Evolution
Can New Species Evolve From Cancers? Maybe. Here’s How.
Researchers agree it’s a long shot, but transmissible cancers could theoretically evolve into independent species. Certain weird parasites might be living proof.
Rapid Oxygen Changes Fueled an Explosion in Ancient Animal Diversity
Skyrocketing animal diversity a half-billion years ago was linked to spikes and dips in marine oxygen levels, according to a detailed geological study.
Why It Pays to Play Around
Play is so important that nature invented it long before it invented us.
Evolution Is Really Not That Into Sex
Plants and animals have reproduced without sex for eons. So why did nature bother?
Why We Stink at Tackling Climate Change
Global threats result from human culture outrunning human biology.
Why Evolution Reversed These Insects’ Sex Organs
Among these cave insects, the females evolved to have penises—twice. The reasons challenge common assumptions about sex.
Three Biochemists Win Chemistry Nobel for Directing Evolution
By using the power of evolution to solve practical problems, three researchers opened new avenues to chemical discovery.
Why Nature Prefers Couples, Even for Yeast
Some species have the equivalent of many more than two sexes, but most do not. A new model suggests the reason depends on how often they mate.
