Escape artists: Birds learn to avoid flashy, hard-to-catch butterflies and their lookalikes
The showy colors of some butterflies could advertise their speed and nimbleness, much like a coat of bright yellow paint…Read More
Rise of marine predators reshaped ocean life as dramatically as mass extinctions
Evolutionary arms races between marine animals overhauled ocean ecosystems on scales similar to the mass extinctions triggered by global disasters,…Read More
Earliest example of a rapid-fire tongue found in ‘weird and wonderful’ extinct amphibians
Fossils of bizarre, armored amphibians known as albanerpetontids provide the oldest evidence of a slingshot-style tongue, a new Science study…Read More
Skeletal study suggests at least 11 fish species are capable of walking
An international team of scientists has identified at least 11 species of fish suspected to have land-walking abilities. The findings…Read More
In butterfly battle of sexes, males deploy ‘chastity belts’ but females fight back
Some male butterflies go to extreme lengths to ensure their paternity – sealing their mate’s genitalia with a waxy “chastity…Read More
How to get the upper body of a burrowing frog
You might think the buffest frogs would be high jumpers, but if you want shredded pecs, you should train like…Read More
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