#Evolution14

31 Mar 2026

How the Amazon molly stays genetically healthy

Researchers at the University of Missouri found that the all-female Amazon molly keeps its DNA healthy despite cloning. They show gene conversion and genome comparisons help explain how the species avoided extinction and remained diverse.

Read

Photo by Brett Jordan, Unsplash

28 Mar 2026

How horses make a two‑tone whinny

Researchers discovered that a horse’s whinny has a low tone from vocal‑fold vibration and a high tone from a laryngeal whistle. Experiments with air and helium helped prove the two different sound sources.

Level

Read

25 Mar 2026

Why seals can control their voices

New research compares seal and coyote brains and finds a direct brain pathway in seals that may allow conscious voice control and vocal learning. The study used diffusion MRI on postmortem brains.

Level

Read

12 Feb 2026

The human chin: an evolutionary byproduct

A new study argues the chin is not a direct adaptation but a byproduct of other skull changes. The chin is unique to Homo sapiens and helps identify our species in fossils.

Level

Read

31 Dec 2025

Single gene switch helps butterflies copy wing patterns

New research shows how one genetic switch lets female swallowtail butterflies copy the wing patterns of toxic species to avoid predators. The study used genomic sequencing and CRISPR and was published in PNAS.

Level

Read

30 Dec 2025

Jaw membrane in ancient Thrinaxodon may be an early eardrum

Researchers used CT scans and engineering simulations on a Thrinaxodon fossil. Their models show a membrane in the jaw could work as an eardrum, pushing the origin of sensitive mammal hearing back by nearly 50 million years.

Level

Read

30 Dec 2025

Foot bones show a species lived with Lucy

Researchers linked a set of foot bones found in Ethiopia to Australopithecus deyiremeda, a species that lived at the same time as Lucy. The fossils and tooth studies give new clues about walking and diet.

Level

Read

26 Dec 2025

Climate shifts shaped carnivoran bodies

New research finds that ancient climate changes helped shape the bodies of carnivorans, which evolved from mongoose-like ancestors. Two major transitions — about 34 million and 15–13 million years ago — influenced body-shape diversification.

Level

Read

20 Dec 2025

Woodrats' genes protect them from rattlesnake venom

New research finds a genetic change that helps woodrats survive rattlesnake bites. Scientists studied a family of genes and found extra copies that can bind and block snake venom components.

Level

Read

8 Dec 2025

Pterosaurs and the fast rise of flight

New research used CT scans to study pterosaur brain cavities and found vision-related brain changes. Scientists say pterosaurs likely evolved powered flight quickly when the group first appeared, unlike birds.

Level

Read

5 Dec 2025

Navigation brain cells in retrosplenial cortex preserved across evolution

Researchers found two special neuron types in the retrosplenial cortex that help navigation. These cells are conserved between mice and rats, linked to spatial disorientation in Alzheimer’s, and are now being studied in humans.

Level

Read

25 Nov 2025

Green Hermit Hummingbird Bills for Fighting and Feeding

New research shows male green hermit hummingbird bills are shaped for fighting and for feeding. Scientists used 3D models and scans and found male bills are straighter and sharper than female bills.

Level

Read

24 Nov 2025

Territory fights help Ngogo chimpanzees have more babies

Study of Ngogo chimpanzees in Uganda finds that killing neighbouring groups and expanding territory led to more births and much better infant survival in the three years after expansion.

Level

Read