Evolution
How did dinosaurs evolve into birds?
Scientists may have finally worked out how dinosaurs evolved into birds.<p>Experts have isolated a genetic sequence which they believe was present in dinosaurs before and during their evolution into birds.<p>Modern birds descended from a group of two-legged dinosaurs called theropods, whose members …
DinosaursNew insights into the ancestors of all complex life
A team of scientists led by the University of Bristol has provided new insights into the origins of the Archaea, the group of simple cellular …
BiologyHow did dinosaurs learn to fly? Hopping parrots offer clues
May 25 (UPI) -- While watching parrotlets hop from branch to branch while foraging, a pair of Stanford researchers hypothesized that the earliest …
DinosaursBlind fish find food thanks to their twisted heads
As we've seen before, evolution has a way of helping life adapt to the most extreme of environments. It's helped ocean-dwelling microbes evolve into …
BiologyThere's not enough evidence to back the claim that humans originated in Europe
<i>Africa is not the cradle of humankind: that’s the claim by a group of scientists who’ve just published what they describe as evidence of pre-human</i> …
Life SciencesWhales are the largest animals on Earth. Now we know why they got so big
You have the privilege of sharing the planet with the largest animal that ever lived on Earth.<p>The great blue whale, which can be found in every ocean around the globe, is bigger than any dinosaur you’ve seen in a museum.<p>It can weigh as much as 24 elephants, and can grow up to two school buses in …
OceansWhat makes us human? Scientists just found a defining feature of the human brain in monkeys
A new look inside monkeys brains is forcing researchers to reconsider what makes humans unique, as you can see in the video above.<p>It’s no surprise that humans and many types of monkeys have a lot in common; we’re both social creatures and share about 93% of our DNA. But when scientists from The …
Life SciencesWhat has Uganda’s famous tree-climbing lions roaming further from their natural habitat?
The famous tree-climbing lions of Africa are spreading much more widely across their natural habitat as they go in search of prey. Scientists studying the big cats in Uganda said that the “home ranges” of the animals are reaching much further than in previous decades.<p>New research looked at lions in …
WildlifeMountain honey bees have ancient adaptation for high-altitude foraging: Despite differences, mountain and savannah honey bees in East Africa are same sub-species
Despite differences, mountain and savannah honey bees in East Africa are same sub-species<p>Mountain-dwelling East African honey bees have distinct …
BeesSocial Network In Monkey Brains Is Clue To Evolution Of Human Mind
Monkey brains have sections dedicated solely to social interactions, a new finding that researchers say could help us better understand the human …
The Brain9 Animals with 'Star Wars'-Inspired Names
1 of 11<p>What's in a name?<p>The "Star Wars" universe looms large in the imaginations of generations of moviegoers. Die-hard fans show their devotion in …
Cool StuffWhy whales grew big
A new study shows how baleen whales, some of the largest animals ever known to exist on Earth, were able to get so big — and, in evolutionary terms, …
OceansHow do blind cavefish find their way? The answer could be in their bones
"Our lab really tries to avoid taking any animals from nature," Gross said.<p>Mexican cavefish also are raised as a popular aquarium pet.<p>The skulls of …
BiologyNew species of bus-sized fossil marine reptile unearthed in Russia
A new species of a fossil pliosaur (large predatory marine reptile from the 'age of dinosaur') has been found in Russia and profoundly change how we …
Life Sciences50 Million Years of Whale Evolution in 1 Minute
Jordan Collver Jordan Collver, an illustrator and science communicator in the U.K., was thinking about Darwin—specifically, about our inability to …
Life SciencesGallup: Belief God created humans at record low
May 23 (UPI) -- A record-low percentage of U.S. adults believe that God created humans in their present form, according to a Gallup …
CreationismHow Mastiffs Became the World’s Top Dogs
With its shaggy ruff and enormous stature, the mastiff is the most adorable giant to thrive in the thin air of the Tibetan Plateau, where the average …
Life SciencesFemale Finches Fine-Tune Males' Gene Expression
A newly-published study of South American finches reveals some fundamental secrets to accelerated evolution and speedy speciation<p>Male Sporophila melanogaster (“mel” in Figure 1A).<br>(Credit: Edson Endrigo)<p>A study published today in <i>Science Advances</i> reveals that very small changes in the genome can lead …
Life SciencesThe best way to get children to understand evolution is to teach genetics first, finds study
Evolution is one of the trickiest subjects to teach – and not just because some people find it controversial. The ideas are subtle and the language …
TeachingHow Demands of Female Birds Changed the DNA of a Species
Darwin’s finches, those little birds in the Galápagos with beaks of different sizes and shapes, were instrumental in the development of the theory of evolution.<p>Similar birds had large and small beaks and beaks in between, all related to what kinds of insects and seeds they ate. From one ancestor, …
Genetic mutation trade-offs lead to parallel evolution
Organisms in nature adapt and evolve in complex environments. For example, when subjected to changes in nutrients, antibiotics, and predation, …
BiologyVolunteers help astronomers find star that exploded 970 million years ago, predating the dinosaurs
Online volunteers, including a woman from Belgium and a Scottish man, have helped astronomers at The Australian National University (ANU) find a star …
UniverseHistory rewritten, with Europe the birthplace of mankind
It looks like we humans may have evolved from an ape-like creature found in Bulgaria and Greece, not Africa.<p>The history of human evolution continues to evolve.<p>Up until now, experts have believed human lineage split from apes some 7 million years ago in Africa. But now scientists have traced the …
Life SciencesFossil discovery delivers blow to 'Out of Africa' theory
A fossilized tooth belonging to an ape-like creature that roamed Bulgaria 7.2 million years ago could rewrite history as we know it.<p>Scientists say …
Life SciencesThe origins of the human spine might have just been found in a 3.3-million-year-old fossil
Recent analysis of a 3.3-million-year-old hominin fossil found back in 2000 has provided researchers with the most complete spinal column of any early human relative — and gives us a unique snapshot of a crucial transition point as our early ancestors evolved towards bipedalism.<p>According to the …
Life SciencesOrigins of humans can be traced back to Europe, not Africa, study claims
"While great apes typically have two or three separate and diverging roots, the roots of Graecopithecus converge and are partially fused - a feature …
Life SciencesThe Human Nose Knows More Than We Think
The smell of coffee may urge you out of bed in the morning, and the perfume of blooming lilacs in the spring is divine. But you do not see police …
The BrainScientists find 7.2-million-year-old pre-human remains in the Balkans
The lower jaw, nicknamed 'El Graeco' by the scientists, has additional dental root features, suggesting that the species <i>Graecopithecus freybergi</i> …
Life SciencesThe face of evolution | Exit | DW | 23.05.2017
British artist Emma Allen draws the evolution of the human face for the camera: from the single cell to the Neanderthal to digital man.
Life Sciences7.2-million-year-old pre-human remains found in the Balkans: New hypothesis about the origin of humankind suggests oldest hominin lived in Europe
New hypothesis about the origin of humankind suggests oldest hominin lived in Europe<p>Scientists analyzing 7.2 million-year-old fossils uncovered in …
Life Sciences