Rather than introducing small chunks of DNA as other viruses do, some giant viruses can contribute more than 1 million base pairs to a host’s genome, broadening the ways in which viruses may shape eukaryote evolution.

Their ability to distinguish between individuals is strong evidence for fast mapping, a learning tool generally thought to belong only to humans.

In Chapter 7, "Wind and Breath," author Jeremy England considers research findings that point to a surprising, emergent property of seemingly disordered molecules.

Meet some of the people featured in the November 2020 issue of The Scientist.

Using their silk threads as a catapult, members of a family of orb-weaving arachnids rocket themselves and their webs through the air to capture prey.

Is the model of early life as a freak occurrence in a disordered, primordial soup of chemicals wrong?

The study is the first to show a genomic relationship between dogs and humans on the move.

The tropical net-casting spider Deinopis spinosa joins several other arachnid species that can hear sounds from afar without the help of a web, or even ears—an ability that aids its unique hunting tactics.

The findings may have implications for radiotherapy, a cancer treatment that can cause damage to salivary glands and leave lasting complications.