A new study proves for the first time that the ‘two-thirds scaling law’ applies to large animals as well as small ones, offering key lessons for conversation.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

12.06.2025

In most mammals, one gene determines sex. But 100 million years ago, platypuses and echidnas went their own way

The monotreme sex gene may have been found after decades of searching – and it’s not what anyone expected.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

11.06.2025

Visual feature: Scanning Australia’s bones

Can a new database of 3D bone scans help solve the mystery of the elusive ngudlukanta?

The Conversation - Automotive industry

10.06.2025

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.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

05.06.2025

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.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

02.06.2025

Your smartphone is a parasite, according to evolution

Many of us are hostage to our phones – and it’s not unlike having head lice.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

28.05.2025

This rare alpine frog is fighting against a lethal fungus – by breeding faster and faster

Infected male alpine tree frogs set about fathering far more offspring, helping avoid extinction in the wild – for now.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

28.05.2025

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.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

24.05.2025

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.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

23.05.2025

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.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

21.05.2025

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

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

The Conversation - Automotive industry

15.05.2025

Newly discovered frog species from 55 million years ago challenges evolutionary tree

The new species is the earliest known Australian tree frog.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

15.05.2025

Improving human beings to make them perform better: Why is transhumanism so harmful?

The technoscientific ambition to improve human beings, as promoted by transhumanists, is the ultimate expression of the political refusal to change our world.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

08.05.2025

Antibiotic resistance dates back millions of years, with important lessons for modern medicine

Antibiotic resistance has played a key role in the evolution and survival of bacteria.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

03.05.2025

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.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

01.05.2025

Our ape cousins show us empathy has deep evolutionary roots – new research

It may be time to move on from species stereotypes.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

01.05.2025

Bees, fish and plants show how climate change’s accelerating pace is disrupting nature in 2 key ways

Fast-rising temperatures can change how plants and animals behave and disrupt the delicate timing of pollination.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

01.05.2025

Who would win in a fight between 100 men and 1 gorilla? An evolutionary expert weighs in

Beyond the jokes and memes, this silly debate provides an opportunity to reflect on human evolution.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

29.04.2025

Echidna ancestors lived watery lifestyles like platypuses 100 million years ago – new study

A controversial idea suggests the ancestors of echidnas were more like the platypus. For the first time, fossil evidence might support it.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

29.04.2025

1 billion years ago, a meteorite struck Scotland and influenced life on Earth

The microbes living here were dramatically disrupted – and the future of life on Earth changed.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

26.04.2025

How human connections shaped the spread of farming among ancient communities

Human history has been shaped by interactions between communities.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

21.04.2025

A secret mathematical rule has shaped the beaks of birds and other dinosaurs for 200 million years

Bird beaks are incredibly diverse – but there’s a way to explain the pattern of their evolution.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

11.04.2025

We study ‘planktivores’ – and found an amazing diversity of shapes among plankton-feeding fishes

Ever since Charles Darwin, scientists have assumed species facing the same problem often evolve similar traits. But that’s not always the case.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

11.04.2025

How AI could influence the evolution of humanity – podcast

Evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks talks to The Conversation Weekly about AI’s potential to influence our evolution.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

08.04.2025

How we used AI to trace the evolution of bacteria on Earth

Until now, it’s been very hard for scientists to establish a detailed timeline of the early evolution of bacteria.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

04.04.2025

Bonobos create phrases in similar ways to humans, new study suggests

Human language is not as unique as we think.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

04.04.2025

The bizarre-looking dinosaur challenging what we know about the evolution of fingers

Oviraptorosaurs are weird dinosaurs, which look a bit like flightless birds. But these ancient animals aren’t just funny looking fossils. As my team’s new research shows, they can help us understand how…

The Conversation - Automotive industry

04.04.2025

1 trillion species, 3 billion years: how we used AI to trace the evolution of bacteria on Earth

Until now, it’s been very hard for scientists to establish a detailed timeline of the early evolution of bacteria.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

01.04.2025

How viruses blur the boundaries of life

The question of whether viruses are alive or dead is a controversial one in science.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

28.03.2025

Wild marmots’ social networks reveal controversial evolutionary theory in action

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.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

26.03.2025

Amid a tropical paradise known as ‘Lizard Island,’ researchers are cracking open evolution’s black box – scientist at work

A decade of fieldwork is revealing how one of biology’s fundamental principles works in real time.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

25.03.2025

What makes the human brain unique? We compared it with monkeys and apes to find out

Advances in technology are making it easier to explore this question.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

22.03.2025

How dramatic daily swings in oxygen shaped early animal life – new study

Environmental stress in evolution can be reframed as a powerful engine of innovation, not simply a barrier to survival.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

20.03.2025

Evolution: features that help finding a mate may lead to smaller brains

Males and females differing in body size is a common outcome of sexual selection.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

15.03.2025

Western Europe’s oldest human face discovered in Spain

The bone fragments belong to an extinct species of human who lived 1.4 million years ago.

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

‘Monkey Biz-ness’: Pop culture helped fan the flames of the Scopes ‘monkey trial’ 100 years ago − and ever since

Sharks freeze when you turn them upside down – and there’s no good reason why

My kids only want to eat processed foods. How can I get them eating a healthier and more varied diet?

Neanderthal extinction: a space physicist reopens the debate

Sharks come in many different shapes and sizes. But they all follow a centuries-old mathematical rule

In most mammals, one gene determines sex. But 100 million years ago, platypuses and echidnas went their own way

Visual feature: Scanning Australia’s bones

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

How did humans evolve such rotten genetics?

Your smartphone is a parasite, according to evolution

This rare alpine frog is fighting against a lethal fungus – by breeding faster and faster

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

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

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

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

Newly discovered frog species from 55 million years ago challenges evolutionary tree

Improving human beings to make them perform better: Why is transhumanism so harmful?

Antibiotic resistance dates back millions of years, with important lessons for modern medicine

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

Our ape cousins show us empathy has deep evolutionary roots – new research

Bees, fish and plants show how climate change’s accelerating pace is disrupting nature in 2 key ways

Who would win in a fight between 100 men and 1 gorilla? An evolutionary expert weighs in

Echidna ancestors lived watery lifestyles like platypuses 100 million years ago – new study

1 billion years ago, a meteorite struck Scotland and influenced life on Earth

How human connections shaped the spread of farming among ancient communities

A secret mathematical rule has shaped the beaks of birds and other dinosaurs for 200 million years

We study ‘planktivores’ – and found an amazing diversity of shapes among plankton-feeding fishes

How AI could influence the evolution of humanity – podcast

How we used AI to trace the evolution of bacteria on Earth

Bonobos create phrases in similar ways to humans, new study suggests

The bizarre-looking dinosaur challenging what we know about the evolution of fingers

1 trillion species, 3 billion years: how we used AI to trace the evolution of bacteria on Earth

How viruses blur the boundaries of life

Wild marmots’ social networks reveal controversial evolutionary theory in action

Amid a tropical paradise known as ‘Lizard Island,’ researchers are cracking open evolution’s black box – scientist at work

What makes the human brain unique? We compared it with monkeys and apes to find out

How dramatic daily swings in oxygen shaped early animal life – new study

Evolution: features that help finding a mate may lead to smaller brains

Western Europe’s oldest human face discovered in Spain

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