From radar to reptiles, scientists trace the evolution of ancient swimmers
Key Points Convergent evolution occurs when completely unrelated groups of animals evolve similar features in response to similar environmental pressures….
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Scientists discover chameleon’s telephone-cord-like optic nerves once overlooked by Aristotle and Newton
C hameleons’ wandering eyes have fascinated and puzzled scientists since the days of ancient Greece. Now, after millennia of study,…
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When only the strong shells survive: Archaeology’s fresh approach to turn oyster shells into tools of conservation
Key Points As global oyster populations decline and fisheries collapse, archaeologists may be able to inform effective management with valuable,…
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Tempered by time, Choctaw pottery connects ancestral past with living present
Key Points Archaeologists rely on pottery artifacts to understand the everyday lives of the people who made them. Analyzing the…
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No eyes, no brain, no problem: Brittle stars have traveled the world over, and scientists have figured out how
A ncient, gangly cousins of sea stars, brittle stars crawl the seafloor on five flexible arms, which in some cases…
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100 new ribbon worm species and counting
Most are smaller than a toothpick, though some can grow longer than a blue whale. Some of them come in…
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The frosted elfin butterfly returns home to North Florida
The spring sun glinted off the cars rolling through Ichetucknee Springs State Park, but the caravan wasn’t headed to the…
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From prehistoric resident to runaway pet: First tegu fossil found in the U.S.
Originally from South America, the charismatic tegu made its way to the United States via the pet trade of the…
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Giant croclike carnivore fossils found in the Caribbean
Imagine a crocodile built like a greyhound — that’s a sebecid. Standing tall, with some species reaching 20 feet in…
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