Dinosaur Fossils Shed New Light on Origin of Feathers
The origin of feathers occurred 70 million years earlier than previously thought, according to an international team of paleontologists.
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Study: Neanderthals Faced Risks, but So Did Our Ancestors
Life as a Neanderthal was no picnic, but a new analysis says it was no more dangerous than what our own species faced in ancient times.
Read moreAncient Fish Likely Developed in Shallow Waters, Not Reefs
The key to understanding how ancient fish species diversified may be to look in shallow seas before moving on to other habitats, a team of scientists concluded in a new study.
Read moreNewly Discovered Jurassic Piranha Likely Nibbled Fish Fins
Bony ray-finned fish with sharp teeth nibbled on other fish in the sea about 150 million years ago, according to researchers who say the newly discovered piranha-like creature presents the earliest evidence of fish feeding on other fish.
Read moreFossil Teeth Show Complexity of Human Evolution
A new analysis of fossilized teeth discovered in Italy is providing researchers with a broader understanding of the complexity of human evolution around 450,000 years ago.
Read moreColor Evolution Leads to Better Survival for Moths
(CN) – Moths that have evolved to be a paler color are less likely to be eaten than the darker
Read moreArmored Dinosaur Found in Utah Evolved From Asian Ancestors
Scientists at the Natural History Museum of Utah on Thursday revealed the discovery of fossils belonging to a bony-tailed dinosaur with armor-like skin that walked the earth 76 million year ago.
Read moreChinese Find Suggests Human Relatives Left Africa Earlier
Stone tools recovered from an excavation in China suggest that our evolutionary forerunners trekked out of Africa earlier than we thought.
Read moreEarly Plants Grew Big to Colonize Earth, Study Finds
Organisms on Earth about 600 million years ago did not suddenly grow large because they were fighting for more food, but because they were trying to propel their offspring farther into the world.
Read moreTennessee City Reopens Renovated ‘Monkey Trial’ Museum
A city in southeastern Tennessee held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday for the grand opening of a renovated museum dedicated to the Scopes “monkey trial,” the famous 1925 case that turned into a showdown over creationism and evolution.
Read moreRussian Saber-Tooth Fossils Illuminate Early Evolution of Mammal Lineage
Researchers have discovered the fossils of two new species of ancient saber-toothed predators that will help illuminate a key period in the early evolution of mammals.
Read moreFood & Heat Key to Limits on Aquatic Mammals’ Size
Despite hosting some of the largest creatures on Earth, the ocean limits mammal growth more so than land, according to a new study.
Read moreNew Evidence Points to Sophisticated Tools, Distant Trading for Early Humans
Anthropologists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and a team of international collaborators discovered that early humans in East Africa displayed sophisticated behavior, trading and tool crafting tens of thousands of years earlier than previously assumed.
Read moreLimbless Amphibians Found to Use Slime to Dodge Predators
A group of serpent-like amphibians has developed tightly packed glands that enable them to burrow rapidly and hide from predators, according to a new report.
Read moreScientists Solve Mystery of How Flowers Conquered the World
A team of researchers may have discovered how flowering plants were able to take over ecosystems across the world so rapidly, a phenomenon that Charles Darwin called an “abominable mystery.”
Read moreDon’t Tan Well? Blame Your Neanderthal Ancestors
Hair color, mood and sleep patterns are all influenced by our Neanderthal DNA, a new study finds.
Read moreGenetic Study Shows Humans Still Evolving
Natural selection actively weeds out unfavorable gene variants linked to heavy smoking and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a large-scale study that reveals humans continue to evolve.
Read moreFish Jaws Throw a Curveball at Evolutionary Biologists
The developing jaws of an African fish offer insight into evolutionary variations in physical traits that cannot be explained by genetics alone, scientists reported Tuesday.
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Study Finds Frogs Flourished After Dinosaur Extinction
New research shows that the mass die-off of dinosaurs and many other species also sparked an explosion of new frog breeds – a surprising relationship that reinforces the theory that mass extinctions can lead to surges of evolutionary activity.
Read moreFossils Shed Light on Evolution of Amphibians
Recently discovered fossils of an extinct species from the Triassic period represent the missing link between amphibians and their colorful, worm-like relative, according to a new study.
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