evolution
National identity and what the genes of Aboriginal Australians tell us about ‘what it is to be human’
Recent genetic research suggests that Aboriginal Australians have lived on their island continent for at least 50,000 years (with some ...
Water world: Does the evolution of intelligent life require land?
Exoplanets come in a variety of types, and so-called “water worlds”—planets with at least ten percent of their total mass ...
How can seemingly-unique animals be genetically the same?
More and more, biologists are discovering that organisms thought to be different species are, in fact, but one. A recent ...
Was a gene mutation responsible for bigger human brains?
One of the major features that distinguish humans from other primates is the size of our brains, which underwent rapid ...
Video: Why gene editing could change the path of human evolution
Most people think the genetics revolution is primarily about healthcare. But what's really at play is the evolutionary trajectory of ...
Why evolution is more complicated than Darwin imagined
Darwinian evolution [is] the transmission of genes and traits down the family line. DNA, it turns out, can also be ...
Discovering a ‘third kingdom’: How this scientist upended Darwin’s ‘tree of life’
On Nov. 3, 1977, a new scientific revolution was heralded to the world — but it came cryptically, in slightly ...
From dinosaur to bird: How did the transformation take place?
[I]n Bavaria, the Jurassic-aged limestone deposits yielded a near-perfect fossil of Archaeopteryx. It had blade-like serrated teeth and many other features ...
Viewpoint: Here’s why it’s ‘moronic’ to suggest that Homo erectus was lazy
[Y]ou’ve probably seen a headline or two (or twelve) touting a new discovery about our long extinct human relative, Homo erectus ...
Alpha: Examining Hollywood’s tale of dog domestication
Long ago, before your four-legged best friend learned to fetch tennis balls or watch football from the couch, his ancestors ...
Did laziness drive early human relative, Homo erectus, to extinction?
Homo erectus may have gone extinct because they were lazy, according to research from the Australian National University. Scientists claim ...
Are mental disorders linked to the tweaking of genes in human evolution?
The same recent evolutionary changes that make humans prone to bad backs and impacted wisdom teeth may also tweak genes ...
Can we learn about ourselves by studying chimpanzees? Not really.
Trying to go back to our animal roots sounds good in theory, but we can't truly find out what it ...
Uncovering ancient human footprints left on world’s coastlines
When preserved, footprints are a library of clues about a human’s activities, speed of travel, height, weight, and sometimes even ...
Nimble human fingers evolved to smash animal bones in search for marrow
Scientists have long linked the evolution of the human hand—unique for its lengthy opposable thumbs and dexterous fingers—to the rise ...
‘Evolution is aimless’: How else do we explain external testicles?
Evolution is a work in progress, so it’s hardly surprising that some of the features it has built into the ...
Challenging the story of our origin: Human traits had ‘patchwork emergence’ across Africa
The origins of our species have long been traced to east Africa, where the world’s oldest undisputed Homo sapiens fossils were discovered ...
Using evolution to break barriers in an ‘increasingly polarized, politicized world’
Rick Potts is no atheist-evolutionist-Darwinist. That often comes as a surprise to the faith communities he works with as head ...
Why we find ourselves at the limits of human lifespan
The 20th century was a period of unprecedented biological growth for our species. The average human lifespan increased from 31 years in ...
How ‘number crunching’ and big data has transformed the study of fossils, evolution
The field of paleobiology has advanced paleontology by using big data to analyze the history of life ...
Where do we come from? Question grows ever more complicated
It was recently discovered that modern humans are part of the African great apes family, but how did this classification ...
Talking Biotech: The powerful potential—and risks—of CRISPR engineered ‘gene drives’
Evolutionary biologist Fred Gould: 'Gene drives' can be found in nature. Now, scientists want to engineer them to decrease populations ...
Viewpoint: We have much to gain from questioning the theory that humans evolved in Africa
The African origin theory reigns supreme. Every attempt to disprove the theory offers a chance to consider the evidence all ...
Are humans genetically loaded for extinction?
Genetic load--the idea that we've had too many mutations to thrive--is making a comeback. A debate's brewing over whether it's ...
Finding meaning in the music of our genes
There is a musical pattern to our DNA, and it may help us understand how genes work and pinpoint diseases ...
Molecular clocks rewriting the story of human evolution
Analyzing DNA from present-day and ancient genomes provides a complementary approach for dating evolutionary events. By comparing DNA sequences, geneticists ...
Searching for extraterrestrial life: Finding the right communication technology
Scientists are looking for evidence of extraterrestrial communication across interstellar space. But what if other intelligent life forms are using ...
