Evolution

The latest science on how life has adapted and changed over generations—and how new species come to be.

Latest in Evolution

Drill boring hole in ancient mollusk shell in laboratory

Neanderthals dined on shellfish much earlier than humans

Close up of child hand writing in notebook

Leg evolution made most humans right-handed

a shark swimming in dark waters

Mysterious giant sharks that outlived the dinosaurs lurking in Puget Sound

By Margherita Bassi

A photo of the Guangxi reed snake on the forest floor

‘Two-headed snake’ confuses predators

shiny crystals found inside of a bone

An extinct human species made surprisingly creative butchery tools

By Laura Baisas

An atmospheric photograph shows a silhouette of a person interacting with a dramatic play of light and shadow. The person’s face and hands are partially illuminated by a bright, warm light source that cuts through a hazy, purple-tinted atmosphere filled with smoke or mist. The composition is abstract and moody, emphasizing the sensory and ethereal nature of light and color.

Color doesn’t exist—at least not how you think

By Jennifer Byrne

small kitten sitting on a golden retriever's head.

Why some cats love dogs—despite the risk

By Clarissa Brincat

a chicken with brown and white stripes and large orange sacks on the sides of its head

A rare prairie chicken shakes his butt all day to attract ladies

By Laura Baisas

Rough thicktail scorpion (Parabuthus raudus). Paratuthus scorpions' venom is quick-acting, so they do not need to rely as much on their pincers to capture prey.

Metal-reinforced scorpions evolved to kill

an illustration of a woolly mammoth with brown fur and two large tusks and a trunk walking around a snow landscape

We’re still recovering from losing the woolly mammoth

By Laura Baisas

two sea otters in the ocean with one with its paw up

Why playing is no laughing matter for otters

By Heide Island

a sea turtle on a vet's table

Meet Earl Grey, the sea turtle with a wild family tree

By Margherita Bassi

Illustration of giant, ancient finned octopus

65-foot-long octopuses ruled ancient oceans

a penguin with black and white feathers and long yellow feathers on top of its eyes

Macaroni penguins are surprisingly buff

By Laura Baisas

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took this selfie at a location nicknamed "Mary Anning" after a 19th century English paleontologist. This was the site of the chemical experiment uncovering diverse organic molecules on Mars, in the Glen Torridon region, which scientists believe was a site where ancient conditions would have been favorable to supporting life, if it ever was present.

Curiosity finds molecules needed for ancient life on Mars

Illustration of ancient tubular polyps on the ocean floor

450-million year old jellyfish ancestor looks like a flailing carwash tubeman

an illustration of an extinct hedgehog like animal

New megafauna looked like spiky, 30-pound hamster

By Margherita Bassi

a naked mole rat. it is a small, pinkish colored and hairless rodent with large front teeth

Not all naked mole-rat queens go out in a blaze of bloody violence

By Laura Baisas

a small spider attacking a cockroach

New spider named for Pink Floyd devours bugs 6x its size

By Laura Baisas

A portrait-style photograph shows a life-like reconstruction of an early human ancestor, Australopithecus afarensis, against a dark, blurred background. The figure is shown from the chest up, with its head turned to look over its shoulder toward the camera. It has prominent brow ridges, a flat nose, and large, dark, expressive eyes. Its skin is a dark tan, and its head and body are covered in short, reddish-brown hair.

Why humans don’t have tails

By Sara Kiley Watson