evolution

Two specimens of the Chihuahua-sized animals have just rearranged the branches of the carnivore family tree.

According to a study of the spotted giant’s DNA published today, Giraffa camelopardalis isn't alone.

Nope, that's not a snake. It's a glass lizard.

If a limbless reptile like the one above crosses your path, it’s obviously a snake, right? Maybe not.

The fruit and its wasp have been evolving together for millions of years.

In 1835, Charles Darwin arrived at the island chain that would shape his theory of natural selection.

The nose is part of our body’s climate control system, helping us warm up or shed heat as necessary.

A good reminder that not every life form is a fan of oxygen.

The two have more in common than we previously thought.

Short answer: Riding in a car can may make your brain think you’ve been poisoned, and reading makes it worse.

Rocky’s ability to reproduce human-like noises contradicts the idea that apes can only ever use the sounds they’ve always used.

The earliest known ancestor of all living things made its home on a hydrothermal vent, subsisting on hydrogen and metal.

It's called convergent evolution. When you have a good idea, you stick with it.

Historical curators restored the room to its original late-1850s appearance.

Flickr, NOAA Ocean Explorer // CC BY-SA 2.0

Study shows the ability to glow has arisen many more times than was previously believed.

Robert Pittman, NOAA via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Researchers who have sequenced the orca genome say the cetaceans’ DNA tells a tale of culture, socialization, and dispersal through the world’s oceans.

Mutations in and expression of the cortex gene may control coloration in numerous species.

MorphoLab, Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich

A new study shows that a woman’s pelvis expands during childbearing years, then returns to its previous shape.

And that gene just so happens to be called "sonic hedgehog."

Steven G. Johnson via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Scientists at a recent ctenophore conference were astonished to see video of comb jellies pooping through tiny anuses.

The beak’s unique shape lets the birds use tools without blocking their vision.

Scientists say parasitic worms in the guts of Vikings may have made their modern descendants more vulnerable to lung issues.

At only 3 inches long and weighing about 60 grams, the uterus isn’t a flashy, attention-grabbing organ. But it is pretty amazing.

The very artificial environment of a fish hatchery causes strong natural selection pressures.

Michael Smeltzer and Deborah Brewington, Vanderbilt University

How far back do you know your family’s medical history?

Researchers Reclassify Itsy-Bitsy, Prehistoric “Beardogs”

We Thought There Was One Giraffe Species—But There Are Four

5 Differences Between Snakes and Legless Lizards

Fig Pollination Is Incredible (And Probably Results In You Eating Mummified Wasps)

11 Naturally Selected Facts About the Galápagos Islands

Hot, Humid Weather May Have Helped Shape Human Noses

How Cyanobacteria Created (and Nearly Destroyed) Life on Earth

Research Sheds Light on the Connection Between Fingers and Fins

Why Does Reading in the Car Make You Feel Queasy?

An Orangutan in Indianapolis Has Learned to Ape Human Speech

Scientist Says Our Oldest Ancestor May Have Been Only ‘Half Alive’

8 Times Very Different Animals Evolved Very Similar Traits

You Can Now Visit the Bedroom Where Charles Darwin Died

Bioluminescence Evolved in Fish at Least 27 Times, Scientists Say

Orca Genome Reveals a Cultural History of the Species

Scientists Identify Gene Associated with Butterfly Wing Coloration

Study Shows That Childbearing Hips Are a Temporary Phenomenon

Human Limbs and Fish Gills May Trace Back to the Same Gene

Scientists Stunned by the Discovery of Sea Walnuts' Buttholes

This Crow’s Beak Evolved to Wield Tools

Vikings’ Parasites May Have Led to Lung Problems in Their Modern Descendants

The Uterus: A Natural History

Farmed Fish Can Evolve at a Surprisingly Fast Rate

Having Neanderthal DNA May Increase Your Risk of Certain Diseases