It's no accident that glowing eyes around a campfire make our hearts jump: Some fears are the lingering result of natural selection. 

Planet Earth

Six Things We're Born to Fear

Article

News

Science

Discover Magazine’s award-winning journalism inspires and informs, delivering thought-provoking content that sparks meaningful conversations. With a focus on groundbreaking developments in science, technology, and the world around us, Discover highlights the impact of these innovations on our daily lives.

STORIES THAT MATTER

STORIES THAT MATTER

Six Things We're Born to Fear

Newsletter

Photo Gallery:

Related Topics

These Lemurs Have a Haunting Call and May Use Vocal Tricks Similar to Opera Singers

The Mystery of Why Snake Embryos Curl To The Right Could Lie In Their Digestive Tract

Birdsong and Whale Songs Share a Surprising Similarity With Human Language

Do Animals Smile Because They're Happy? Why a Grin in Nature Doesn't Always Mean What You Think

80-Million-Year-Old Snake Fossil From Brazil Offers New Clues to Why These Creatures Started Slithering

Fish and Amphibians May Have Hidden Necks, Challenging Long-Held Assumption

These Tropical Butterflies Boast Long Lifespans and Barely Age — Their Secret May Be Eating Lots of Pollen

The Giant’s Causeway Volcanic History Was 8 Million Years Shorter Than Once Thought

Locals Say They've Spotted an Elusive Ghost Cat in Texas, but it's Likely Been Gone Since 1986

Scorpion Stingers Are Fortified With Metal — and It May Shape How They Hunt

Small Rays in Shallow Waters Flaunt Fake Eyes to Ward Off Predators

200 Million Years Ago Crabs Started Walking Sideways — and It Shaped Their Success

Peculiar-Looking Anglerfishes Developed Their Fishing-Rod Lure 72 Million Years Ago

A Rare Split of the World’s Largest Known Chimpanzee Group Turned Former Allies Into Enemies

66 Million Years Ago, Squid Survived the Dinosaur-Killing Extinction in Deep-Sea Oxygen Refuges — Then Rapidly Evolved

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

SubscribeTo The Magazine