Maybe the first life on Earth was part of an ‘RNA world.’
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Fossil evidence of how the earliest life on Earth came to be is hard to come by. But scientists have come up with a few theories based on the microbes, viruses and prions existing today.
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Psychopaths have thrived for so long because of their deceptive powers.
A hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus).
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In birds, big brains aren’t associated with living in large social groups – instead, they’re linked to long stints of parental feeding.
Sunset over New Zealand from the ocean sampling voyage.
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In the deep, dark ocean, sunlight-deprived bacteria turn to different sources of energy: dissolved hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
It wasn’t flying that gave birds the advantage.
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Birds and dinosaurs lived together for millions of years, but only toothless birds survived the asteroid impact that upended life on Earth.
The landscape near Grande Prairie, Alta. contains fossils from the Late Cretaceous period.
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The Wapiti Formation in Alberta is turning out to be a rich site for dinosaur and other fossils. A recent discovery could fill in the gaps about a transition between different ecological communities.
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Orchids give nothing in return to pollinators, so how come they get visited by bees anyway? The answer is trickery and deceit.
You can change your gut microbiome composition by eating different foods.
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Cancer cells are ‘cheaters’ that do not cooperate with the rest of the body. Certain microbes in your diet can either protect against or promote tumor formation by influencing cell cooperation.
Researchers have found evidence that primates colonised northern Canada 52 million years ago.
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Close relatives of primates adapted to life in the High Arctic 52 million years ago – this may offer insight into future changes in the Arctic.
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If we go far enough back in time, we all share an ancestor. And some of the features found in our bones and bodies today are a testament to that.
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Feral cats double the size of domestic tabbies. Cane toads with longer legs. And dingoes with flexible joints. ‘Selection pressure’ is at work on introduced animals.
Pterosaurs are not dinosaurs.
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Prehistoric reptiles like pterodactyls took flight long before bats and birds, but we don’t know how it happened.
Humans have used technology to adapt to the cold.
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Hate winter? The answer may lie in our evolutionary history.
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Less than a century ago, a slither of tiger snakes was abandoned on one of Western Australia’s tiny islets. Here’s how they adapted to survive.
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Birdsong plays a vital social role in the lives of these gregarious finches.
Many of humanity’s innovations have taken inspiration from the natural world.
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Humans often look to nature for the solutions to complex problems – here are five times where biological processes have inspired innovation.
Reindeer have adapted to the dim, blue light of the Arctic winter.
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In winter, light in the northern latitudes is dim and very blue compared to summer light. Reindeer eyes have evolved to be better suited at seeing in this unique environment.
Issa chimpanzees live in a woodland dominated environment interspersed with riparian forests, grasslands, and rocky out-crops.
Photo: R. Drummond-Clarke/GMERC
Almost all theories of human bipedalism explain it as a terrestrial adaptation. A new study does not support that view.
Luke Allen
The first description of the snake clitoris may change what we think we know about mating and courtship among the slithering reptiles.
Descendants of the indigenous San people in the Kalahari Desert.
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The first speech sounds were uttered about 70,000 years ago and not hundreds of thousands of years ago as is sometimes claimed.