Tails help with balance and communication in dogs and cats and aid navigation in birds. Humans’ primate ancestors had them, too. Our forebears used them to grasp branches while swinging through ...

Humans still have tails when we’re developing in the womb as embryos; this wee appendage is a hand-me-down from the tailed ancestor of all vertebrates and includes 10 to 12 vertebrae.

Ever thought why don’t humans have tails? It certainly is one of the marathon questions that scientists themselves have been ...

When a human grows a tail, it's known as a human tail or vestigial tail. Many believe that human ancestors had and used some form of a tail. Over time as a species, however, we evolved past the ...

Another mystery: Did having no tails actually help these ape ancestors — and eventually, humans — survive? Or was it just a chance mutation in a population that thrived for other reasons? “It could be ...

A genetic change in our ancient ancestors may partly explain why humans don't have tails like monkeys. A genetic change in our ancient ancestors may partly explain why humans don't have tails like ...

Here’s how it works. Approximately 25 million years ago, an ancestor of both humans and apes genetically diverged from monkeys and lost its tail. No one had identified the genetic mutation ...

Another mystery: Did having no tails actually help these ape ancestors — and eventually, humans — survive? Or was it just a chance mutation in a population that thrived for other reasons?