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Paleontology & Fossils news
New species of Middle Miocene bear-dog described in tribute to Salvador Moyà-Solà
A research team with the participation of the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP) has described a new species of extinct carnivore from fossil remains recovered at the Els Casots site (Subirats, Alt Penedès). ...
Evolution
Jun 12, 2026
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New findings complete first evolutionary history of all living millipede orders, dating back 460 million years
Long before vertebrates walked on land, millipedes had the place to themselves. Hundreds of millions of years before dinosaurs arrived, these early decomposers were helping establish Earth's terrestrial ecosystems. But despite ...
Ecology
Jun 12, 2026
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Smuggled dinosaur fossils return to Mongolia after two decades
Mongolia has recovered a rare dinosaur skeleton and a trove of fossils illegally exported two decades ago, authorities said Wednesday, concluding years of efforts to return the paleontological treasures.
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 11, 2026
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Newfound 'whale necropolis' reveals 5.3 million years of seafloor life
Whale falls form when whale carcasses sink to the seafloor, creating localized concentrations of biodiversity in the deep ocean. Besides playing a role in long-term carbon sequestration, whale falls help scientists understand ...
Ecology
Jun 10, 2026
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Fossil discovery shows the interaction between giant marine reptiles
Approximately 160 million years ago, during the Age of Dinosaurs, giant marine reptiles ruled the seas. One such creature, an ichthyosaur, swam in a sea near present-day Peterborough, England. This huge animal, shaped like ...
Ecology
Jun 10, 2026
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Ancient ground squirrel droppings reveal Arctic's rich evolutionary history
Ground squirrel droppings, preserved for millennia in the Yukon's deep permafrost, have yielded an enormous amount of environmental DNA from dozens of species of plants, insects, microbes and large mammals, offering detailed ...
Evolution
Jun 9, 2026
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A lack of sex held back life's diversity for millions of years, fossil study finds
The way that Earth's first animals reproduced held back life's diversity for millions of years, until stress and competition led to the development of sexual reproduction, which in turn accelerated the pace of evolution.
Evolution
Jun 9, 2026
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Hagfish fossils reveal stepwise eye simplification before near-total vision loss
Many animals, including humans, rely on their eyes to detect changes in their surroundings. The eyes of vertebrates, animals with a backbone or a similar supporting structure, contain a transparent structure (i.e., the lens) ...
Fossil fishes buried in the desert reveal a missing chapter in marine history
When an asteroid struck Earth about 66 million years ago, it ended the age of dinosaurs and transformed life across the planet. The effects of that catastrophe are visible in the fossil record on land, but scientists know ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 4, 2026
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Newfound velociraptor cousin probably glided on four 'wings' and hunted early birds
A fossil bed in northwestern China is littered with the remains of hundreds of prehistoric birds—including some whose broken bones were crushed into pellets, similar to those coughed up by modern owls. For years, scientists ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 4, 2026
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Half-ton early bovines roamed 4-million-year-old grasslands in Europe
The first large-sized bovines grew to up to half a ton 4 million years ago in the European Early Pliocene, an early step toward our modern diversity of large-bodied buffalo and cattle, according to a study published June ...
Evolution
Jun 3, 2026
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Egypt fossils show modern ocean fish rose rapidly after dinosaur extinction
The extinction that ended the Age of Dinosaurs is best known for clearing the way for the Age of Mammals on land. Scientists have long suspected that the same catastrophe also transformed life in the seas, opening ecological ...
Evolution
Jun 3, 2026
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Extraordinary fossils solve a 500-million-year mystery: Bryozoans were there at the dawn of animal life
Bryozoans are tiny, filter-feeding colonial invertebrates that thrive in the world's oceans today, yet for decades their origins presented a puzzling gap in the fossil record. While nearly every other major animal group made ...
Evolution
Jun 3, 2026
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Taimering mammoth was likely butchered by hunters and gatherers
The wooly mammoth from Taimering (Bavaria, Germany), discovered in 2020, was buried in a former Ice Age pond after its death. Pollen findings and radiocarbon dating confirm that the mammoth lived and died during the harsh ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 3, 2026
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World's largest scorpion revealed by 415-million-year-old fossils
Fossil fragments found in the U.K. have been identified as remains of the largest scorpions ever. Measuring more than a meter in length, Praearcturus gigas was among the first large predators to ever stalk the land.
Evolution
Jun 3, 2026
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Ötzi the Iceman and his microbiome—a 5,300-year-old relationship
Researchers at Eurac Research have obtained a detailed picture of the microbial community associated with Ötzi, Europe's oldest known natural human mummy. The study provides insights into a complex microbiome, ranging from ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 2, 2026
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Life in the ancient Arctic: Tiny teeth of newly discovered species suggest it was a cradle of mammalian evolution
A fossil mammal tooth smaller than a grain of rice does not announce itself loudly. It must be hard won from sediment and stone. Then, under a microscope, it reveals itself—no longer just a speck of blackness but a surface ...
Evolution
Jun 2, 2026
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Animals were sharpening their senses long before the Cambrian explosion, ancient tracks reveal
Tracks left by some of the earliest complex animals are giving new insights into how they experienced the world. New research reveals how these creatures started to understand their surroundings, paving the way for animal ...
Evolution
Jun 2, 2026
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Ancient altercations between musk turtles and alligator gar recorded in Florida's fossil record
Sometime between 5.5 and 5.6 million years ago, two shell crushers squared off in the languid currents of an ancient Florida river. The fossils they left behind, discovered by paleontologists at the Florida Museum of Natural ...
Ecology
Jun 2, 2026
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Tiny-armed alvarezsauroid dinosaurs might have been insect eaters, fossil scans suggest
Dinosaurs are estimated to have roamed Earth for over 165 million years, gradually evolving over time to survive in changing environments. Among the many fascinating groups of dinosaurs known to have lived on our planet are ...
More news
Heron-like, fish-eating dinosaur from 70 million years ago discovered in Argentina
'Feathered dragon' has some of the longest tail feathers ever found on a fossil bird
Artists reconstruct extinct Sri Lankan megafauna
Ancient seas get a new T. rex as massive mosasaur emerges from Texas fossils
129,000 years of crocodiles: What we know about Australasia's ancient apex predators
A massive kraken-like octopus may have prowled the seas during the age of dinosaurs
Other news
Dogs and humans are more alike than we thought, study finds
TRACERS spacecraft maps solar energy's route into Earth using cusp electrons
New atlas reveals more about how the body's 'master gland' really works
Forecast flags 210 antimicrobial resistance traits that could spread by 2050
AI sorts cell droplets into four shapes, uncovering drug effects in human cells
Nuclear clocks tick for the first time
Slime molds make decisions using internal fluid flows
'Last titan': Southeast Asia's biggest dinosaur discovered
Dinosaur dental fossils reveal bird-like parental care bonds
The lost koala: New fossil species was hiding in plain sight for 100 years
Engineered bacterium turns potato starch into biodegradable plastic in 24 hours
Molecular anchors on gut phages could open new therapeutic avenues
Rare-earth-free zinc oxide achieves a first in stress-to-light conversion
