Today, Earth is home to animals of all shapes and sizes, from nearly microscopic creatures like tardigrades to 80-foot-long (25 meters) blue whales. These organisms have arisen and evolved over ...

A newly identified sponge group called Vilesida is giving scientists a clearer view of animal origins, linking sponges with ancient oceans.

Slow orbital changes caused pulses in Earth's oxygen cycle 500 million years ago, which spurred explosions of animal life.

(CNN) — The story of two of the strangest animals on the planet just got a little stranger, thanks to clues revealed by a lone fossil specimen that scientists now say represents a long-extinct ...

Dinosaurs ruled Earth for millions of years, but according to the most widely accepted theory, a massive asteroid wiped them ...

The earliest forms of animal life on our planet continue to fascinate scientists, who are seeking to unravel the mystery of their origins. A team of geochemists from MIT recently provided new clues by ...

The Cambrian Explosion in which life on Earth underwent massive diversification was likely triggered by eccentricities in Earth’s orbit around our Sun. Or so say the authors of a new paper just ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: YueStock Shutterstock Evolution is the way groups of life-forms change over time to ...

In most narratives, the story of evolution is the story of organisms emerging from the ocean and eventually populating the land. But for some species that evolution also involved a return trip. Dozens ...

If you like the smell of spring roses, the sounds of summer birdsong, and the colors of fall foliage, you have the stabilization of the ozone layer to thank for it. Located in the stratosphere, where ...