There are more than 8 billion humans on the planet, and although that's a remarkable number, it's just a fraction of the number of people who have ever lived and an even smaller slice of the total ...

The Earth is home to some amazing animals, and many of them are well-known. Everybody knows how quick cheetahs are, how big elephants can grow, and how adorable chipmunks can be. But there are some ...

Our planet is brimming with life, and the diversity of animal species on Earth is staggering. Over 2.1 million animal species have been described, but zoologists estimate that millions more have yet ...

The newly discovered fossil records suggest that mold-like single-cell organisms "set the stage" for the animal kingdom to evolve, the researchers wrote in a new report, published in the journal ...

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 ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. When we think about the scope of our world’s diversity, ...

Our planet is home to some truly fascinating animals, from creatures that look like aliens to massive mammals and tiny insects. Every animal species on Earth has characteristics and a temperament that ...

Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work covers anything from archaeology and the environment to technology and culture. Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work ...

Do animals play a larger role in shaping the Earth’s surface than geological processes like flooding, wind, fire, and landslides? This is what a recent study published in Proceedings of the National ...

To figure out this mind-bogglingly high number, we need to know how many species have ever lived, dig deep into the fossil record and do a lot of math. When you purchase through links on our site, we ...