War, politics and religion shape wildlife evolution in cities

Humans change the urban landscape with religious, cultural and political activities, which in turn can influence the evolution of urban animals and plants.

Elizabeth Carlen, Living Earth Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellow, Washington University in St. Louis • conversation
July 3, 2025 • ~10 min

Can you spot a ‘fake’ accent? It will depend on where you’re from

How someone speaks should be a lot less important than what is said. But that isn’t always the case.

Jonathan R. Goodman, Research Associate, Public Health, University of Cambridge • conversation
July 2, 2025 • ~6 min

Why evolution can explain human testicle size but not our unique chins

Why human testicles are so different to chimpanzees’ and gorillas’.

Max Telford, Jodrell Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy, UCL • conversation
June 26, 2025 • ~7 min

If people stopped having babies, how long would it be before humans were all gone?

Even though there are 8 billion people on Earth today, a catastrophe could send that number much lower within a few decades.

Michael A. Little, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
June 9, 2025 • ~8 min

How did humans evolve such rotten genetics?

We may have complex brains but evolution hasn’t dealt us the best hand when it comes to genetics.

Laurence D. Hurst, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at The Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath • conversation
June 4, 2025 • ~8 min

What the hidden rhythms of orangutan calls can tell us about language - new research

Recursion was thought to be a unique feature of human language.

Chiara De Gregorio, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Warwick • conversation
May 27, 2025 • ~6 min

From furry friends to fish, turning up the heat helps animals fight germs − how Mother Nature’s cure offers humans a lesson on fever

Fever isn’t necessarily a bad thing − it’s actually a useful response to infections.

Harry Bernheim, Associate Professor Emeritus of Biology, Tufts University • conversation
May 23, 2025 • ~7 min

Billions of cicadas are emerging, from Cape Cod to north Georgia – here’s how and why we map them

Two ecologists explain why a misleading map is worse than no map at all, and how they have worked for years to track the emergences of 13-year and 17-year cicadas.

John Cooley, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut • conversation
May 22, 2025 • ~9 min

For long-tailed tits, it really does take a village

The evolutionary reason so many birds help raise other parents’ chicks.

Ben Hatchwell, Professor of Evolutionary Ecology, University of Sheffield • conversation
May 20, 2025 • ~7 min

How dogs and cats are evolving to look alike and why it’s humans’ fault - new research

Human fashion can be as powerful as millions of years of evolution – and it’s harming our pets.

Grace Carroll, Lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast • conversation
May 2, 2025 • ~7 min

/

25