A new study shows the enigmatic hominin species Australopithecus africanus may have breastfed young for around 5-6 years – a very costly practice for the mother.
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Articles on Evolution
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New research outlines how the ancestors of modern humans interbred with several archaic human groups on the passage from Africa to Australia.
The fish at your favourite lake may be outsmarting you.
A shift in climate, along with other environmental disruptions and the invasion of competitors and new predators all likely played an important role in reshaping ancient elephants’ brains.
Human eyes are very complex and are good at doing many jobs at once, while spiders have different sorts of eyes that do different jobs.
Why do some animals amputate their own limbs? Turns out, there’s a whole bunch of reasons why this strategy has evolved.
Researchers were surprised to learn that in 38 countries, lost wallets with higher sums of money were returned more often than those with smaller amounts.
Ladybirds do not have tails because they have no backbones.
Modern science clashes with the idea that the rise of Homo Sapiens was a fluke.
A large number of young people are reluctant to accept evolution. How we teach the topic might be a key reason why.
Resistance to antibiotics is not a new trait, and it is impossible to prevent. But it is possible to avoid its spread.
With the opioid crisis there is no doubt that physicians need safer, nonaddictive pain killers. Now new insights on how to create these are coming from an unlikely source: the naked mole rat.
In the ongoing arms race to kill off mosquitoes that spread malaria, researchers have modified a naturally occurring fungus that kills mosquitoes with a deadly toxin to wipe out these insects faster.
Understanding our evolution can tell us a lot about the health challenges we face today.
Dung beetles are largely invisible. And yet without their vital activities, the world would have a lot more faeces in it.
The discovery of a fungus fossil is pushing back the origin of these ancient organisms and rewriting what we know about evolution and the tree of life.
Yeast isn’t just important for the foods we consume. A rogue lineage of yeast species that evolves faster than any other is revealing secrets that may help illuminate the molecular causes of cancer.
Babies undertake a massive transition during labour and delivery as they move from the supported environment of the uterus to independent existence.
The mating habits of these tiny, colorful fish may be revealing something broader about the animal kingdom, and perhaps even our own desires.
One reason for the likes of the anti-vaxxers movement is a misplaced faith in Mother Nature.
Top contributors
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Strategic Professor in Palaeontology, Flinders University
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Scientia Professor of Evolutionary Ecology; Academic Lead of UNSW's Grand Challenges Program, UNSW Sydney
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Professor in Evolutionary Biology (jointly appointed with South Australian Museum), Flinders University
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Honorary Associate Professor, UNSW Sydney
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Senior Lecturer in Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences at the University of Bath, University of Bath
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Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology at the Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath
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Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, Monash University
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Senior Researcher in Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of the Witwatersrand
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Adjunct Research Associate, Monash University
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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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Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent 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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Professor of Natural Sciences, UCL
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Senior lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, University of Bristol
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Evolutionary Ecology, Griffith University
