EVOLUTION

10 Facts About Wisdom Teeth

Why do we even have them? Let's get to the root of the issue.

Pucker your mouth when you eat something sour? You're not the only one.

Why Do We Make Weird Faces When We Taste Something Sour?

If you can't resist puckering your mouth when you lick a lemon or snack on Sour Patch Kids, you can thank evolution.

Meet the Sea Slug With the Disposable Penis

Fans of '90s alternative music may recall King Missile's big single, "Detachable Penis." While the song may have been silly, it turns out than in the animal world, the idea isn't all that bizarre—at least not to the sea slug Chromodoris reticulata.

Chimpanzees hang out in Gombe National Park.

9 Amazing Facts About Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees share about 98 percent of their genes with humans, but you wouldn't want to invite this side of the family over for dinner.

11 Fascinating Facts About Chipmunks

What do chipmunks eat? Baby birds, occasionally. Do chipmunks hibernate? Yes, but not like bears do.

An illustration of a woolly mammoth, blissfully unaware of its species impending doom.

20 Cool Facts About the Ice Age

How many ice ages have there been so far? The same number of ‘Ice Age’ movies that have been released. (Five.)

Why Do Babies Start Crying As Soon As You Sit Down?

Wondering how to stop a baby from crying? Unfortunately, the answer doesn’t involve sinking into your comfiest armchair.

Gene editing techniques like CRISPR are upending thousands of years of wine-making tradition.

How Gene Editing is Changing the Future of Wine—and Making it Less Likely to Give You a Hangover

Scientists are making ancient French grape vines less susceptible to diseases—and less likely to cause hangovers—through gene editing.

Wolf Puppies Play Fetch, Too, Study Finds

Some wolf puppies will retrieve balls for perfect strangers, suggesting that the species may be genetically predisposed toward the adorable behavior.

10 New Bird Species and Subspecies Discovered on Indonesian Islands

The discovery of 10 bird species and subspecies on three remote islands in Indonesia marks the first time in over a century that so many new birds have been found in such a small area.

The Reason So Many Babies Are Conceived in Winter

Does it seem like a surplus of newborn babies pop up in September? Science has a few explanations why.

A First Edition of Darwin's On the Origin of Species Could Sell for $180,000

The 1859 work prompted a new era of thinking about nature and humanity. A first edition will likely wind up in the hands of a collector who has evolved to have very deep pockets.

Mystery Solved: Scientists Have Figured Out Why Some Squirrels Are Black

The black squirrel is an uncommon sight in the squirrel population. Scientists now believe they know why.

5 Rules for the Paleo Diet from Actual Paleolithic Humans

The paleo diet recommends eating low-carb foods like our ancient ancestors if we want to reach optimum health. But it turns out that early humans in the Paleolithic era dined on more than just meat.

Why Were Dinosaurs So Large and Why Don't Animals of That Scale Exist Today?

Why aren't elephants and giraffes the size of brontosauruses and other dinosaurs that we know were enormous?

Elephants Are Evolving Without Tusks Thanks to Poaching

The pressures of ivory poaching have reshaped African elephant populations in just a few decades.

12 Common Things Science Still Hasn't Figured Out

Experts have no real explanation for why we laugh.

Why Are Humans Ticklish?

Chimps also seem to enjoy being tickled. Rats, too.

Prudence Upton, © Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London (2018)

A Puppet Drama About Charles Darwin Is Coming to London's Natural History Museum

The museum has one of the largest Darwin-related collections in the world, including some of the specimens he brought back from his voyage on the HMS Beagle.