Dec 18th, 2009 · Genes called non-coding genes tell other genes when to switch on and off. New research on this type of gene might explain rapid adaptations like lactose intolerance in humans, the spikes on a fish stickleback and varying colors of flies.
Dec 18th, 2009 · Woolly mammoths and ancient horses may have been roaming the North American steppes longer than scientists thought. Evolutionary biologist Eske Willerslev describes how his team used DNA samples taken from permafrost cores to recalculate when the animals may have disappeared.
Nov 17th, 2009 · This week's staff picks: Biographies from bad-boy Andre Agassi and 'Rogue' politician Sarah Palin. Stephen King returns to form in a new novel, Zadie Smith fascinates in collected essays, and science writer Nicholas Wade argues that God is just an evolutionary adaptation.
Oct 23rd, 2009 · Mining data from the Framingham Heart Study, scientists say they've been able to tease out the effects of natural selection on humans. Evolutionary biologist Stephen Stearns explains how evolutionary forces may produce shorter, rounder, more fertile women in the future.
Sep 18th, 2009 · Reporting in the journal Evolutionary Biology, researchers write that bugs as distantly related as cockroaches, pill bugs and tent caterpillars all respond to the same chemical messenger to steer clear of dead comrades. Evolutionary biologist David Rollo discusses this ancient trait.
Aug 28th, 2009 · In Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, primatologist Richard Wrangham argues that cooking gave early humans an advantage over other primates, leading to larger brains and more free time. Wrangham discusses his theory, and why Homo sapiens can't live on raw food alone.
Jul 17th, 2009 · For over 50 million years, bats and moths have been engaged in an evolutionary arms race. A study in the journal Science identifies another weapon in the moth arsenal: the ability to jam bat sonar. Aaron Corcoran, of Wake Forest University, explains the research.
Feb 13th, 2009 · Researchers in Germany say they have drawn up a map of about 60 percent of the genetic "letters" in the genome of Neanderthals. The map is expected to help reveal what genetic differences allowed humans to leave Neanderthals in the evolutionary dust.