Evolution Diary

Berkeley — Fossils discovered in the oft-painted arroyos of northern New Mexico show for the first time that dinosaurs and their non-dinosaur ancestors lived side by side for tens of millions of years, disproving the notion that dinosaurs rapidly replaced their supposedly outmoded predecessors. (…)

In the United States, opposition to the teaching of evolution in public schools has largely been fueled by the religious right, particularly Protestant fundamentalism. (…)

One of the world’s rarest creatures, Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, appears to be alive and well, conservationists say. It is also reportedly quite delicious. (…)

We are solely children of Africa—with no Neandertals or island-dwelling “hobbits” in our family tree, according to a new study. (…)

The metamorphosis of biology into a science offering numerically precise descriptions of nature has taken a leap forward with a Princeton team’s elucidation of a key step in the development of fruit fly embryos — discoveries that could change how scientists think not just about flies, but about life in general. (…)