-Year-Old Fossil Shaped Like a Taco Ate
An ancient shrimplike creature is helping scientists understand how mandibles became so common among animals.
Honking lemurs that always stay on beat hint at origin of music
These primates can sing on the beat. Even their calls are rhythmic, hinting at a potential origin story for music ...
The surprising reason why giraffes have long necks — it’s not just for eating tall branches
New study reveals the driving evolutionary forces behind giraffes' necks
Are turtles dinosaurs? Their evolution took its own distinct path
They're more like cousins than siblings.
Our unique lineage: Human evolution has run in complete reverse from other vertebrates
New study challenges traditional views on human evolution with "bizarre" findings.
Daddy longlegs are more than meets the eye. Scientists find they have two extra hidden pairs of eyes
Daddy longlegs have extra eyes from their evolutionary past.
Human ancestors probably lost their tails 25 million years ago — and a strange ‘jumping gene’ may explain why
Humans and other apes are tail-less due to a peculiar 'jumping gene', which used to be considered 'junk DNA'.
Oldest mosquito fossil shows males were once bloodsuckers too
Oldest fossil mosquito found in Lebanese amber suggests ancient males also fed on blood, revising our knowledge of mosquito evolution.
Why some skunks lose their black and white stripes (and why this is good news for skunks)
Skunks' stripes fade in safer environments, showing how less danger leads to evolutionary changes in warning coloration.
The hunt for LUCA: the Last Universal Common Ancestor was from over 4.3 billion years ago
New research narrows down the emergence of LUCA, the common ancestor of all life on Earth, to over 4.3 billion ...
Invasive cannibalistic toads are adapting so fast they’re pushing the limits of evolution
Australian cane toads evolve rapidly, with tadpoles turning cannibalistic and hatchlings speeding up development in response.
Why curly hair evolved: an unexpected hero for the brains of early humans
It protected them from the sun’s harmful rays.
How natural selection leads to evolution
It's one of the most revolutionary theories in science.
Radioactive Chernobyl black frogs show evolution in action
Research on Chernobyl frogs has shown that the ionising radiation caused by the accident triggered a process of natural selection ...
Cockroaches are evolving to like sex more than sugar, and this could be bad for us
We knew they are very adaptable, but this takes things to another level.
The massive, ancient Megalodon shark may have been outcompeted by great whites
Sometimes, being bigger is not better.
The powerhouse of the cell is also a powerhouse in vision
Structures providing energy to cells have a crucial role in vision.
These hard-bodied robots can reproduce, learn and evolve autonomously
Virtual code has become virtual DNA.
Scientists make the smallest-ever man-made flying devices inspired by propeller seeds
They're about the size of a grain of sand.
Not so picky and coy after all: Female animals also have mating contests. They’re just more subtle than males
The effect of sexual selection on females has been largely ignored in favor of the more pronounced and obvious effect ...
Why mice have the potential to become as venomous as a viper
Scientists have discovered an underlying molecular link between venom glands in snakes and salivary glands in mammals.
Book Review: ‘A Most Interesting Problem’
Science isn't perfect, and neither was Darwin.
The trap-jaw is the fastest in the world — and it independently evolved several times in ants
Sometimes, speed is of the essence.
Global warming is faster than evolution — and this could spell trouble for marine life
Aquatic life may not have enough time to adapt to an increasingly warming world.
Darwin’s century-old prediction about flightless insect seems to be on point
Turns out, Darwin was really good about understanding evolution.
This plant evolved camouflage to hide from humans
The medicinal plant from China is trying to prevent heavy harvesting.
Fossil Friday: this ancient bottom feeder could have ‘invented’ modern sight
If you like seeing defined shapes, you should thank this little fellow.
For all the damage they cause, viruses also help push evolution
Viruses are a seemingly inherent part of mammalian evolution, two studies suggest.
Yum or yuck? Scientists find how mosquitoes evolved a taste for human blood
Dry climate and urbanization prompted the first mosquitoes to increasingly bite humans -- and things aren't looking too well for ...
Art history is uncovering hidden patterns of fruit and vegetable evolution
An art historian and a biologist form an uncanny pair in order to reveal the timeline of evolution for your ...
Theory by Darwin is proven 150 years after his death
Subspecies play a more important role in evolution than previously thought.
African hunter-gatherers prefer squatting to sitting — and this may explain why they’re healthier
Hazda tribespeople spend just as much time in sedentary behavior like people from the US. They prefer not to sit ...
How ancient gut microbes might have shaped human evolution
The microbes in our guts have helped our ancestors adapt to new environments.
Our ancestors may have always walked on two legs, 10-million-year-old ape suggests
The dog-sized ape had a more flexible lower back that allowed it to walk more like humans do.
Snakes had hind legs for 70 million years
A biblical-like ancient snake is revealing new insights into snake evolution.
Investing in flashy display pays off for species that mate for life
Male finches continuously fight for their partner's attention -- and it seems like it's in both their interests to do ...
Scientists find 3.8-million-year-old skull that could reshape human evolution
A lucky find now provides a face for Lucy's ancestor.
Human-driven extinction cost New Zealand 50 million years’ worth of bird evolution
Losses include but are not limited to those giant eagles at the end of Lord of the Rings.
Evolution: What is it? How does it work?
Nature has a way of pressuring creatures to adapt to their environments over generations.
Babies born on Mars could diverge from Earthlings within a couple of generations
Mars is a strange place and any humans born there are bound to look radically different.
Humans and Neanderthals diverged at least 800,000 years ago, new teeth study shows
This just goes to show how complex our evolutionary history really is.
Ancient amphibious whale with four legs and hooves dared to cross the Atlantic
This creature had a whale of a time.
The genders kill differently — and one paper proposes it’s because of our ancient roles
I do like this theory.
Fossil Friday: Newly-found fossil teeth solve ancient monkey mystery
Take a bite out of this story.
