Evolution

A previously unappreciated group of lifeforms are changing what we know about the evolution of life on Earth.

New claims argue that the ancient human species Homo naledi buried their dead and made engravings.

Mammal evolution has been flipped on its head, according to new research that suggests marsupials are the more evolved mammals.

Exceptionally well-preserved fossils from the Cambrian period have helped fill a gap in our understanding of the origin and evolution of major animal groups alive today.

A new technique allows researchers to extract the DNA of people who have handled bone artefacts, giving clues about prehistoric cultures.

While species focusing on bees produce more floral odours, those focusing on fruit flies make fruitier smells. 

Named after a Hindu god, it is hoped that resurrecting the species will focus conservation attention on at-risk habitats.

52-million-year-old fossils of Icaronycteris gunnelli offer researchers a deeper look at how bats evolved.

An expedition to some of the Earth's deepest ocean trenches has broken records for deep-sea fish.

Whales started becoming big early in their evolution – and kept going for millions of years.

Dinosaurs are the largest land animals to ever live. Titanosaurs were the biggest of them all. Explore how they were able to grow to such a size.

The oldest colonial animal might actually be one of the oldest types of seaweed.

Kumimanu fordycei weighed an estimated 150 kilogrammes, demonstrating that penguins became large early in their evolution.

Early humans, and an ancient relative, may have been using complex stone tools as early as three million years ago. 

A new study reveals that there are many ways these animals bore through solid rock, but a lack of habitat may lock them into an evolutionary dead end.

The ancient flying reptile would have used its toothed snout with a flared end to filter-feed.

Fighting for mates may be a behaviour that dates back over 400 million years.

Katydids are the earliest known animals to evolve complex communication using sound.

Though it may have gone extinct over 600 years ago, understanding more about Astrochelys rogerbouri could help to save its living relatives. 

From looking like Pokémon to having more nipples than any other mammal, tenrecs are an unusual bunch. 

DNA found in Greenland has broken the record for the oldest yet discovered.

A new species of extinct lizard has been described from the Museum's collections. 

Leeches, mites and plants found at the site are revealing the ecosystems ancient animals walked over 260 million years ago.

A chink in the armour of giant South American armadillos may have left them vulnerable to human hunting. 

Algae and bacteria were on the menu for the early animal Kimberella shortly before it was buried over 500 million years ago. 

Measuring almost four metres in length, Leviathanochelys aenigmatica reveals that giant turtles were more common than previously thought.

Frog lenses develop differently depending on what environment they will live in as adults.

Fossils discovered in Sussex were compared to human remains found in Spain from a similar time period to see if the populations are linked.

Minute structures found in 3.48-billion-year-old Australian rocks are the oldest evidence of life on Earth.

Fish raised in their mother's mouth can sometimes end up their parent's next meal. 

The question of how the Neanderthals died out remains one of the biggest mysteries in human evolution.

The study could help in predicting how species will respond to the rapidly changing environment.

The most complete Jurassic fossil lizard ever found has been discovered in Scotland.

The sequencing of the oldest human DNA in the UK so far.

While their function remains uncertain, the sinuses provide an insight into how ancient human skulls changed over time.

Neanderthals may have lived in small groups of around 10 to 20, with females moving between the different communities. 

Red squirrels are developing differently depending on the region of the UK they live in. 

Living over 200 million years ago, Scleromochlus helps to show how ancient reptiles took their first steps towards flight.

Professor Svante Pääbo, considered a founding father of palaeogenomics, has helped to reveal how humans evolved, and how we relate to our closest relatives.

A fossil from China has filled in a major gap in the evolutionary tree for life on Earth.