Evolution

By testing the luminescence of ancient bones, an international team of researchers has provided strong evidence that residents of South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave may have been cooking their breakfast some time between 1.07 and 1.78 million years ago.

The rules of biology have been torn up by a small fish in the Pacific that steals light-producing molecules it from its food to make it bioluminescent, providing an "invisibility cloak" it needs for protection. It's the only example of kleptoproteinism we know of.

The aroma of freshly cut grass is one of nature’s most recognizable scents, but it's not produced for our enjoyment. It's actually part of an ancient chemical war that plants have been fighting against predators for millions of years.

One of the world’s most dangerous birds may carry signals invisible to the human eye. Scientists have found that the helmet-like casque atop a cassowary’s head fluoresces under UV light, revealing striking patterns that differ between species.

RNA can make copies of itself, and also catalyze its self-replication. But how could such a complex molecule in simple organisms copy itself without any mutations? And how did these complex molecules emerge before advanced life forms?

Fascinating new analysis of fabric samples and other artifacts from a cave in Oregon reveals that humans may have stitched clothing as far back as 12,600 years ago – giving us an understanding of a critical aspect of evolution in that period.

When escaped domestic pigs bred with wild boar after the Fukushima evacuation, researchers gained a rare chance to observe large-scale hybridization. The result offers a new lens on how fast-breeding traits can quietly reshape wildlife genetics.

Male nipples. Whale pelvic bones. Vestigial hind limbs in snakes. Evolution is full of features that look purposeful but are actually by-products with no explicit function. New research suggests the human chin may be one such evolutionary side effect.

For two decades giant viruses have unsettled one of biology’s most fundamental boundaries forcing scientists to rethink how cellular complexity emerged. A newly discovered giant virus sharpens that debate, offering clues about how a key feature of most complex life may have evolved.

The earliest ancestors of all backboned animals, including humans, may have viewed the world with four eyes, not just two, according to a new study. The remnants of those extra eyes persist deep in the human brain today as the pineal organ.

We generally associate the origins of mathematical thinking with the emergence of writing but a new study challenges this assumption looking at floral designs found on the pottery sherds across northern Mesopotamia, dating back 8000 years.

New research has found when plant leaves physically touch each other, they seem to form a biological signalling network to warn each other about upcoming stress. This boosts resilience to intense light, a common environmental challenge.