Through their studies of bones, fossils, and geology, paleontologists have uncovered the prehistoric worlds of Earth's past. We watch movies and TV shows of computer generated versions of long-extinct ...

In many animals, skin colors and patterns play an essential role, whether for camouflage, communication, or thermoregulation. In corn snakes, some lineages display red, yellow, or pink hues, and their ...

Ankur Gupta receives funding from NSF (CBET - 2238412) and ACS Petroleum Research Fund (65836 - DNI9). A thought experiment can help visualize the challenge of achieving distinctive color patterns.

A team of researchers has discovered new insights into the evolution of color patterns in frogs and toads -- collectively known as anurans. Animal color patterns can help them camouflage with their ...

More than 70 years ago, mathematician Alan Turing proposed a mechanism that explained how patterns could emerge from bland uniformity. Scientists are still using his model—and adding new twists—to ...

Scientists studying ancient fossils of a small feathered dinosaur have discovered that it had a bandit’s mask as well as a striped tail, rather like today’s raccoons. The eye-catching plumage of ...

A global catalog shows how creatures across the tree of life balance rigidity with flexibility in remarkably consistent ways ...

Scientists have shown for the first time that there is a strong correlation between the complex patterns on male darters and their highly-variable environments. The findings support and expand upon ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. GrrlScientist writes about evolution, ecology, behavior and health. The giant panda's black and white markings are unique in the ...

Zebras, a children’s tale goes, became striped after “standing half in the shade and half out of it.” While the author, Rudyard Kipling, wasn’t a biologist, his story may hold some truth: research ...