Evolution

Science

Scientists Discover Historic Blunder: “Lucy” Was Really Named “Suzie”

In an astounding breakthrough, scientists at the International University of West Carolina discovered a longstanding case of mistaken identity: The female skeleton known throughout the world as “Lucy” really belonged to “Suzie”! Three paleontologists, George Kratos, Chiamaka Achieng Afolayan, and Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, were digging around in Ethiopia. One Tuesday, while listening to “Wake […]

On Waking and Rising

Moo.

Have you ever got up in the morning, put on your hat to go out, and realised it’s too small? Then you measure the circumference of your head, only to find that it’s an inch larger than when you measured it the day before? I hate when that happens. More News: Simulated Windows Save Energy […]

New Interactive Approach to Evolution Allows Direct Human Influence

You know what? I frequently interact with plants in ways that are not entirely to my satisfaction. While poison ivy is the most obvious example of unsatisfactory plant-Vim Vocifero interaction, every time I run into a tree when I’m walking in the woods or find those annoying prickles attached to my socks after a long […]

Why We Like Lists

You may have noticed that lists are very popular these days. Nine out of ten blog posts incorporate some kind of list, and, according to one study1 the typical American spends approximately ninety-seven minutes daily dealing with lists of one sort or another. This fascination with lists is not, however, an entirely new thing: archeologists […]

A Scientific Guide to Doughnuts

When you enter your local doughnut shop, what do you feel? Do you experience confusion? Disorientation? A troubling inability to quickly and efficiently choose the absolutely perfect doughnut? A recent poll1 strongly suggests that such symptoms, collectively known as Doughnut Disorientation Syndrome (DDS), occur in approximately 27.500023 %± 8% of the population at large, both […]

Hi-Viz Black

It used to be that bright colors really got you noticed. Fire engine were painted the imaginatively named fire engine red so that they’d stand out among the mob of black model-T Fords, and red haired girls stood out amid the blondes and brunettes. These days, however, fire engines look muted and tasteful—you hardly even […]

Pet Alligators

Scientists in Liverpool, hot on the heels of the well-known Russian case in which foxes were domesticated after 21 generations, have announced that, after 227 generations and 64 years, they have evolved a domesticated alligator. Over the generations their version, dubbed Crocodilius cutenensis, has developed a softer palate, floppy ears, and a non-swinging stub tail. […]