chimpanzee, evolution

The genomes of living animals are littered with DNA from long-gone relatives, providing a lens on evolution, past extinctions, and perhaps even solutions to agricultural problems.

The skull changed shape in different ways than the brain during evolution, according to a new comparative study.

For primates, males’ fancier ornaments are linked with smaller testes, according to a new comparative study.

Do the portions of our genomes that set us apart from other animals hold the secret to human evolution?

Meet some of the people featured in the August 2016 issue of The Scientist.

Fast-evolving regions of the human genome differentiate our species from all other mammals.

A remaining challenge in the study of human accelerated regions (HARs) is establishing their specific functions during development and other biological processes.

July 2015's selection of notable quotes

A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research

Chimpanzees may reinforce social bonds by involuntarily mimicking a fellow chimp’s pupil size.

Cognitive testing in chimpanzee pedigrees reveals a genetic basis for intelligence.

Re-examination of a thigh bone from one of the earliest putative hominins could impact scientists’ understanding of the origins of human bipedalism, a study suggests.

Gene expression controlled from afar may have spurred the spurt in brain evolution that led to modern humans.

Unlike human brains, chimpanzee brains don’t get smaller as they age, suggesting that pronounced neurological decline is a uniquely human byproduct of our oversized brains and extreme longevity.