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Paleontology & Fossils news
Ancient plant-eater with a twisted jaw and sideways-facing teeth was a 'living fossil' in its own time
In a dry riverbed in Brazil, in a dense forest near the Amazon, a team of paleontologists found a fossilized jawbone from an ancient animal. Over the course of their fieldwork, they found eight similar bones, each around ...
Paleontology & Fossils
1 hour ago
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Late scientist's notebooks help finish study of rare 55-million-year-old tarpon fossil
Recently-revealed notebooks belonging to a late paleontologist contain the missing information needed to help researchers finish their study of a remarkable fossil discovered nearly three decades ago.
Paleontology & Fossils
3 hours ago
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Rewilding could fill gap left by Panama's lost giants
Many large herbivores that once roamed modern-day Panama have declined or died out—including the 6-meter-long giant ground sloth and elephant-related creatures called Cuvieronius. New research suggests that introducing ...
Ecology
7 hours ago
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Brazilian fossil site yields smallest rhynchosaur fossil ever recorded
A study published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology describes the smallest rhynchosaur fossil ever recorded from the Brazilian Triassic, with the reconstructed skull only measuring around 2.5 cm (~1 inch). Additionally, ...
Tiny Purgatorius fossils in Denver Basin hint at early primate spread southward
New minuscule fossils of Purgatorius, the earliest-known relative of all primates—including humans—have been unearthed in a more southern region of North America than ever before, and the breakthrough is providing paleontologists ...
Evolution
20 hours ago
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Large land predators were hunting big plant-eaters more than 280 million years ago, study finds
A study examining fossil evidence shows that large land predators were already hunting big plant-eating animals more than 280 million years ago. University of Toronto Mississauga researchers Jordan M. Young, Tea Maho, and ...
Ecology
Mar 2, 2026
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Dense, dark forests in Europe are a modern phenomenon
For over 20 million years, the landscape of Europe has been a tree-rich mosaic of grasslands, scrubs and more or less open woodlands with an abundance of wildflowers. This is the conclusion of a new and comprehensive study ...
Ecology
Mar 2, 2026
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First 3D reconstruction of the face of 'Little Foot' completed
Identified as the most complete Australopithecus fossil discovered to date, "Little Foot" was buried in sediments whose movement and weight caused fractures and deformations, making analysis of its skull—and more particularly ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Mar 2, 2026
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Paleontologists investigate how life entered and adapted to the deep sea
The deep sea is a dark, cold place. It's just a few degrees above freezing, subject to immense pressure, and beyond the reach of the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. The life that does survive in such a hostile place must ...
Evolution
Mar 2, 2026
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'Old Mother Goose' challenges a 14-million-year lineage story in New Zealand
The discovery of a rare fossil goose in an ancient Central Otago lake shows the evolutionary history of Aotearoa New Zealand birds is much more dynamic than once thought, a University of Otago–Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka researcher ...
Evolution
Mar 2, 2026
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Fossil amber reveals the secret lives of Cretaceous ants
Tiny insects trapped in amber could tell us a great deal about their roles in past ecosystems: pollinators, parasites, predators, and prey. But how many of the insects preserved alongside each other reflect interactions during ...
Ecology
Feb 27, 2026
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Exceptionally preserved 551-million-year-old site suggests Avalon biota lasted longer
Researchers studying the soft-bodied Ediacaran biotas of the world generally accept that there are three distinct assemblages. The 575–560-million-year-old (Ma) Avalon Assemblage is best known from the Ediacaran of Newfoundland, ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Feb 26, 2026
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Ancient mosquitoes developed a taste for early hominins, research reveals
The preference of some mosquitoes in the Anopheles leucosphyrus (Leucosphyrus) group—including those that transmit malaria—for feeding on humans may have evolved in response to the arrival of early hominins in Southeast ...
Evolution
Feb 26, 2026
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Vertebrate paleontology has a numbers problem. Computer vision can help
How many fossils does it take to accurately train an image-based AI algorithm? According to a new study co-authored by Bruce MacFadden, UF Distinguished Professor Emeritus and retired curator of vertebrate paleontology at ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Feb 25, 2026
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First plesiosaurian fossil discovered in Algeria fills a Cretaceous gap
In a study published in Historical Biology, Dr. Mohammed Naimi and his colleagues report the discovery of the first plesiosaurian remains from Algeria. Additionally, the fossil, dated to the Late Coniacian, is one of only ...
Forget flatfooted lumbering T. rex. New research shows it walked on tiptoes
Powerful, fierce and the king of the Cretaceous world, Tyrannosaurus rex was the ultimate apex predator. But it was also surprisingly dainty on its feet, according to new research. Findings published in the journal Royal ...
'Tiny' dinosaur, big impact: A 90-million-year-old fossil rewrites history
A team co-led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researcher Peter Makovicky and Argentinean colleague Sebastian Apesteguía has identified a 90-million-year-old fossil that provides the "missing link" for a mysterious ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Feb 25, 2026
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250 million-year-old amphibian fossils from Australia reveal global spread of 'sea-salamanders'
The Kimberley region in the northwest corner of Western Australia is full of rugged ranges and gorges, and long stretches of red soil and rocky ground. The dry seasons are long, and the wet seasons often flood the Martuwarra ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Feb 23, 2026
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Ant queen frozen in time: New ant species found in Dominican amber
A study by Dr. Gianpiero Fiorentino and his colleagues, published in the Journal of Paleontology, describes the identification of a new species of ant, Hypoponera electrocacica, belonging to the genus Hypoponera and representing ...
Globe-trotting ancient 'sea-salamander' fossils rediscovered from Australia's dawn of the Age of Dinosaurs
Around 250 million years ago, what is today scorching desert in remote northwestern Australia was the shore of a shallow bay bordering a vast prehistoric ocean. Fossils recovered from this region over 60 years ago, and almost ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Feb 23, 2026
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More news
Rare fossil at Montana museum records Tyrannosaurus attack
Japan's ancient 'tigers' were actually cave lions, DNA evidence shows
New species of ancient crocodile named in honor of Welsh school teacher
Costa Rica digs up mastodon, giant sloth bones in major archaeological find
How an ancient seafloor turned Arkansas into 'Sharkansas,' a shark fossil hotspot
Turtle fossil narrows timeline of Cretaceous species migration
Other news
The key to attacking 'undruggable' proteins: Transient clustering state reveals a moving target
Teen's 1958 find becomes Australia's oldest dinosaur fossil
Epiaceratherium itjilik: The rhino that lived in the Arctic
Fossil hunters uncover 132-million-year-old dinosaur footprints on South Africa's coast
Life in fossil bones: What we can learn from tiny traces of ancient blood chemicals
The first headbutting paravian: Bird-like dinosaur likely used thick skull to win over mates
Hidden atomic dichotomy drives superconductivity in ultra-thin compound
Letting atomic simulations learn from phase diagrams
