Cats evolved in hot desert regions where there were lots of small animals to eat. So they evolved feet that are perfect for pouncing on prey, climbing, scratching and jumping from great heights.
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Articles on Evolution
Displaying 581 - 600 of 987 articles
Elephants naturally avoid cancer after 55 million years of evolution. Scientists are studying if they can extract lessons that could help people.
From the Amazon to Nicaragua, there are humans who never learn numbers. What can these anumeric cultures teach us about ourselves?
Epigenetics is consistent with the theory of evolution – in fact, Darwin predicted that tiny parcels might somehow provide a flow of information from experience to inheritance.
Researchers pieced together evidence from fossils that had been sitting in museums for years.
What do we really know about the link between a species’ sex life and how it evolves?
How do scientists figure out when evolutionary events – like species splitting away from a common ancestor – happened? It turns out our DNA is a kind of molecular clock, keeping time via genetic changes.
The latest research dismisses the idea that viruses form a fourth type of life.
A new study shows cephalopods edit messages from their DNA, allowing them to adapt faster to their environment.
The Astronomer Royal answers some of the world’s – and the universe’s – biggest questions.
Tiny frogs that have spread across New Guinea’s isolated mountains could face an uncertain future if a warming climate pushes them higher up the peaks.
Australia’s animals and plants are already demonstrating their resilience to climate change.
Unlocking the mystery of autism’s origin.
The brains of our ancestors grew larger and smarter thanks to an increase in the flow of blood to the brain
Taking the placenta as a case study, researchers are able to piece together how new organs evolve, by repurposing old tissues and using them to do new jobs.
A new fossil study challenges 130 years of thinking about how dinosaurs evolved.
Many are embarrassed to publicly show too much grief over the death of a dog. But research has shown just how devastating the loss can be.
In science, the word ‘theory’ has a very specific meaning that’s easy for nonscientists to misunderstand or misconstrue. Here’s what a theory must withstand to be accepted by the scientific community.
The first truly terrestrial animals evolved from ancient fishes that left the water for land. But what prompted to move has been a mystery.
There are plenty of mammals that have adapted to life in water, some more than others. That meant they also had to adapt the way they feed.
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
