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.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

14.12.2024

Ferns’ ability to evolve ‘backward’ offers insights into the meandering path of evolution

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 Conversation - Automotive industry

07.12.2024

Extraterrestrial life may look nothing like life on Earth − so astrobiologists are coming up with a framework to study how complex systems evolve

A specific set of chemical conditions led to the emergence of life on Earth. But can life emerge from other chemistries?

The Conversation - Automotive industry

30.11.2024

Corals can adapt to warming oceans, but not fast enough – new research

Natural selection won’t keep pace with global warming if the Paris climate agreement isn’t realised.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

26.11.2024

Smaller brains? Fewer friends? An evolutionary biologist asks how AI will change humanity’s future

Evolution could alter or even eliminate some of the human traits we cherish most, changing forever what it means to be human.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

13.11.2024

Prime time for cicadas: what a once-in-1,547-year bug population surge tells us about the nature of reality

Three groups of cicadas have emerged together this year for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire. The reason is pure mathematics.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

13.11.2024

Corpse flowers and flesh flies: why so many plants and fungi stink like death warmed up

The stench of a rare corpse flower make us retch. But you’re not the target – the plant wants to lure carrion beetles and flesh flies

The Conversation - Automotive industry

13.11.2024

Cacti are surprisingly fragile – and five other intriguing facts about these spiky wonders

Cacti are more complex and mysterious than you might realise.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

11.11.2024

A single atom can change the colour of a bird. These are the genes responsible

New research reveals how parrots and finches develop their extraordinary colours – and shows that evolution is an ongoing process.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

08.11.2024

Plants and animals with bigger genomes grow less efficiently – new research helps explain why they never died out

The size of DNA cells between the biggest and smallest genomes varies by as much as 10,000 times.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

07.11.2024

Are these tiny insects the world’s most bone-idle bugs?

If you’ve ever struggled with chores while your freeloading siblings looked on, you might relate to these tiny insects.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

31.10.2024

Deep sea rocks suggest oxygen can be made without photosynthesis, deepening the mystery of life

A study has found rocks at the bottom of the ocean can make oxygen.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

25.10.2024

Stoneflies change colour in response to deforestation, suggesting humans can alter evolution – new research

A new study shows that rapid loss of forests has prompted a colour change in stoneflies, caused by a genetic mutation. This means human change to the environment can drive evolution.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

24.10.2024

We discovered a new fossil species of prehistoric fish

Researchers have discovered a new extinct species of coelacanth that lived 380 million years ago.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

21.10.2024

How light helped shape our skin colour, eyes and curly hair

Light helps explains the evolution of our skin colour, why some of us have curly hair, and the size of our eyes. And light still shapes us today.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

08.10.2024

We’ve worked out a way of understanding how microbial communities shape life on Earth

Microbial communities are essential to life, yet their complexity has long puzzled scientists. Now, a new framework aims to unravel how these intricate ecosystems form.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

04.10.2024

Cuffing season: an evolutionary explanation for why people want to settle down for the winter months

Another reason could be men’s testosterone levels increase over the winter months.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

21.09.2024

Rare Florida fossil finally ends debate about how porcupine jaws and tails evolved

Modern North American porcupines are at least twice the size of their southern cousins and have stronger jaws. But how long have they looked that way?

The Conversation - Automotive industry

18.09.2024

How do ecosystems collapse? Our study shows evolution plays a role – and can delay a disaster

It’s not easy to tell when a dynamic system, filled with life, might reach a point of no return.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

13.09.2024

Exceptional new fish fossil sparks rethink of how Earth’s geology drives evolution

A new Australian coelacanth find has revealed a surprising force behind the slow evolution of these ‘living fossils’.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

12.09.2024

Baleen whales are among the biggest creatures on Earth – science is revealing new secrets about their size

Baleen whales include the blue whale, the largest animal ever known.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

12.09.2024

The latest version of ChatGPT has a feature you’ll fall in love with. And that’s a worry

Even OpenAI is worried about people developing intimate relationships with the new human-like version of its language model-cum-chatbot. But it should have known the risks.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

12.09.2024

Why we haven’t evolved better knees – new research

And why it’s harder than you might think to evolve knees.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

30.08.2024

We’ve unlocked exotic new beer flavours using genetics

Until a few years ago, it was impossible to create new lager beer.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

28.08.2024

Do cats grieve?

Research has shown cats become distressed and want more attention when a fellow pet dies.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

21.08.2024

What the unique shape of the human heart tells us about our evolution

New research reveals that the human heart has evolved distinct structural and functional traits that set it apart from our closest great ape relatives.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

15.08.2024

How we reconstructed the ancestor of all life on Earth

The organism from which all modern life is descended is called the last universal common ancestor - and scientists are still trying to figure out what it was like.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

14.08.2024

Mammary glands in a dish − what miniature organs reveal about evolution, lactation, regeneration and breast cancer

Organoids of mammary glands can help researchers more efficiently study lactation, with findings that could apply to fields ranging from agriculture to medicine.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

13.08.2024

At its core, life is all about play − just look at the animal kingdom

Reduced to its essence, the process of natural selection would look a lot like play.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

26.07.2024

How roads are reshaping and scarring our planet, and even changing animals’ DNA

‘Road ecology’ is the focus of Crossings, a powerful new book by environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

25.07.2024

Ghosts of species past: shedding new light on the demise of NZ’s moa can help other flightless birds

Reconstructing the demise of New Zealand’s extinct moa can help conserve the country’s remaining flightless birds, which are retreating to the same final places - cold, isolated mountaintops.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

18.07.2024

Bigger animals don’t always have the biggest brains relative to body size – new research

Brains evolve with body size according to a simple rule. Exceptions to that rule include our own species with enormous brains.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

16.07.2024

Not just space rocks: 6 things we’ve learned about Earth from meteorites and comets

Vast amounts of space rocks litter our Solar System, and sometimes land on Earth’s surface. There are many things we can learn from them.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

11.07.2024

Why consciousness may have evolved to benefit society rather than individuals

The experience of subjective awareness may have evolved to enable the communication of privately experienced ideas and feelings.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

04.07.2024

What fathers in the animal kingdom can tell us about humans

Some of the most caring animal fathers are insects.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

03.07.2024

Why most people are right handed but left eyed

Animals have these kinds of brain hemisphere biases too.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

28.06.2024

‘Things started to look dire’: our deep-dive into past climates sounds a warning for this unique corner of Australia

Over millions of years, a stable climate helped create this biodiversity hotspot. Climate change now threatens it.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

22.06.2024

What the 3.2 million-year-old Lucy fossil reveals about nudity and shame

The way Lucy has been depicted in newspapers, textbooks and museums shows how today’s cultural norms influence perceptions of the past.

The Conversation - Automotive industry

21.06.2024

Ferns and flowers bribe helpful ant defenders with nectar, but ferns developed this ability much later – our study shows why

Ferns have evolved a mutually beneficial relationship with ants, but this happened late in their evolution. A recent study shows that old dogs can learn new tricks.

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Interactive: What Earth’s 4.54 billion-year history would look like in a single year

Twins were the norm for our ancient primate ancestors − one baby at a time had evolutionary advantages

Ferns’ ability to evolve ‘backward’ offers insights into the meandering path of evolution

Extraterrestrial life may look nothing like life on Earth − so astrobiologists are coming up with a framework to study how complex systems evolve

Corals can adapt to warming oceans, but not fast enough – new research

Smaller brains? Fewer friends? An evolutionary biologist asks how AI will change humanity’s future

Prime time for cicadas: what a once-in-1,547-year bug population surge tells us about the nature of reality

Corpse flowers and flesh flies: why so many plants and fungi stink like death warmed up

Cacti are surprisingly fragile – and five other intriguing facts about these spiky wonders

A single atom can change the colour of a bird. These are the genes responsible

Plants and animals with bigger genomes grow less efficiently – new research helps explain why they never died out

Are these tiny insects the world’s most bone-idle bugs?

Deep sea rocks suggest oxygen can be made without photosynthesis, deepening the mystery of life

Stoneflies change colour in response to deforestation, suggesting humans can alter evolution – new research

We discovered a new fossil species of prehistoric fish

How light helped shape our skin colour, eyes and curly hair

We’ve worked out a way of understanding how microbial communities shape life on Earth

Cuffing season: an evolutionary explanation for why people want to settle down for the winter months

Rare Florida fossil finally ends debate about how porcupine jaws and tails evolved

How do ecosystems collapse? Our study shows evolution plays a role – and can delay a disaster

Exceptional new fish fossil sparks rethink of how Earth’s geology drives evolution

Baleen whales are among the biggest creatures on Earth – science is revealing new secrets about their size

The latest version of ChatGPT has a feature you’ll fall in love with. And that’s a worry

Why we haven’t evolved better knees – new research

We’ve unlocked exotic new beer flavours using genetics

Do cats grieve?

What the unique shape of the human heart tells us about our evolution

How we reconstructed the ancestor of all life on Earth

Mammary glands in a dish − what miniature organs reveal about evolution, lactation, regeneration and breast cancer

At its core, life is all about play − just look at the animal kingdom

How roads are reshaping and scarring our planet, and even changing animals’ DNA

Ghosts of species past: shedding new light on the demise of NZ’s moa can help other flightless birds

Bigger animals don’t always have the biggest brains relative to body size – new research

Not just space rocks: 6 things we’ve learned about Earth from meteorites and comets

Why consciousness may have evolved to benefit society rather than individuals

What fathers in the animal kingdom can tell us about humans

Why most people are right handed but left eyed

‘Things started to look dire’: our deep-dive into past climates sounds a warning for this unique corner of Australia

What the 3.2 million-year-old Lucy fossil reveals about nudity and shame

Ferns and flowers bribe helpful ant defenders with nectar, but ferns developed this ability much later – our study shows why

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