Look out your window, and you might see the broad leaves of a mulberry tree or thin needles of a pine. Perhaps you have an orchid on your windowsill and have noticed the extravagant curves of its petals. All these shapes emerge from the same... click to read more

Complex life on Earth requires oxygen. Understanding how oxygen levels have evolved on our planet can provide an insight into our own evolution and the possibility of complex life evolving elsewhere. Current theories suggest that Earth's O2 levels have risen three times over its 4.5... click to read more

In a famous cartoon, a fish morphs slowly into a human as it forsakes water for dry land. With sly humor, this doodle actually captures a pervasive narrative of evolutionary history: the oceans are life's cradle, with life gaining the continents only later. Seemingly, the... click to read more

Our research team has determined the age of Homo naledi, a new species of hominin (human ancestor), from the Rising Star Cave in The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, South Africa. We have also announced the discovery of a second chamber (the Lesedi Chamber)... click to read more

Under the name "whale" lies an important diversity of aquatic mammals. Usually, scientists divide them into three groups. "Baleen whales", also called whales with mustache, is an extant group including the humpback whales and the largest animals that ever lived on earth, the blue whales.... click to read more