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The shift from lizard-like sprawl to upright walking in mammals wasn't a smooth climb up the evolutionary ladder. Instead, it was a messy saga full of unexpected detours. Using new bone-mapping tech, researchers discovered that early mammal ancestors ...

Leafcutter ants live in highly organized colonies where every ant has a job, and now researchers can flip those jobs like a switch. By manipulating just two neuropeptides, scientists can turn defenders into nurses or gardeners into leaf harvesters. . ...

Lichen from the Mojave Desert has stunned scientists by surviving months of lethal UVC radiation, suggesting life could exist on distant planets orbiting volatile stars. The secret? A microscopic "sunscreen" layer that protects their vital cells- ...

Wildfires don't just leave behind scorched earth--they leave a toxic legacy in Western rivers that can linger for nearly a decade. A sweeping new study analyzed over 100,000 water samples from more than 500 U.S. watersheds and revealed that ...

Over 300 million years ago, Earth experienced powerful bursts of carbon dioxide from natural sources--like massive volcanic eruptions--that triggered dramatic drops in ocean oxygen levels. These ancient "carbon burps" led to dangerous periods of ...

Southern resident killer whales have been caught on drone video crafting kelp tools to groom one another--an unprecedented behavior among marine mammals. This suggests a deeper social and cultural complexity in these endangered whales than scientists ...

Two Ice Age wolf pups once thought to be early dogs have been identified as wild wolves, thanks to detailed DNA and chemical analysis. Surprisingly, their last meals included woolly rhinoceros meat--an unusually large prey item--hinting that ancient ...

Exploration for deep-sea minerals in the Clarion Clipperton Zone threatens to disrupt an unexpectedly rich ecosystem of whales and dolphins. New studies have detected endangered species in the area and warn that mining noise and sediment could ...

DNA from a skull found at Newgrange once sparked theories of a royal incestuous elite in ancient Ireland, but new research reveals no signs of such a hierarchy. Instead, evidence suggests a surprisingly egalitarian farming society that valued ...

Ancient coral fossils from the remote Seychelles islands have unveiled a dramatic warning for our future--sea levels can rise in sudden, sharp bursts even when global temperatures stay steady.