Evolution, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2009

9 Science Stories We Loved, and Hated, in 2009

The best science answers tough questions, and so some of the hardest-hitting discoveries often elicit controversy, ruffling the feathers of readers and sometimes even other scientists. Here are some of the most loved and hated science stories of the year. Boys' issues are neglected. Growing up can be tough for...

Oct 31, 2009

The Many Mysteries of Neanderthals

Editor's Note: This is Part 6 in a 10-part LiveScience series on the origin, evolution and future of the human species and the mysteries that remain to be solved. We are currently the only human species alive, but as recently as maybe 24,000 years ago another one walked the earth...

Aug 31, 2009

New Understanding of the Heart's Evolution

Humans, like other warm-blooded animals, expend a lot of energy and need a lot of oxygen. Our four-chambered hearts make this possible. It gives us an evolutionary advantage: We're able to roam, hunt and hide even in the cold of night, or the chill of winter. Now scientists have a...

May 31, 2009

Dads Are Key to Making Us Human

Some 95 percent of male mammals have little to no interaction with their children. Homo sapiens are one of the most notable exceptions, leading some scientists to think fatherhood is an important part of what makes us human. Most theories for the family involvement of fathers invoke the familiar Man...

Mar 31, 2009

Three Subgroups of Neanderthals Identified

We tend to think of Neanderthals as one species of cavemen-like creatures, but now scientists say there were actually at least three different subgroups of Neanderthals. Using computer simulations to analyze DNA sequence fragments from 12 Neanderthal fossils, researchers found that the species can be separated into three, or maybe...

Dec 31, 2008

Breakthroughs That Will Change Everything

Will humans go extinct? Or will we instead evolve into divergent species? Can we stop killing each other? Perhaps old-fashioned wisdom will return and save the day. These are just some of the compelling thoughts generated when the forward-thinking Edge Foundation recently asked scientists, authors, futurists, journalists and other offbeat...

Dec 31, 2008

Life As We Know It Nearly Created in Lab

One of life's greatest mysteries is how it began. Scientists have pinned it down to roughly this: Some chemical reactions occurred about 4 billion years ago — perhaps in a primordial tidal soup or maybe with help of volcanoes or possibly at the bottom of the sea or between the...

Sep 30, 2011

'Dumb' Neanderthals Likely Had a Smart Diet

Instead of Neanderthals being dim-witted hunters who only dined on big game, new findings suggest they had more balanced diets, with broad menus that may have included birds, fish and plants. Neanderthals are currently our closest known extinct relatives, near enough to modern humans to interbreed, with Neanderthal DNA making...

May 31, 2011

War's Cost: To Gain Cooperation, People Punish Others

War. What is it good for? Getting people to work together, a new study finds. People are more willing to reward collaborators and punish lone wolves in an effort to force cooperation in times of conflict, according to the research, which was conducted during the 34-day Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006....

Mar 31, 2011

Attacks Mount on Teaching of Evolution

The anti-evolution crowd has come out swinging this year. So far the theory has not taken one on the chin, but that could change soon in Tennessee. The pounding is coming not from scientists, but from politicians who would chip away at the solid theory's foundations in an effort to...

Aug 31, 2012

Childhood Interests Grow Into A Cherished Career

If Cheryl Wilga's laboratory had an official soundtrack, it might be the notorious thump … thump … thump from the soundtrack of the movie Jaws. That's because she and her research team study anatomical features and behaviors that impact the individual survival of fish — including the feeding behaviors of...

Dec 31, 2011

Belief in Evolution Boils Down to a Gut Feeling

Gut feelings may trump good old-fashioned facts, and even religious beliefs, when it comes to accepting the theory of evolution, new research suggests. The whole idea behind acceptance of evolutionhas been the assumption that if people understood it, if they really knew it, they would see the logic and accept...

Nov 30, 2013

What We Learned About Human Origins in 2013

The existence of a mysterious ancient human lineage and the possibility that the earliest humans were actually all one species were among the human-evolution-related discoveries of 2013. Other breakthroughs include the sequencing of the oldest human DNA yet. Here's a look at what scientists learned about humanity and human origins...

Nov 30, 2013

One-Third of Americans Don't Believe in Human Evolution

Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe in evolution, while a third say that humans and other life forms have existed in their current states since the beginning of time, according to a new poll. The new findings come from to the Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project, which surveyed a...

Sep 30, 2013

Who's Your Daddy? Probably Your Daddy

Despite the popularity of paternity tests and the guest lineup of the Maury Povich show, most men are not being duped into raising children who are not their own, new research suggests. At least in Flanders, Belgium, about 1 to 2 percent of children have been raised by men who...