Humans are more genetically similar to cats than to dogs

All humans share 99.9% of the same DNA

Of the 3 billion base pairs that make up the human genome—the complete set of genetic material for the species—the diversity of humans is the result of variations in about 3 million molecular bases. The closest nonhuman genetic match is the chimp, with 98.8% similar genetics.

Where are humans on the evolutionary tree?

This interactive tree-shaped map explores the evolutionary connections between more than two million species. According to this map, humans are on the same branch as great apes, tarsiers, and treeshrews. That branch then splits into even smaller branches, with humans appearing on the same twig-like branch as chimpanzees and bonobos.

Cats began cozying up to humans around 10,000 years ago

The feline family is a hugely diverse group of lions, panthers, and kitties that have spread all over the world. The ancestors of the cats we love today helped solve rodent problems when humans first invented agriculture. They've been worshipped, loved, and scorned by humans since.

Model organisms like yeast, mice, and flies help scientists decode the human body

Some species are used to quickly study the effects of human diseases and treatments because they are short-lived and have similar systems to those found in humans. Bacteria, like E. coli, have been used as human proxies given their rapid growth and ease of genetic manipulability.

The genetic diversity of dogs is greater within Chernobyl than in surrounding areas

A 2023 study identified that packs of dogs located just 16 kilometers (10 miles) apart within the exclusion zone were more genetically different from one another than from stray dogs hundreds of kilometers away. Rather than radiation, this is likely the result of inbreeding within isolated packs.

Why your dog’s DNA isn’t destiny

DNA tests tell people about their pet’s breed and attempt to predict things about its behavior and health. But for all that these tests might provide some interesting results, they need to be taken with caution. Here's a look at what we can and can't learn from our pets' DNA.

The wild ancestors of dogs first mingled with humans 15,000 to 30,000 years ago

An estimated 1 billion modern dogs now live around the world. Breaking down the ancestry and relatives of the dogs we now love as pets, MinuteEarth shows what canines like foxes and wolves have in common with our beloved poodles and dachshunds, and what those breeds are known for.

Scientists found that if cats in the lab ate infected rodents they could get West Nile

But beyond the lab setting there have been no known cases of cats or dogs contracting the virus this way. Instead, those animals have been sickened when an infected mosquito bit them—just as with human infection.

Why humans survived and smarter species did not

This interview with Joseph Henrich, a renowned professor of human evolutionary biology, unpacks human history. Henrich shares interesting information about why humans succeeded as a species (the answer isn't IQ), how cultural evolution works, why the human brain is shrinking, and how the Catholic Church played a role in the Industrial Revolution. Listen and watch for a deep dive into human evolution.

Large animals like giraffes and elephants have evolved unique cancer defenses

One may expect the larger an animal is, the more likely it is to develop cancer—simply because there are more cells and more chances for a dangerous mutation. However, some large animals show cancer rates almost 10 times lower than humans—a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox.

Are cats good for our health?

Being a cat lover can have a profound effect on your life. This article in The Conversation presents a fascinating collection of findings related to the benefits and consequences of cat ownership. Discover compelling research about the positive heart health and mental health outcomes cats can bring, along with potential risks.

Here’s how different genetic disorders get passed on

The human genome is complex, as identified by the Human Genome Project. This article digs in to genetic disorders, the most common ones, and how they are diagnosed.

Human anatomy provides evidence for evolution

Throughout history, scientists have used anatomy to support the Theory of Evolution in three main ways. Homologous structures, or similar physical features in organisms that serve different functions, can help scientists understand common ancestors....

Cats have a mutation preventing them from tasting sugar

When certain tastes (sweet, umami, bitter) become irrelevant due to a species' diet or lifestyle, the genes for those tastes degrade. In felines, scientists believe a shift to a protein-heavy diet put evolutionary pressure on the genes responsible for tasting sweetness. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

A dog's central sniffing organ is many times bigger than a human's

The olfactory epithelium, located high up within the human nose, is home to millions of olfactory neurons. A dog's olfactory epithelium is much larger—and has more neurons—than a human's, which helps to explain the animal's superior sniffing ability.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Why are women more likely to suffer autoimmune diseases than men?

A majority of Americans with autoimmune diseases have more than one X chromosome, a typical marker of the female biological sex, according to a study published in February of 2024. During fetal development, cells side with one X chromosome over the other, preventing the overproduction of X-chromosome-specific proteins and shutting down the twin chromosome. This article explores how this X-chromosome inactivation can lead to autoimmune disorders by generating antibodies to the body's own tissues.

Similarities between human and animal sleep

Have you ever noticed the wide-ranging differences in sleep between humans and animals? Sleep as a necessity is present amongst all animal species, but the specific patterns of sleep vary widely. Just think of the differences between how an owl, a whale, and a horse might sleep. This helpful resource from the Sleep Foundation explores the relations between human and animal sleep, complete with some fascinating statistics about sleep patterns throughout the animal kingdom!

Some animals have little or no bacterial populations in their gut

Gut microbiomes are essential to human health, but many animals have a much smaller, transient, or even nonexistent microbiome. The discoveries have advanced our understanding of the evolution of the human microbiome.

Seven known types of coronaviruses have jumped from animals to humans

Coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, belong to a large family of viruses characterized by their crown-like appearance under a microscope, due to spike proteins on their surface. While thousands are believed to exist in animals, only seven are known to have made the jump to humans.

Twin studies helped scientists understand why mosquitoes like some of us more than others

A combination of carbon dioxide output, skin chemistry, genetic factors, hormones, and clothing choice can make us particularly vulnerable to mosquito bites. Watch how mosquitoes responded to one man in the video versus his wife, a research approach typically conducted with identical and fraternal twins to test mosquito attractiveness.

Why humans evolved single-child pregnancies

While birthing twins has been a rare occurrence for humans, research suggests that twins were actually the norm much further back in primate evolution. It’s proposed that single-childbearing turned out to be critical for the evolution of larger babies with larger heads. Discover more about the shift that gives insight into primate evolution.

Tigers emerged much earlier as a species than lions

Both lions and tigers are iconic big cats known for their size and power, but they remain distinct species. Beyond just looking different, they can exhibit very different behaviors. For example, tigers are significantly less social than lions, who live in social matriarchal groups. Tigers and lions are unlikely to ever interact in the wild, but humans have artificially bred them in captivity, creating a "liger."

Modern genetic testing stems from a 1950s discovery about the cause of Down syndrome

Scientists found that an additional copy of chromosome 21 causes the disease and developed an approach to stain chromosomes so they could be manually sorted and counted, which is called karyotyping. The breakthrough discovery by Marthe Gautier, a young French doctor and cytogenetics researcher, was appropriated by a male colleague, who listed himself as the lead author of the study reporting the finding.

Watch how viruses like Ebola can spill over from animals to humans—and vice-versa.

Researchers are exploring neural links between Alzheimer's and autism

Recent DNA sequencing and molecular biology studies suggest that similarities in genes, neural circuitry and patterns of disease warrant further exploration to potentially better understand both conditions and how to treat them. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Humanity's reduced body hair slows down wound healing

Cuts to human skin take twice as long to heal compared to chimps and other mammals. Scientists argue this is due to the reduced number of hair follicles on human bodies. Hair follicles contain stem cells which help repair skin cells faster, so as humanity shed its hair over time, so to speak, it also slowed its wound healing.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

Indefinite cloning of some endangered species may not sustain their longevity because cloning success rates decrease as genetic mutations accumulate.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

Animal phobias are likely the most common type of phobias, followed by an extreme fear of heights.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Some Pokémon have been named after real and fictional organisms, while some real-world species have been named after Pokémon, such as Chilicola charizard and Binburrum zapdos.

While atoms are normally made of protons, neutrons, and electrons, exotic ones have been built with antimatter—alternate versions of normal matter that live for fractions of a second and are about a billion times as rare.

Poison ivy is in the same family as mangoes, cashews, and pistachios—and they all produce oily urushiol in their raw, unprocessed state—but they are typically prepared in ways to avoid causing human discomfort.

Recent research found that the brain doesn't seem to massively rewire following amputation—upending earlier beliefs about the cause of phantom limb pain.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

After NASA's Voyager 1 captured Earth as a single pixel as it left the solar system in 1990, astronomer Carl Sagan used the image to reflect on humanity's fragility and the responsibility to protect 'the only world we've ever known.'

Browse a detailed visual analysis of over 200,000 similes—comparisons that often use 'like' or 'as'—from popular fiction to see how frequently writers the same idiomatic expressions.

Objects can be 3D printed with light by projecting 2D computerized tomography (CT) scans onto rotating cylinders of resin, which solidify upon exposure.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

Hurricanes, which rely on air consistently spinning in the same direction, cannot cross the equator because air curves in opposite directions north and south of it.

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.