Ancient Ancestors of Deadly Snakes Swam to Australia, Study Finds
Researchers examined the evolutionary history of two of the most deadly venomous snakes in Australia—eastern brown snakes and tiger snakes
Megalodon Might Not Have Looked Like a Great White Shark on Steroids
The sharks lived between 20 million and 3.6 million years ago and it is thought they could grow up to 60 feet long.
Scientists Trace Back Earliest Evolution of Human Teeth to Ancient Species
Evolutionary adaptations have excited researchers that have discovered a connection between mammals today and predators from about 300 million years ago.
Treasure Trove of Dinosaur Fossils Could Rewrite Prehistory
Among the remains of at least seven individuals from a species of Hadrosaur is an individual named Bruno, the most complete dinosaur skeleton found in Italy.
Human Brains Shrank 3,000 Years Ago—Ants Could Tell Us Why
Researchers found similarities between the shrinking of human brains and the reduction of brain size caused by the specialization of roles in ant societies.
Elephants May Be Evolving Past Tusks, Scientists Blame Humans
Researchers report elephants are rapidly evolving to not have tusks, and they believe they know why.
Animals Keep Evolving Into Crabs, and Scientists Don't Know Why
Crabs have evolved at least five separate times, and the process for adopting a crab shape is so popular it even has a name—carcinization.
Cannibal Frog Species Accelerating Evolution by Eating Its Offspring
Australia's millions of cane toads have started cannibalizing their young to prevent overpopulation—but the species' rapid evolution is fighting back.
Secretly Carnivorous Plant Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight, Say Scientists
"Our study serves as a vivid reminder that other cryptic carnivores may yet remain to be discovered," noted the researchers behind the discovery.
Why Do Giraffes Have Long Necks? Answers to 25 Animal Evolution Questions
From termites to humans, here are the answers to some burning questions about creatures big and small.
This Weird Anatomical Feature Shows Humans Are Still Evolving
And researchers estimate that by 2100, most people will have it.
Discovery May Rewrite Shark Evolution
410-million-year-old fish suggests that sharks once had bony skeletons before they evolved to become cartilaginous.
Tiny Ancestor of Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs Stood Just 4 Inches Tall
The reptile is an early member of the animal group Ornithodira to which both dinosaurs and pterosaurs belong.
Beards May Have Evolved to Protect Men From Punches to the Face
The facial hair may serve a similar function to a lion's mane, scientists believe.
Huge Saber-Toothed Anchovies Emerged After Dinosaurs Went Extinct
The largest of these prehistoric species was 10 times the length of anchovies living today.
Fossils of Bizarre Plant-like Animals Found to Contain Ball-like Structures
The shape of the structures resemble that of complex carbon molecules known as "fullerenes," which were one of the first nanoparticles discovered by scientists.
Genetic Quirk Could Explain How Pangolins Can Tolerate Coronaviruses
Pangolins are missing two genes that alert mammals to invading viruses. Scientists suggests understanding how they tolerate the virus without these genes could pave way for COVID-19 treatments.
Electrical Activity in Animals Is Similar to Atmospheric Electric Fields
Most electrical activity in vertebrates and invertebrates occurs at extremely low frequencies, but the reasons for this have long remained a mystery.
Frozen Bull Semen May Have Sparked Outbreak of Bluetongue Virus in Europe
The virus reemerged in France in 2015, five years after the original outbreak was brought under control.
Fossil of Gondwanan 'Crazy Beast' From 66 Million Years Ago Discovered
The skeleton is the most complete of a fossil mammal from the Mesozoic era in the regions that once formed the supercontinent Gondwana.
New Bizarre Species of Turtle Discovered By Scientists
Researchers say the mata mata turtle split into two species during the late Miocene approximately 13 million years ago.
Origin of Brain Network Crucial for Language Pushed Back 20 Million Years
"It is like finding a new fossil of a long-lost ancestor," researcher Chris Petkov said.
Wormlike Creature May Be the Ancestor of Almost All Living Animals
Scientists have used 3D scanning to identify the earliest animal with a front, a back, two symmetrical sides and openings at both ends connected to one another by a gut.
These Female Toads Have Sex With Another Species If Own Males Are Lacking
Scientists described how some species of toad choose to mate with males of a different species, showing that females can place sexual pressure on another species for the first time.
One of Darwin's Evolutionary Theories Has Been Proved By Scientists
More than a century ago, Darwin reasoned genera with more species would contain more variation within those species.
'Wonderchicken' From 66 Million Years Ago Is 'Oldest Known Modern Bird'
The extinct animal may reveal how modern birds survived the asteroid that wiped out large dinosaurs.
Our Hands Originated in Earth's Oceans at Least 380 Million Years Ago
"[The discovery] shows that some of the big steps in evolution we thought were restricted to land animals actually first took place in fishes," said researcher John Long.
The Image of Evolution as a March of Progress Is Wrong. Here's Why
The march of progress is the idea that evolution always results in increased complexity.
Bizarre Worm-like Creature Lost Its Legs Because They Were No Longer Useful
Facivermis is a rare animal that evolved to become more primitive, loosing its back limbs when they were no longer useful.
Mike Pence's Most Controversial Science Remarks
Vice President Mike Pence has some highly controversial "scientific opinions" that have raised more than a few professional eyebrows over the years, from climate change to creationism.