
Butterflies evolved 100 million years ago in North America
15 May 2023
Many researchers thought butterflies first evolved in Asia, but a global genetic analysis suggests they arose in North America, well before the non-avian dinosaurs went extinct

15 May 2023
Many researchers thought butterflies first evolved in Asia, but a global genetic analysis suggests they arose in North America, well before the non-avian dinosaurs went extinct

27 April 2023
Balto had a varied ancestry, sharing genes with Siberian huskies, Greenland sledge dogs, Vietnamese village dogs and Tibetan mastiffs

12 April 2023
The front fins of skates emerge from their heads as huge wings and now we know how they can develop in this way

26 August 2022
Mucus-producing mucin proteins have repeatedly and independently emerged in mammals, possibly through co-option of existing proteins into slime factories

3 May 2022
Since we split from chimpanzees, a single letter change in our DNA appears to have made us more likely to get cancer, possibly as a trade-off for extra fertility

17 August 2021
An artificial “minimal cell” that has had all but the most essential genes stripped out can evolve and adapt to its surroundings just as fast as a normal cell

22 April 2021
A study of 17 grass species found that 13 of them carry genes that have been transferred from another species, suggesting that gene-swapping happens all the time

19 March 2021
Preserved DNA from animals that lived over 2400 years ago suggests that present-day llamas and alpacas are descended in part from an extinct population of camelids called guanacos

23 September 2020
Do species really exist? Are genes destiny? Do only the fittest survive? Can we shape or stop evolution? New insights into nature are providing surprising answers, and a glorious new picture of life’s complexity

4 August 2020
Natural selection is the process by which some organisms in a population survive and reproduce, while others do not, based on their bodies and behaviour