Plant lineage points to different evolutionary playbook for temperate species
An ancient, cosmopolitan lineage of plants is shaking up scientists’ understanding of how quickly species evolve in temperate ecosystems and…
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How megalodon’s teeth evolved into the ‘ultimate cutting tools’
Megalodon, the largest shark that ever lived, is known only from its gigantic bladelike teeth, which can be more than…
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Plants’ drought alert system has unlikely evolutionary origin: underwater algae
Plants’ water-to-land leap marks one of the most important milestones in the evolution of life on Earth. But how plants…
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Oldest-known ancestor of modern primates may have come from North America, not Asia
About 56 million years ago, on an Earth so warm that palm trees graced the Arctic Circle, a mouse-sized primate…
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The walking dead: Fossils on the move can distort patterns of mass extinctions
Using the fossil record to accurately estimate the timing and pace of past mass extinctions is no easy task, and…
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Moths with larger hindwings and longer tails are best at deflecting bats
Each night, dramatic aerial battles are waged above our heads, complete with barrel rolls, razor-sharp turns, sonar jamming, cloaking devices…
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Fossils show ancient primates had grooming claws as well as nails
Humans and other primates are outliers among mammals for having nails instead of claws. But how, when and why we…
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Amber fossils provide oldest evidence of frogs in wet, tropical forests
About 99 million years ago, a tiny juvenile frog in present-day Myanmar was suddenly trapped in sap with a beetle,…
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Turtle shells help decode complex links between modern, fossil species
Imagine that Labradors and golden retrievers died out a million years ago, leaving only fossilized skeletons behind. Without the help…
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At last, butterflies get a bigger, better evolutionary tree
For hundreds of years, butterfly collecting has often inspired a special kind of fanaticism, spurring lengthy expeditions, sparking rivalries and…
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