Convergent evolution is when different organisms independently evolve similar traits. For example, sharks and dolphins look relatively similar despite being entirely unrelated. Sharks are egg-laying ...

Alu elements, labeled with green fluorescence in these human chromosomes, make up more than 10 percent of the human genome. (Image from Bolzer et al., (2005) Three-Dimensional Maps of All Chromosomes ...

For 150 years scientists have been trying to explain convergent evolution. One of the best-known examples of this is how poisonous butterflies from different species evolve to mimic each other's color ...

We share the planet with a huge diversity of plants and creatures. But we can see similarities between organisms that live continents apart or are very different in other aspects. One reason for this ...

The first sculpting skill that a child learns is to roll a ball of clay out into a cylinder or snake. It would be astonishing to see a ball of clay roll itself out in this way, and yet a ball of ...

Organisms that aren't closely related may evolve similar traits as they adapt to similar challenges. It's called convergent evolution, and familiar examples include the wings of birds, bats, and ...