A new theory linking metabolism and size shows how evolution, not physics, is the driving force behind many of life’s patterns.
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Articles on Evolutionary biology
Displaying 21 - 40 of 156 articles
An anthropologist explains some of the many ways animals use their tails, from balancing as they walk to attracting a mate.
The newly discovered species – Qikiqtania – highlights evolution’s twisty, tangled path.
Frilled sharks haven’t changed for about 80 million years! And while they may look a bit like snakes from a distance, they are actually much more similar to other sharks close up.
Few animals have babies without sex, so biologists assumed asexual reproduction must have evolutionary drawbacks. But a self-cloning Australian grasshopper shows things might be more complicated.
A long-term study of wild animal populations shows each generation is on average almost 20% genetically ‘better’ than their parents at surviving and reproducing.
Live birth has evolved independently more than 150 times. The underlying biophysical processes all look quite similar, but new research shows they use completely different genetic tools.
Birds will shriek and dive at each other over food, territory or mates, but only a small number of species sport actual weapons. The reason: Flying matters more for their survival than fighting.
New research sheds light on why predators don’t evolve to become so aggressive that they eat all their prey – and then go extinct themselves.
How we’re linking together genetic material from thousands of people - modern and ancient - to trace our ancestors and the history of our evolution.
If COVID symptoms are less severe, people with the Omicron variant may be less likely to test and isolate.
Hox genes make sure all your body parts grow in the right place. Understanding how they work can reveal the process of evolution and lead to potential treatments for congenital birth defects.
When the coronavirus copies itself, there is a chance its RNA will mutate. But new variants must jump from one host to another, and the more infections there are, the better chance this will happen.
How have snakes evolved venom fangs so many times in their evolutionary history? Research suggests it’s due to a structure called ‘plicidentine’ in their teeth that can evolve into venom grooves.
Australia’s invasive cane toads may be out-evolving their lungworm parasites.
Evolutionary medicine uses our ancestral history to explain disease prevalence and inform care for conditions like Type 2 diabetes. It also challenges the bio-ethnocentrism of western medicine.
Some snakes have tough, blunt fangs for cracking crabs. Others have sharp needles for getting a grip on mice.
Given tens of millions of years, wildly improbable events – like primates crossing oceans – are almost a given.
Echolocation evolved multiple times in bats over millions of year. Yet the earliest bat ancestors probably didn’t have this skill — or if they did, it was likely very primitive.
For some sand-dwelling plants, stickiness is a defense tactic that keeps predators at bay.
Top contributors
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Honorary Associate Professor, UNSW Sydney
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Strategic Professor in Palaeontology, Flinders University
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Mark Elgar is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor of Evolutionary Biology, The University of Melbourne
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Postdoctoral Researcher , The University of Melbourne
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PhD Researcher, Nature and Function of Human Nonverbal Vocalisations, University of Sussex
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Adjunct Research Associate, Monash University
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Associate Professor, The University of Queensland
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Jenny Graves is a Friend of The Conversation.
Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Vice Chancellor's Fellow, La Trobe University
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Senior Lecturer, Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University
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Lecturer, Macquarie University
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Sexual health researcher, The University of Melbourne
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Research fellow, University of Sydney
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Postdoctoral Researcher of Evolutionary Biology, University of Pennsylvania
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Senior lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, University of Bristol
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Research Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology, The University of Western Australia
