Show a child how to open a box, but first tap it three times and draw a circle in the air. The tapping and circling accomplish nothing—yet the child may…
Evolution
69 Articles
Place a finger in a newborn’s palm and the tiny hand closes with surprising force. It feels affectionate, but the baby is not choosing to hold on. Pressure activates the…
Watch parents carrying infants and you may notice a quiet human pattern: roughly two-thirds prefer the left side, regardless of whether they are right- or left-handed. The obvious explanation is…
Becoming a father changes more than a man’s schedule. It can alter his hormones. Life-history theory proposes that organisms must divide limited energy between mating effort—finding and competing for partners—and…
A newborn horse can stand within hours. A human baby cannot even hold up its head. The familiar explanation is that evolution shortened pregnancy so a baby’s brain could squeeze…
A newborn chimpanzee carries roughly 3% body fat. A human newborn arrives with about 15%—an extraordinary amount for a terrestrial mammal. Those chubby cheeks may reflect one of humanity’s most…
Early pregnancy can transform ordinary smells—meat, coffee or cooking vegetables—into instant nausea. One evolutionary hypothesis suggests that this misery once functioned as a protective alarm. Pregnancy sickness usually intensifies during…
Teenagers May Be Built to Explore—Not Simply to Misbehave Adolescents often appear irrational: they chase novelty, challenge authority and take risks that adults avoid. But evolution may have favored some…
The Chin: Evolution’s Most Mysterious Bump Look at a chimpanzee, Neanderthal or Homo erectus skull: none possesses a true projecting chin. Among known animals, this little shelf of bone appears…
A chimpanzee may sleep about nine to ten hours; humans average closer to seven. Based on our body size, diet and evolutionary relationships, researchers estimate that we should sleep roughly…