Topic description and stories

Galapagos finch specimens from Museum of Zoology, collected on the second voyage of HMS Beagle that carried Darwin to the Islands. Researchers say these famously diverse finches are an iconic example of rapid speciation in the tropics.

Species ‘hotspots’ created by immigrant influx or evolutionary speed depending on climate

06 Feb 2019

New research reveals that biodiversity ‘hotspots’ in the tropics produced new species at faster rates over the last 25 million years, but those in...

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Meerkats

Cooperation helps mammals survive in tough environments

24 Jan 2017

New research suggests that cooperative breeding makes mammal species such as meerkats better suited to dry, harsh climates.

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Naked Mole-rat

Naked Mole-Rats: are these rodents immune to cancer?

02 Sep 2015

̽»¨Ö±²¥Cambridge Animal Alphabet series celebrates Cambridge's connections with animals through literature, art, science and society. Here, N is for...

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Baboon fight

Females protect offspring from infanticide by forcing males to compete through sperm instead of violence

13 Nov 2014

Latest research shows the females of some mammal species will have many mates to ensure unclear paternity, so that males can’t resort to killing...

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Monogamy evolved as a mating strategy

29 Jul 2013

New research indicates that social monogamy evolved as a result of competition for females.

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Mammals vs dinosaurs

15 Mar 2013

Were dinosaurs really the most exciting and interesting creatures ever to roam the planet? Zoologist Nick Crumpton tells the Cambridge Science...

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