Which came first, the butt or the mouth? New research gives an answer
It's a chicken-and-the-egg question, but "which came first?" might not be the right way to think about it
Mycorrhizal fungi helped plants make the transition from water to land
These fungi attach to plant roots, helping them absorb nutrients and water
Deep sub-surface "microbial dark matter" hasn't evolved since Pangea
The ancient microbes have survived brutal conditions for millions of years and hit pause on evolution
Evolution doesn't work the way you think it does
An evolutionary biologist explains all the things you might get into an argument over
New evidence for the first life on land comes from an ancient microbial fingerprint
By comparing the chemical composition of modern microbial communities to their ancient counterparts, researchers can find better evidence of the earliest life on land. It's older than you think
The brain's imprint on the skull shows what separates humans from other primates
The key appears to be lateralization, meaning the specialization of different sides of the brain for different functions
Our concept of life is too Earth-centric — alien life might look totally different
There are over 100 scientific definitions of "life," and none might be accurate outside Earth
Scientists recreated a key step for the origin of life at hydrothermal vents
Simulating alkaline environments from 3 billion years ago showed formation of precursor cells is possible
When finding a mate, intelligence matters to female parakeets
A new study finds that female budgies are attracted to smarter partners
Simulating evolution helped scientists design a better virus
It sounds like an arcane superpower. It boils down to random mutation and selection
Why the first vertebrates to leave the ocean learned to see before they could walk
Advanced eyesight might have paved the way for better brains and complex thought