The molecular clock theory posits that genetic changes happen steadily and gradually, offering a reliable means for peering into the past and theorizing when complex life first emerged. However, there ...

It’s always good to start a new year with new thoughts, goals, and words. Jennifer Goble (Courtesy photo) My new thoughts: I’m not old, I’m just lucky to still be here and able to connect the dots ...

This has been quite the wild year in human evolution stories. Our relatives, living and extinct, got a lot of attention—from new developments in ape cognition to an expanded perspective of a ...

Human evolution’s biggest mystery, which emerged 15 years ago from a 60,000-year-old pinkie finger bone, finally started to unravel in 2025. Analysis of DNA extracted from the fossil electrified the ...

A major evolutionary theory says most genetic changes don’t really matter, but new evidence suggests that’s not true. Researchers found that helpful mutations happen surprisingly often. The twist is ...

One of the most important steps in the evolution of modern mammals was the development of highly sensitive hearing. The middle ear of mammals, with an eardrum and several small bones, allows us to ...

If you are feeling dispirited at work or burned out by the general pressure of life, there is a perfect word for you: "involution." The Mandarin Chinese word for "involution" — neijuan — is now a ...

This is an extract from Our Human Story, our newsletter about the revolution in archaeology. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every month. If I tried to recap all the new fossils, new methods and ...

Modern dog breeds come in a mind-boggling array of shapes and sizes—from Chihuahua to Great Dane, corgi to greyhound, pug to German shepherd. In fact, the domestic dog, Canis familiaris, shows more ...

For centuries, engineers have turned to nature for inspiration. Leonardo da Vinci dreamed of gliding machines that would mimic birds. Today, the close study of animals and plants is leading to ...

China’s “anti-involution” policy to tackle deflation, announced in 2024, is still in its early stages. Lower import prices for Chinese goods can ripple through trading partners’ economies. Investors ...