Last update:
Paleontology & Fossils news
How the disappearance of mastodons still threatens native South American forests
Ten thousand years ago, mastodons vanished from South America. With them, an ecologically vital function also disappeared: the dispersal of seeds from large-fruited plants. A new study led by the University of O'Higgins, ...
Ecology
2 hours ago
0
0
Tiny fossils, big discoveries: Researchers reveal new clues about early ocean life
More than 514 million years ago, long before dinosaurs roamed Earth, sponge-like creatures called archaeocyathids were already busy building some of the planet's earliest reefs—just north of Death Valley in present-day ...
Evolution
21 hours ago
0
27
Early apes evolved in tropical forests disturbed by fires and volcanoes, fossil find suggests
Great apes began to diverge from other primates about 25 million years ago, according to eastern African fossil records. Though it would take another 20 million or so years for upright-walking hominins to appear, understanding ...
Evolution
23 hours ago
0
1
Famous Ice Age 'puppies' likely wolf cubs and not dogs, study shows
New analysis of the remains of two 'puppies' dating back more than 14,000 years ago has shown that they are most likely wolves, and not related to domestic dogs, as previously suggested.
Ecology
Jun 11, 2025
0
69
Paleontologists identify closest-known ancestor to Tyrannosaurs
Paleontologists have identified a new species of dinosaur, Khankhuuluu, which is being described as the closest-known ancestor to the giant Tyrannosaurs.
Evolution
Jun 11, 2025
0
79
Triassic reptiles took 10,000 mile trips through 'hellish' conditions, study suggests
The forerunners of dinosaurs and crocodiles in the Triassic period were able to migrate across areas of the ancient world deemed completely inhospitable to life, new research suggests.
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 11, 2025
0
188
Fossils show colonies of reptiles lived communally 250 million years ago
A fossilized colony of small burrowing reptiles that lived some 250 million years ago was recently found in South Africa. It's the first time that the Procolophon trigoniceps, which lived in the lowlands of what was then ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 10, 2025
0
83
8,000-year-old teeth provide evidence that pigs were domesticated from wild boars in South China
Pigs have long been known, sometimes celebrated, as among the most intelligent of farm animals. Now, a new Dartmouth-led study provides evidence that pigs were first domesticated from wild boars in South China approximately ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 10, 2025
0
51
Ancient fossils show how the last mass extinction forever scrambled the ocean's biodiversity
About 66 million years ago—perhaps on a downright unlucky day in May—an asteroid smashed into our planet.
Evolution
Jun 10, 2025
0
0
Two-million-year-old pitted teeth from our ancient relatives reveal secrets about human evolution
The enamel that forms the outer layer of our teeth might seem like an unlikely place to find clues about evolution. But it tells us more than you'd think about the relationships between our fossil ancestors and relatives.
Evolution
Jun 9, 2025
0
68
Fossilized dinosaur gut shows that sauropods barely chewed
Plant fossils found in the abdomen of a sauropod support the long-standing hypothesis that these dinosaurs were herbivores, finds a study published in Current Biology. The dinosaur, which was alive an estimated 94 to 101 ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 9, 2025
0
281
Oldest physical evidence of butterflies or moths discovered in 236-million-year-old poop
A team of paleontologists affiliated with several institutions in Argentina, working with a colleague from the U.K., has discovered evidence of scales from lepidopterans in dung samples recovered from a dig site in Talampaya ...
First named pterosaur from Japan sheds light on ancient flying reptiles
A team of researchers from Japan, China, and Brazil have discovered a new species of pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Japan, marking the first time a pterosaur has been named based on body fossils found in the country.
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 6, 2025
0
184
How herbivore communities remained remarkably resilient for 60 million years despite extinction and upheaval
From mastodons to ancient rhinos and giant deer, large herbivores have been shaping Earth's landscapes for millions of years. A new study, published in Nature Communications, shows how these giants responded to dramatic environmental ...
Ecology
Jun 5, 2025
0
71
Wasp lookalikes from 33 million years ago fooled ancient birds too
New fossil shows that precise wasp mimicry in hoverflies evolved far earlier than previously thought—and wasn't shaped by modern birds.
Evolution
Jun 4, 2025
0
35
Nearly complete dinosaur skull reveals a new sauropod species from East Asia
A team led by China University of Geosciences has described a new species of sauropod, Jinchuanloong niedu, from a partial skeleton and nearly complete skull found in northwestern China, adding a rare non-neosauropod eusauropod ...
Scientists find new markers to identify species from fragments of fossilized bone
What happened to all the megafauna? From moas to mammoths, many large animals went extinct between 50 and 10,000 years ago. Learning why could provide crucial evidence about prehistoric ecosystems and help us understand future ...
Biotechnology
Jun 3, 2025
0
133
Enamel proteins from Paranthropus robustus teeth reveal biological sex and genetic variability
A large international team of anthropologists, evolutionary theorists, biologists, and historians has identified gender and genetic variability via sequencing of enamel proteins from four Paranthropus robustus teeth within ...
Dinosaur eggshell study confirms biogenic origin of secondary eggshell units
The calcitic layers of the eggshells of archosaurs (including crocodilians and birds) and turtles are composed of distinctive crystalline structures known as eggshell units. Those growing from the shell membrane are called ...
Evolution
May 30, 2025
0
57
Long shot science leads to revised age for land-animal ancestor
In 1984, an amateur paleontologist in Scotland found a remarkable specimen: a nearly complete fossil of what looked to be a lizard or salamander. Rather small in size at 20 centimeters, it would turn out to be a crucial piece ...
Evolution
May 29, 2025
0
91
More news
Dinosaurs could hold key to cancer discoveries: Study highlights importance of preserving fossilized soft tissues
Paleoproteomic profiling recovers diverse proteins from 200-year-old human brains
Plateosaurus tail may have served as a powerful defensive weapon, paleontologists discover
Cheeky discovery: Scientists identify previously unknown soft tissue structure in dinosaurs
Teeth hurt? It could be because of a 500-million-year-old fish
Ancient Patagonian fossil sperm whale may have been active predator, reanalysis indicates
Other news
Aromatic ring technique converts inert chemicals into complex functional molecules
A high-resolution spectrometer that fits into smartphones
Fossil discovery in India extends the timeline of early dinosaurs
Digital reconstruction reveals 80 steps of prehistoric life
Paleontologists identify 12 new dinosaur teeth in China's Nenjiang Formation
