A dolphin breaking the surface for air can seem like a reminder of its mammalian past. But evolution is not nostalgia. The same body that still needs oxygen from the atmosphere is also one of the ...

Aquatic plants are specialized evolutionary groups adapted to life in water. They play critical roles as food and medicinal supplies (e.g., lotus root and foxnut) and industrial raw materials (e.g., ...

Shrubbery, toolsheds, basements — these are places one might expect to find spiders. But what about the beach? Or in a stream? Some spiders make their homes near or, more rarely, in water: tucking ...

Shrubbery, toolsheds, basements—these are places one might expect to find spiders. But what about the beach? Or in a stream? Some spiders make their homes near or, more rarely, in water: tucking into ...

The chances of aquatic mammals — like orcas, dolphins and whales — ever evolving to live on land again are almost nonexistent, a new study has found. Researchers discovered that the adaptations that ...

Russell has a PhD in the history of medicine, violence, and colonialism. His research has explored topics including ethics, science governance, and medical involvement in violent contexts. Russell has ...

Some make nests inside seashells, others tote bubbles of air on their backs. The spiders that went back to water evolved lots of slick survival strategies. By Amber Dance/Knowable Magazine Published ...