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Evolution

Why Did Humans Evolve to Favor One Hand Over the Other?

Whoever heard of a right-handed monkey?

May 18, 2026

Other Animals Share Human Mothers’ Pain

The widespread trials and tribulations of mammal childbirth

We Got Lucky as a Species

From an ancient brush with extinction came the big modern brain

May 18, 2026

Ancient Teeth Hint at Homo Erectus-Denisovan Interbreeding

The human family tree gets more complicated

May 15, 2026

Why Penguins Don’t Fly

We have a lot to learn about adaptability from a bird who evolved to swim

May 15, 2026

What Lamarck’s Giraffe Got Right

Jessica Riskin’s three greatest revelations while writing Power of Life

May 14, 2026

Where Does Novelty Come From?

A conversation with paleobiologist Douglas Erwin about how novelty becomes true innovation in biological and cultural evolution

May 8, 2026

Most Bird Wings Aren’t Optimized for Flight

They’re flying on a wing and a prayer

May 7, 2026

Our Human Ancestors Dined on Takeout

Why early hominins opted for the to-go option

May 4, 2026

The Rapid Evolution of Giant Daisies

They’re the botanical versions of Darwin’s finches

April 30, 2026

Our Eyes Originated in a 600-Million-Year-Old Cyclops

There was a time when one eye was better than two

April 28, 2026

Could Neanderthals Speak Like Us?

They had the right genes for it

April 23, 2026