Evolution articles from across Nature Portfolio

Recent research provides evidence of potential altruistic social behavior in mice. Laboratory mice appear to attempt to rescue an unconscious cage mate by investigating its mouth and pulling out its tongue. The finding indicates the difficulty of anthropomorphic interpretation of such impressive prosocial ability in mice.

Fossil data shed light on a debate about when vertebrate dental tissues arose by assigning an early sensory structure to arthropods rather than to vertebrates.

The observation of bonding behaviours in wild chimpanzees suggests that some aspects of human attachment have a deep evolutionary origin.

Palaeo-bioinspiration greatly increases the potential of nature-inspired innovation by incorporating extinct biodiversity, which represents 99.9% of all life on earth.

A species-level phylogenetic analysis of the high-elevation flora of the European Alps reveals that the flora is young and colonist rich. Its assembly was primarily driven by the Pleistocene climatic cycles, rather than ancient orogenic events.

Most proteins are left-handed, but scientists have found an ancient molecule that works in both mirror-image forms.

Genomic evidence suggests that the bloodsuckers might have been among the first urban insect pests.

Recent research provides evidence of potential altruistic social behavior in mice. Laboratory mice appear to attempt to rescue an unconscious cage mate by investigating its mouth and pulling out its tongue. The finding indicates the difficulty of anthropomorphic interpretation of such impressive prosocial ability in mice.

In this Journal Club, Diyendo Massilani recalls two studies by Meyer et al. that reported a mitochondrial genome and nuclear DNA sequences from mid-Ice Age Sima de los Huesos hominins.

The study adds to evidence challenging the dominance of ‘natural selection’ as the sole adaptive force in evolution.

Fossil data shed light on a debate about when vertebrate dental tissues arose by assigning an early sensory structure to arthropods rather than to vertebrates.