Biologists have long puzzled over why organisms with similar numbers of protein-coding genes can differ so dramatically in ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Humans tend to put our own intelligence on a pedestal. Our brains can do math, employ logic, explore abstractions, and think critically.

Humans tend to put our own intelligence on a pedestal. Our brains can do math, employ logic, explore abstractions and think critically. But we can’t claim a monopoly on thought. Among a variety of ...

Researchers report that ancient viruses may be to thank for myelin -- and, by extension, our large, complex brains. The team found that a retrovirus-derived genetic element or 'retrotransposon' is ...

Scientists have discovered the strongest evidence yet that healthy vertebrates can have brain microbiomes. Samuel Velasco / Quanta Magazine The original version of this story appeared in Quanta ...

Researchers have found that germ cells, which develop into eggs and sperm, drive sex-dependent differences in lifespan in vertebrates. Female and male germ cells increase and reduce lifespan, ...

The water-to-land transition stands as one of the most significant events in vertebrate evolution, giving rise to the two major groups of living land vertebrates-amniotes and lissamphibians-which ...

Scientists are eager to figure out why lead doesn't seem to affect brown anoles. Sharp Photography via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 When humans are exposed to lead, they can develop a host of ...

Charles Darwin proposed that evolution is driven by gradual variations in organisms that have a survival advantage in a changing environment. But University of Maryland evolutionary biologist Karen ...