Why did our ancestors ditch the shell and start growing babies inside their bodies instead? In this episode of Big Ideas, from the team behind Deep Look, Niba zooms out to explore one of evolution’s ...

It is widely believed that human emotions, from love to ambition to pride or desire for freedom, for instance, are hardwired into our brain and that, therefore, both their range and their nature are ...

Mammals are not especially diverse. Roughly 6,800 mammal species are known to exist, compared with about 8,800 species of amphibian, 11,000 species of bird and 12,500 of reptile. Yet when most people ...

Explore mammals’ surprising origins, long before the age of dinosaurs. The surprising story of mammal evolution begins long before the age of dinosaurs. Witness how some of our prehistoric mammal ...

The surprising story of mammal evolution begins long before the age of dinosaurs. Witness how some of our prehistoric mammal relatives survived global catastrophes, defying extinction and evolving ...

Tiny mammals don’t get much attention next to elephants or whales, but their size gives them a surprising edge. These animals can squeeze into impossible places, survive on scraps, and avoid detection ...

Living in a Southern California beach community with our climate — the surf, sand and sun — shapes who we are. Like many Angelenos, I find comfort near the ocean; it has a soothing regenerative ...

John Woinarski has previously received Australian government funding through the National Environment Science Program and for contributions to the Threat Abatement Plans for feral cats and foxes. He ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more. This ...

One of the most important steps in the evolution of modern mammals was the development of highly sensitive hearing. The middle ear of mammals, with an eardrum and several small bones, allows us to ...

Soay sheep, native to Scotland, are known for their hardiness and small size—and also for their cheatin’ hearts. The breed earned the dubious distinction of being the least monogamous in a new study ...

How monogamous are humans, really? It’s an age-old question subject to significant debate. Now a University of Cambridge professor has an answer: somewhere between the Eurasian beaver and a meerkat.