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Evolution

Wildfires Are Changing Animal Evolution

Adaptations that once saved creatures are now putting them in peril.

Animal Sex Determination Is Weirder Than You Think

Parasites, weather, and luck can play a role in determining whether some animals are male or female.

April 12, 2023

The Spiritual Materialist

How transcendent feelings arise from the forces of Darwinian natural selection.

March 30, 2023

Why Is That Funny?

How evolution made us laugh.

October 19, 2022

The Wizards of Mind Control

How parasites manipulate the behavior of their hosts.

September 7, 2022

Another Path to Intelligence

Octopus brains are nothing like ours—yet we have much in common.

August 17, 2022

The Evolutionary Mystery of Menopause

New studies reinforce the hypothesis that grandmothers fostered our evolutionary success.

August 9, 2022

The Giraffe Neck Evolved for Sexual Combat

Discovery of a previously unknown ancient giraffe species offers a new look into sexual selection and evolution.

June 10, 2022

E.O. Wilson Saw the World in a Wholly New Way

“Did you like the grenade I tossed in their midst?” the biologist asked me.

January 5, 2022

The Human Family Tree, It Turns Out, Is Complicated

How the story of human evolution continues to branch out.

June 30, 2021

Harnessing the Power of Evolution in the Battle against COVID-19

Decades of basic science research have helped us to understand this evolutionary arms race and stay one step ahead of the pathogens in our midst.

April 7, 2021