Humans’ closest primate relatives lost their tails about 25 million years ago, but exactly how has remained a mystery. A breakthrough in genetic research may finally offer answers.

WASHINGTON — Our very ancient animal ancestors had tails. Why don’t we? Somewhere around 20 million or 25 million years ago, when apes diverged from monkeys, our branch of the tree of life ...

The findings attracted dozens of news stories, but the preprint didn’t show that the ape genetic insertion, when introduced into the mouse version of TBXT, could cause tail loss, says Spielmann.

A genetic parasite may have robbed humans and other apes of their tails. Around 25 million years ago, this parasite, a small stretch of repetitive DNA called an Alu element, ended up in a gene ...

Tail-wagging is rhythmic, and previous studies have found that rhythms — everything from music to the sound of pounding horse hoofs — trigger brain activity that helps make people feel joyful.

Humans’ closest primate relatives lost their tails about 25 million years ago, but exactly how has remained a mystery. A breakthrough in genetic research may finally offer answers.