evolution

Florida Museum researchers’ discovery of a giant fossilized snake reveals that the tropics were ruled by beasts larger than anyone imagined.

Special cells in the brain mimic the actions and intentions of others, forming the basis of empathy and social connections.

Ancient genes, recycled and repurposed, control embryonic development in organisms of striking diversity.

A noted Darwin historian probes the naturalist’s inner life.

February 2008

Moray eels grab scientific attention—and more—with their jaws.

Human ailments as varied as hernias, hiccups, and choking are a legacy of our “fishy” ancestry.

March 2008

What airplane designers could learn from the shape-changing wings of birds

July–August 2008

An Internet guide to the evolution of plants

Toxic hairs enable some caterpillars to venture forth in conspicuous processions.

June 2000

The fleshy pink "fingers" on the snout of the star-nosed mole point to this animal's unique evolutionary history.

Even at an early evolutionary stage, bird-like dinosaurs occupied different niches in the same ecosystem,

Dung beetles use light from the MIlky Way to find their way

Recently identified subspecies ranges farther than first imagined: across Africa.

An archaeologist ponders the fate of Hoover Dam