New evolutionary law explains how living beings, minerals & species evolve
In the early years of the Solar System, Earth was home to 20 minerals, which evolved to almost 6,000 known minerals today
Major new research claims smaller-brained Homo naledi made rock art and buried the dead. But the evidence is lacking
Four archaeologists who investigate early humans in Africa explain why theyr are not convinced the new research stacks up
Africa is full of bats, but their fossils are scarce — why these rare records matter
Scarcity of bat fossils has implications for bat conservation strategies today
Our expertise and observations complemented those from Europe: Gopakumar Achamveedu
Down To Earth speaks to Gopakumar Achamveedu from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, who is part of the international team of …
Elephant teeth: How they evolved to cope with climate change-driven dietary shifts
20 million years ago, proboscidean teeth looked completely different
They sense electric fields, tolerate snow and have ‘mating trains’: 4 reasons echidnas really are remarkable
Echidnas are even more mysterious and unusual than commonly assumed.
Giant sea lizards: Fossils in Morocco reveal astounding diversity of marine life 66 mn years ago
Far from declining at the end of the Cretaceous, marine reptiles — especially mosasaurs — evolved to become increasingly diverse
It’s reassuring to think humans are evolution’s ultimate destination – but research shows we may be an accident
Modern biologists agree most complex organisms have become more complex over the last 4 billion years, disagree over the process that accounts …
It’s a myth that male animals are usually larger than females — new study
Male-biased size dimorphism was found in only 28% of 429 mammal species examined
Thick ones, pointy ones – how albatross beaks evolved to match their prey
Beak size, shape varied between albatross species, making it a useful tool for identifying species that otherwise look similar
Did life evolve more than once? Researchers are closing in on an answer
Has all of life on Earth evolved only once, or are different living beings cut from different cloths?
Even platypuses aren’t safe from bushfires — a new DNA study tracks their disappearance
Platypuses are disappearing from waterways after fire
Simply Put: Evolving backwards
Scientists have created synthetic human embryos. Now we must consider the ethical and moral quandaries
This development, widely described as a breakthrough that could help scientists learn more about human development and genetic disorders
Mozambique’s cyclone flooding was devastating to animals — we studied how body size affected survival
Larger species tend to be more resilient to disturbances but smaller ones can recover quicker
2023 in a blink: DTE’s reportage on global scientific research this year
Down To Earth recaps the primary environment, health and developmental news from 2023
Biological clocks: How does our body know that time goes by?
The rotations of the Earth, Moon and Sun generate environmental cycles that have favoured the selection of biological clocks
International Tiger Day 2023: Just when and how did today’s big cats evolve
Big cats have been associated with human history since our inception. But where do their origins lie?
How has the moon transformed our evolution?
Moon has remained important to the geology of the Earth and important to the evolution of life itself.
Ancient humans may have paused in Arabia for 30,000 years on their way out of Africa
These humans may have slowly adapted to life in the region’s colder climate before venturing to Eurasia and beyond
Earth’s early evolution: Fresh insights from rocks formed 3.5 billion years ago
Singhbhum Craton’s unique geological features, including its greenstone belts, provide invaluable information about Earth’s surface …
Cats first finagled their way into human hearts and homes thousands of years ago – here’s how
Despite changing very little, the descendants of the African wildcat are among world’s two most popular companion animals
