Biology

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

Nature’s large-scale patterns emerge from incomplete surveys that borrow ideas from information theory.

Our bodies are a genetic patchwork, possessing variation from cell to cell. Is that a good thing?

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.