Evolution

A study of diverse colonies of spiders supports a controversial idea in evolution — that natural selection can act on communities as well as on individuals.

The movement of lizards around the Caribbean is forcing researchers to account for human activity in even their most basic ecological models.

A massive statistical study suggests that even though genetic changes happen at random, the final evolutionary outcome — fitness — is predictable.

Despite swapping DNA through interbreeding, butterflies and other animals can maintain distinct species.

Bacteria may have helped single-celled organisms make the leap to multicellular animals.

Newly discovered patterns in evolution may help scientists make accurate short-term predictions.

Newly discovered specimens support a more ancient origin for viruses, perhaps all the way back to the origins of life.

An insight borrowed from computer science suggests that evolution values both fitness and diversity.

A new theory suggests that cooperation between a host and its microbes may be a significant evolutionary force.