Giant, fruit-gulping pigeon eaten into extinction on Pacific islands
A large fruit-eating bird from Tonga joins the dodo in the lineup of giant island pigeons hunted to extinction. Fossils…Read More
Plant study challenges tropics’ reputation as site of modern evolutionary innovation
In a surprise twist, a major group of flowering plants is evolving twice as quickly in temperate zones as the…Read More
New books present the PhyloCode, an evolution-based system for naming organisms
Move over, Linnaeus: There’s a new way of naming organisms. Scientists have formalized an alternative set of rules 285 years…Read More
Catnip’s chemical attractant is new twist on old family tradition
Catnip is most famous for its ability to launch felines into a euphoric frenzy, but the origin of its cat-attracting…Read More
Lyin’ eyes: Butterfly, moth eyespots may look the same, but likely evolved separately
The iconic eyespots that some moths and butterflies use to ward off predators likely evolved in distinct ways, providing insights…Read More
Coquí fossil from Puerto Rico takes title of oldest Caribbean frog
The bright chirp of the coquí frog, the national symbol of Puerto Rico, has likely resounded through Caribbean forests for…Read More
Skulls gone wild: How and why some frogs evolved extreme heads
Many frogs look like a water balloon with legs, but don’t be fooled. Beneath slick skin, some species sport spines,…Read More
Bulb size matters: Uncovering the evolution of the plant kingdom’s doomsday preppers
Botanist Cody Coyotee Howard compares bulbs to living bunkers. With an underground stockpile of resources, bulbs can hunker down during…Read More
Scientists sequence 1,100 plants, illuminating 1 billion years of evolution
Plants are evolutionary champions, dominating Earth’s ecosystems for more than a billion years and making the planet habitable for countless…Read More
Butterflies and plants evolved in sync, but moth ‘ears’ predated bats
Butterflies and moths rank among the most diverse groups in the animal kingdom, with nearly 160,000 known species, ranging from…Read More