Human Origins of Sleep

Scientists hypothesize that, over the course of human evolution, sleep patterns have changed as to benefit the development of high intelligence. Groups of apes that evolved earlier are thought to show sleep habits or patterns that also evolved earlier. For example, lesser apes slept on branches or on other temporary locations. This type of rest did not allow for long durations of sleep because the locations were vulnerable to predators or to other environmental disturbances.

Read more about Why Do We Sleep?

Why Do We Sleep?

People spend nearly 1/3 of their lives sleeping. Oddly, we still are not completely sure why. Here, we’ll explore some of hypotheses for why we sleep. It’s important to keep in mind that all of these hypotheses may be partially true—there probably isn’t just one reason as to why we sleep.

Secrets of Sleep

Sisi Gao Patrick McGurrin

You sleep every night, but do you know what happens when your body sleeps or why we sleep the way we do?

Read more about Fishy Climate Facts

Climate "Facts"?

People like to share information about climate change. You have probably heard it on TV, read about it on internet blogs and websites, or maybe even learned about it in school. But where does all this information come from and how do we know what’s true and what’s false?

Read more about Safety of GMOs

Are Transgenic Plants Safe to Eat?

GMO lab orchard — All GMOs are grown and extensively tested in labs to make sure they pass safety tests before they can be sold. Image by the Agricultural Research Service.

Read more about What Do Biologists Do?

What Do Biologists Do?

What's a Biologist?

Patrick McGurrin

We hear about biologists studying everything from tiny organisms to whole ecosystems. But how can the role of a biologist be so broad? Let's take a closer look at what biologists do and how you can become a biologist.
Also in: Français | Türkçe

Read more about Where Are the Insects?

Insects are found in both rural and urban environments, but do they have a preference? Scientists are studying how urban environments affect an insect's chances of survival.

Terri Tang

Read more about Is It Easy Being Green?

The story of a frog's life in the rainforest can be one filled with danger. Some frogs are brightly colored and other blend into the forest. Do bright colors work better than dull colors for keeping a frog from being eaten?

Brett Seymoure

Big BIG Bugs

Danika Painter

These enormous insects depicted in bad B movies exist mostly in the realm of science fiction. However, insects of giant proportions really did exist 300 million years ago.
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