Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
- Fossils
New clues about dino speed come from birds strutting through mud
Fossilized footprints can help calculate how fast dinosaurs moved. But tests with guinea fowl show that past estimates might not be right.
- Life
Fungi have been ‘zombifying’ insects for 99 million years
Two bits of ancient amber sitting in a lab basement hold evidence of a fungus that’s become famous for controlling the minds of its victims.
- Fossils
North American rhinos once gathered in large, hippo-like herds
The stumpy-legged rhinos survived until about 12 million years ago, when a supervolcano’s ashfall smothered their world.
- Genetics
DNA confirmed a Pueblo tribe’s ties to Chaco Canyon
DNA supports Picuris Pueblo stories of their ancestry going back more than 1,000 years — to the famous Chaco Canyon site.
- Archaeology
Roman gladiators really fought big cats, ancient bite marks suggest
This is the first skeletal evidence of an ancient Roman gladiator show — or execution — involving an exotic animal.
- Animals
Dinosaurs are still alive. Today, we call them birds
Birds don’t look like the scaly giants of Jurassic World. But fossils are revealing how these modern-day dinosaurs descended from ancient reptiles.
- Animals
Weird? These bat toes can glow greenish-blue
Hairy bristles on the toes of Mexican free-tailed bats fluoresce under UV light. The reason is a mystery.
- Genetics
A protein in sweat may protect people from Lyme disease
That protein stopped the disease-causing bacterium from growing in lab dishes or infecting mice.
- Tech
Bioelectronics research wins top award at 2024 Regeneron ISEF
Three grand-award winners each took home at least $50,000. Hundreds more teens shared more than $9 million in prizes at the international competition.
- Animals
Elusive worm-lizards sport weird, spooky skulls
CT scans of these mysterious creatures turned up bizarre internal features. They could offer clues about amphisbaenians’ largely unknown behavior.
- Genetics
Scientists Say: Genetic Engineering
Genetic engineering involves adding, changing or removing certain pieces of DNA from a living thing to give it desired traits.
- Animals
Among mammals, males aren’t usually bigger than females
In a study of more than 400 mammal species, less than half have males that are heavier than females.
