AI beats people at identifying ancient and modern antelope remains

A study of the remains of prehistoric and modern African antelopes found AI accurately identified animals more than 90% of the time.

Amy McCaig-Rice University • futurity
Dec. 14, 2023 ~5 min

To sense the world, we all shimmy like a knifefish

An electric knifefish does a shimmy in the water for the same reason a dog sniffs or a human glances around a new place—to make sense of their surroundings.

Roberto Molar Candanosa-Johns Hopkins • futurity
Oct. 31, 2023 ~6 min


Bat jaws reflect their diverse diets

"There are noctilionoid species that have short faces like bulldogs with powerful jaws that can bite the tough exterior of the fruits that they eat."

James Urton-U. Washington • futurity
Oct. 30, 2023 ~8 min

Mycena fungi are evolving to have living hosts

Mushrooms of the genus Mycena not only live off of dead trees and plants, but also young, healthy trees and plants.

Kristian Bjørn-Hansen-U. Copenhagen • futurity
Oct. 23, 2023 ~7 min

How did caterpillars evolve chubby extra legs?

Researchers may have solved the mystery of how caterpillars got their chubby abdominal "prolegs."

National University of Singapore • futurity
Oct. 16, 2023 ~7 min

Insects evolved ‘instantly’ due to climate havoc

An experiment in the wake of Hurricane Harvey shows how species can evolve instantly when they move in response to a climate catastrophe.

Jade Boyd-Rice • futurity
Oct. 11, 2023 ~9 min

Despite simple brains, jellyfish are smarter than we thought

Jellyfish can learn at a much more complex level than ever imagined, despite only having one thousand nerve cells and no centralized brain.

Maria Hornbek-Copenhagen • futurity
Sept. 25, 2023 ~8 min

How did eukaryotes evolve for extreme temps?

Researchers are investigating microbial eukaryotic life in extreme environments, like Lassen National Park's geothermal lake.

Dan Bernardi-Syracuse • futurity
Sept. 11, 2023 ~5 min


Natural selection may pump the brakes on evolution

Natural selection is usually understood in the context of change, but new findings suggest that natural selection also has the power to keep things the same.

Emilie Lorditch-Michigan State • futurity
Aug. 30, 2023 ~8 min

Team solves puzzle of when bees first evolved

Bees first evolved more than 120 million years ago and diversified faster and spread wider than previously thought.

Seth Truscott-Washington State • futurity
July 31, 2023 ~5 min

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