evolutionary biology

The fish use their stomach to swell up to three times their size. Is this why they can’t use the organ to digest proteins?

An analysis of skull and vertebrae fossils suggests that an early relative of giraffes butted heads to compete for mates, which may reveal why modern giraffes are so throaty.

The discovery that a group of cell-infecting bacteria lived roughly 2 billion years ago stirs a longstanding controversy around which came first: phagocytosis or mitochondria.

In two related studies, researchers describe huge chromosomal rearrangements and about 500 novel gene clusters in the octopus, squid, and cuttlefish genomes, which they say could help explain how they evolved their extraordinary brains.

Advances in sequencing technologies have finally allowed researchers to zero in on the genetic diversity underlying the incredible mating system of shelf fungi.

Contrary to what researchers had assumed, Egyptian fruit bats don’t rely solely on sight to orient themselves as they drink and forage for food in daylight. 

Researchers find that evolution can operate on extraordinarily fast timescales.

Octopuses were around 82 million years earlier than scientists previously thought—and had two extra limbs at the time.

The dual purposes of the plants’ hidden colors may conflict as the climate warms, authors of a new study suggest.

Epigenetic structures appear to reduce the rate of changes in genes essential for survival and reproduction, a study finds, challenging the notion that mutations are evenly distributed throughout the genome prior to selection.

The International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes recently pulled the rank of phylum into its code of official nomenclature. Experts say the move will help standardize science in the long run but potentially disrupt research now.

A new study suggests that lighter colors may help these species stay cool on their long journeys, when birds are pushing themselves to their physiological limits.

Shared features, such as thick, slimy skin and a throat filled with teeth, suggest that medusafishes are all related.

The Scientist speaks with organismal biologist Xavier Glaudas about possible reasons for his recent finding that male Montpellier snakes cannibalize female conspecifics.

The mice, already known to regenerate skin, seem to avoid the tissue scarring that leads to organ failure in other animals.

A transposable element that jumped into the TBXT gene, which is linked to tail morphology, appears to be to blame for our missing appendage.

The Princeton University evolutionary biologist studies how animals are changing due to human activity.

Researchers found the relatively high proportion of DNA from a hominin cousin—nearly 5 percent—when they scanned more than 1,000 genomes from 118 distinct ethnic groups.

An expert panel will discuss how aging affects cancer risk, development, and treatment practices.

Genes associated with preterm birth and protecting the fetus from the mother’s immune system appear to be regulated by HAND2.