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.
July 3, 2025 • ~10 min
Humans change the urban landscape with religious, cultural and political activities, which in turn can influence the evolution of urban animals and plants.
Multilevel selection is a controversial concept originally proposed by Darwin. A new study found evidence for it in the wild in a group of marmots scientists have been observing for more than 60 years.
Humans evolved late in Earth history. While this timing inspired the conclusion that humanlike life is a cosmic improbability, a new study pushes back.
Twins are pretty rare, accounting for just 3% of births in the US these days. But new research shows that for primates 60 million years ago, giving birth to twins was the norm.
Evolution is often depicted as a steady forward march from simple to complex forms. But new research shows that certain ferns can evolve ‘backward.’
The earliest cells likely didn’t have membranes to separate and protect their components and chemistry away from a harsh surrounding environment. But they may have made do with rain.
Giraffe necks are a hot topic among biologists. A new study contradicts an older theory that says male giraffes need long necks to fight over mates.
An evolutionary biologist is studying what these resilient urban pests can teach us about adaptation and evolution.
Because hammerhead sharks give birth to live young, studying their embryonic development is much more complicated than harvesting some eggs and watching them develop in real time.
From dark dragonflies becoming paler to plants flowering earlier, some species are slowly evolving with the climate. Evolutionary biologists explain why few will evolve fast enough.
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