These nematodes complicate how we understand evolutionary lineages.

The problem with carnivores turned omnivores.

Orchids continue to elude science.

Scientists agree that eons ago, a bacterium took up residence inside another cell and became its powerhouse, the mitochondrion. But there are competing theories about the birth of other organelles such as the nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum.

Scientists don't understand why the correlation exists.

This biochemist is determined to create a new life form by reversing the shape of molecules.

We don’t need to think about what life is made of but rather what it does.

You can’t farm spiders — but putting spider genes into silkworms works even better.

The flavor is "simultaneously fascinating and... abusive."

Every astrobiologist wants to find an alien. But the public should be skeptical when the "aliens" look like tiny humans.

The potential benefits of returning the thylacine to Australia make the project worth the effort.

Carnivorous plants fascinate as much now as when their gruesome diet was first discovered.

600 million years ago, the sea sponge had a dream.

The best answer we have is, "Life is matter with intentionality."

"When Harry Met Sally" lied to you.

Though over three billion people speak an Indo-European language, researchers are not sure where the language family originated.

Individuals and organizations can maintain a strong and enduring identity by repeatedly remaking themselves.

The technology could yield "made-to-order resistance genes" to protect crops against pathogens and pests.

A 1.5-million-year-old hominin bone shows signs that the victim was eaten by lions — and humans.

Metaphors like the Great Chain of Being can lead people to misunderstand evolution and humanity’s place in the web of life.

In polarized times, our shared cellular origin can unite us in solidarity and awe — from the embryonic scale to the grandest cosmic perspective.

Hybrid animals emerge when two different species from the same family reproduce. For many years, the kunga’s lineage was just another genetic mystery. 

The space‑specific neurons in the owl’s specialized auditory brain can do advanced math.

People discovered prehistoric fossils long before Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species." The remains of these unknown creatures often puzzled their discoverers.

A marine reptile fossil from Svalbard challenges ideas about evolution and Earth’s greatest mass extinction.

Quantum physics is starting to show up in unexpected places. Indeed, it is at work in animals, plants, and our own bodies. 

There's an entire Universe out there. So, with all that space, all those planets, and all those chances at life, why do we all live here?

From smartphone envy to life dissatisfaction, the root cause of much unhappiness is that we are wired to imagine how things could be better.

Genetic profiles of many dog breeds appear as if siblings mated.

Embark on a journey through one of the most profound ecological transitions in the history of complex life.