Search Results for: Phylogenetics

Animals

These huntsman spiders do something weird: live together as a big, happy family

Five unusual species of spider moms let youngsters live at home way past the cute waddling baby phase.

Paleontology

This ancient dinosaur was no bigger than a hummingbird

The skull of one of these Mesozoic Era birds — the tiniest yet known — was discovered encased in a chunk of amber originally found in Myanmar.

Ecosystems

Why some insect eggs are spherical while others look like hot dogs

Analyzing a new database of insect eggs’ sizes and shapes suggests that where eggs are laid helps explain some of their diversity of forms.

Paleontology

New fossils are redefining what makes a dinosaur

While some researchers question what characteristics define the dinosaurs, others are uprooting the dino family tree altogether.

Paleontology

Readers debate dinosaur designation and more

Readers had questions about the dino family tree and Venus' habitability.

Life

Defining ‘species’ is a fuzzy art

Here's why scientists still don't agree on what a species is.

Genetics

HIV came to NYC at least a decade before virus ID’d

DNA analysis of early viral strains tracks U.S. debut to early ’70s

Animals

Bacteria make male lacewings disappear

Scientists have tracked down why some green lacewings in Japan produce only female offspring: Bacteria kill off all the males early in life.

Animals

Cuckoos may have a long-lasting impact on other birds

Some birds that don’t have to worry about parasites like cuckoos reject eggs that aren’t their own. It might be a legacy of long-ago parasitism.

Animals

Sing a song of bird phylogeny

A new study challenges assumptions about birdsong, finding that the majority of songbird species have female singers.

Anthropology

Little Red Riding Hood gets an evolutionary makeover

A statistical analysis attempts to track the rise of several widespread folktales.