Ancient people immigrated to Cancun Island and were treated just like locals, according to a study published October 25, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Andrea Cucina of the Autonomous University of Yucatan, Mexico and colleagues.

They don't know it, but Darwin's finches changed the world. These closely related species -- native to the Galapagos Islands -- each sport a uniquely shaped beak that matches their preferred diet. Studying these birds helped Charles Darwin develop the t

The explosion of the underwater volcano Kolumbo in the Aegean Sea in 1650 triggered a destructive tsunami that was described by historical eye witnesses. A group of researchers led by Dr Jens Karstens from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Ki

Examining how plates move in Earth's mantle and how mountains form is no easy feat. Certain rocks that have sunk deep into Earth's interior and then returned from there can deliver answers.

Cyanobacteria are a key species in Earth's history, as they introduced atmospheric oxygen for the first time. The analysis of their evolution therefore provides important insights into the formation of modern aerobic ecosystems. For a long time, a certai

Ask a biologist why predators don't exterminate all their prey, part of the answer often is that there is an ongoing arms race between predators and prey, with both parties continuously evolving new ways to cheat each other.

Two-thousand years ago, forts were constructed by the Roman Empire across the northern Fertile Crescent, spanning from what is now western Syria to northwestern Iraq.

A research team led by the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) has identified the most widespread genetic contribution by Denisovans to date. The study reveals that the genetic variant observed, which affects zinc reg

A new Antarctic ice sheet modeling study from scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography suggests that meltwater flowing out to sea from beneath Antarctic glaciers is making them lose ice faster.

Scientists have discovered a new species of mosasaur, large, carnivorous aquatic lizards that lived during the late Cretaceous. With "transitional" traits that place it between two well-known mosasaurs, the new species is named after a sea serpent in No

A recent study found some of the oldest animals in the world living in a place you wouldn't expect: fishes in the Arizona desert. Researchers found the second genus of animal ever for which three or more species have known lifespans greater than 100 year

A new analysis of the bones and muscles in ancient fish gives new clues about how the shoulder evolved in animals -- including us.