The unexpected discovery of a new type of genetic variation suggests that natural selection -- the force that drives evolution -- is both more powerful and more complex than scientists have thought.

As mutation affects essentially every aspect of biology, the development of a unifying theory for mutation-rate evolution is highly desirable. There is much to be explained. For although the ...

A strange tiny species of crustacean has challenged the way we think about natural selection and evolution. This microscopic animal, known as a water flea or Daphnia pulex, generates genetic variation ...

In a recent study, scientists have demonstrated a link between individual variation in risk-taking behavior and survival of animals in changing environments. For more than a century, scientists have ...

Ten thousand years ago, much of North America was covered with ice. As the glaciers retreated they scooped out an intricate landscape of low hills, small lakes and rushing streams. Slowly, ...

Physiological traits that help Tibetan women survive at high altitudes are being selected for within the population, meaning they may be becoming more common, new research hints. When you purchase ...

A new study suggests that human ingenuity hasn't exempted us from the forces of evolution. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Joe Pickrell works for and holds equity in the personal genomics company Gencove. Molly Przeworski receives funding from the National Institute of Health. Hakhamanesh Mostafavi does not work for, ...

When Charles Darwin articulated his theory of evolution by natural selection in On the Origin of Species in 1859, he focused on adaptations — the changes that enable organisms to survive in new or ...

Speciation, adaptive radiation, and evolution -- Daphne finches : a question of size -- Heritable variation -- Natural selection and evolution -- Breeding ecology and fitness -- A potential competitor ...

Why do humans make so many laws? In a new article, I argue that the human ability to make laws evolved by natural selection. Here are a few snapshots. Laws may seem unlikely to come from evolution.