Scientific American: Evolution

1. An Evolutionary 'Big Bang' Explains Why Snakes Come in So Many Strange Varieties

   Snakes saw a burst of adaptation about 128 million years ago that led to them exploding in diversity and evolving up to three times faster than lizards

2. 'Living Fossil' Lizards Are Constantly Evolving--You Just Can't See It

   New research into the “stasis paradox” challenges the rules of evolution

3. Robotic Dinosaur Tests How Dinos (and Birds) Got Wings

   Scientists built a robotic dinosaur to terrify grasshoppers, all in hopes of understanding how truly pathetic wings could offer prehistoric animals an evolutionary advantage

4. New 'Chicken from Hell' Discovered

   A newly identified “chicken from hell” species suggests dinosaurs weren’t sliding toward extinction before the fateful asteroid hit

5. A Comic Guide to the Evolution of Ancient Cells into Complex Brains

   “The anus was a prerequisite for intelligence” said one biologist

6. How Does the World's Largest Seabird Know Where to Fly?

   Wandering albatrosses navigate thousands of miles using “the voice of the sea.”

7. Did Neurons Evolve Twice?

   Tracing the history of the earliest animals offers clues to whether the birth of the neuron was a one-time event

8. Podcasts of the Year: What Better Gift for the Holidays Than a Monstrous Mystery?

   We’re looking back at 2023 for our favorite podcast shows and one about the largest bird to ever fly the skies just flew to the top of the list.

9. The 6 Most Intriguing Things We Learned about Pet Cats and Dogs This Year

   In 2023 we learned that cats really are choosing to ignore humans and that—despite dogs getting all the glory when it comes to retrieving prowess—cats want to play fetch,

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10. Eyeless Cave Spiders Can Still 'See' the Light

    Some species of cave-dwelling spiders lack eyes but still maintain the ability to sense light, which likely protects them from the arid environments at the sunny mouths of caves