EVOLUTION

This Crow’s Beak Evolved to Wield Tools

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

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

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

The Uterus: A Natural History

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

Farmed Fish Can Evolve at a Surprisingly Fast Rate

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

Michael Smeltzer and Deborah Brewington, Vanderbilt University

Having Neanderthal DNA May Increase Your Risk of Certain Diseases

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

As Darwin's Finches Face Extinction, Study Offers New Hope of Saving Them

Parasitic flies have driven Galapagos finches to the brink of extinction, but research suggests we may be able to help bring population numbers back up.

How Some Birds Evolved to Build Protected Nests

Birds' nests are as diverse as the creatures who build them. The variety of locations, shapes, and sizes they’re built in and the materials they’re made from can be staggering.

Drägüs, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.O

How Bugs From Australia Settled African Islands

Stick bugs arrived on the Mascerene Islands 22 million years ago from a surprising place: Australia.

Blue eyes and the ability to enjoy (or at least tolerate) dairy are signs of evolution.

6 Signs Humans Are Still Evolving

Despite modern technology and industrialization, humans are still changing as a species, even today. Here are a some indications that our evolution isn’t over.

Tracing the Evolution of the Human Brain Through Casts of the Inner Skull

The brain imprints itself on the inside of the skull. These impressions have been key to the study of the evolution of the human brain.

Weird Sea Slug Sniffs Out and Steals Its Food’s Defenses

Halimeda incrassata is a type of seaweed, and it’s pretty badass for an algae. But none of its defenses deter the sea slug Elysia tuca.

Fossils Reveal How and When Giraffe Necks Grew Long

The giraffe's neck evolved in two stages, millions of years apart.

TristramBrelstaff, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Fungus Kills its Victims and Makes Them More Attractive

Tashkoskim via Wikimedia Commons // CC-BY-3.0

Poop-Like Plant Tricks Dung Beetles Into Burying Its Seeds

Looking like crap isn’t always a bad thing.

Didier Descouens via Wikimedia Commons // CC-BY-SA 4.0

8 Hard Facts About the Penis Bone

What is it, what does it do, and why don't humans have one?

Daisuke Tashiro, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

Some Japanese Monkeys Can’t Taste Bitterness

And that may be working in their favor.

Ancient Ants Farm a Fancy New Fungus

Sven Začek, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Beavers are 'Haunted' by the Ghosts of Hunters

Eurasian beavers have been brought back from the brink of extinction, but bad memories seem to keep them in the dark.

George Pickow, Hulton Archive // Getty Images

Who's Buried in Westminster Abbey?

London's Westminster Abbey is not only a grand and glorious place of worship, but also the final resting place of hundreds of history's most famous figures.

Cats Helped Drive Some Early Dogs in North America to Extinction

A recent study offers cat lovers some new ammunition in the "cat vs. dog" superiority debate.

Evolutionary Arms Race Between Plants and Caterpillars Created Mustard

Mini Beavers Lived in Oregon 28 Million Years Ago

The World’s Oldest Broken Bone Gives a Peek at Early Life on Land

The Ugliest Animal Charles Darwin Ever Saw

I used to believe that Charles Darwin, Father of Evolution, loved all animals equally. It turns out, he did not.

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