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Paleontology & Fossils news
Study determines when and how pterosaurs went from tiny tree-climbers to towering terrestrial titans
The evolutionary adaptations that allowed ancient pterosaurs to grow to enormous sizes have been pinpointed for the first time by paleontologists in the Center for Paleobiology and Biosphere Evolution at the University of ...
Evolution
Oct 4, 2024
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Scientists offer a detailed look at the skeleton of an ancient predator that thrived in extreme conditions
Imagine a world on the brink of collapse: volcanic eruptions spewing toxic gases, oceans turning acidic, and up to 90% of Earth's species vanishing in the blink of an eye. This was the reality at the end of the Permian Period, ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Oct 3, 2024
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Monkey fossils found in cave shed light on the animals' extinction centuries ago
By studying rare fossils of jaws and other skull parts of a long-extinct Caribbean monkey, a team of researchers that includes a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine professor says it has uncovered new evidence documenting ...
Ecology
Oct 2, 2024
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Northeastern Europe has only been 'stork country' for a few centuries, study reveals
In legends and fables, it brings luck, children and prosperity. Today, its appearance is seen as a sign of a healthy environment. Hardly any other bird in Europe has such positive connotations as the white stork Ciconia ciconia. ...
Ecology
Oct 2, 2024
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New insights into sauropod evolution: Discovery of tail clubs in India
A new University of Michigan study of dinosaur fossils from India has revealed that the sauropod dinosaur Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis wielded a bony tail club.
Evolution
Sep 30, 2024
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Cretaceous fireflies reveal early evolution of insect bioluminescence
Bioluminescence, the ability of living organisms to emit light, is a fascinating phenomenon observed in various life forms, including deep-sea fish, glowing mushrooms, and fireflies. Fireflies have long captivated people ...
Evolution
Sep 26, 2024
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Study shows that ancient reef-building stromatoporoids dodged extinction—at least temporarily
Will modern coral reefs go extinct? The answer is uncertain, but some of their ancient counterparts managed to dodge a bullet—for a while, at least.
Ecology
Sep 25, 2024
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Fossils from the Adriatic Sea show a recent and worrying reversal of fortunes
If you'd stopped monitoring the Adriatic Sea's marine life in the mid-20th century, the outlook would have been promising. Snails and the clams they hunt for food increased in abundance for several decades during the late ...
Ecology
Sep 25, 2024
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Brazilian fossils reveal early evolution of mammalian jaw and middle ear
Newly discovered fossils, belonging to the mammal-precursor species Brasilodon quadrangularis and Riograndia guaibensis, offer critical insights into the development of the mammalian jaw and middle ear, revealing evolutionary ...
Evolution
Sep 25, 2024
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Unveiling ancient life: New method sheds light on early cellular and metabolic evolution
Fossils don't always come in large, dinosaur-sized packages. Microfossils refer to a type of fossil that is so small, it can only be perceived with a microscope. These microfossils can help us understand when and how early ...
Evolution
Sep 24, 2024
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Rare Florida fossil finally ends debate about how porcupine jaws and tails evolved
A rare, nearly complete fossil of an extinct North American porcupine helped me and my colleagues solve a decades-long debate about how the modern North American porcupine evolved from its ancestors.
Paleontology & Fossils
Sep 23, 2024
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Fossil site in Massachusetts reveals 320-million-year-old ecosystem
Researchers have discovered an exceptionally preserved fossil site in Massachusetts that provides a rare glimpse into terrestrial life from over 300 million years ago. The findings, published in Nature Communications, reveal ...
Ecology
Sep 19, 2024
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Small populations of Stone Age people drove dwarf hippos and elephants to extinction on Cyprus
Imagine growing up beside the eastern Mediterranean Sea 14,000 years ago. You're an accomplished sailor of the small watercraft you and your fellow villagers make, and you live off both the sea and the land.
Ecology
Sep 18, 2024
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Early dingoes are related to dogs from New Guinea and East Asia, 3D fossil scanning study finds
New archaeological research by the University of Sydney has discovered for the first time clear links between fossils of the iconic Australian dingo, and dogs from East Asia and New Guinea.
Evolution
Sep 18, 2024
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150
New evidence suggests allergies were partly to blame for demise of woolly mammoth
A team of chemists and zoologists from Israel, Italy and Russia, has found evidence suggesting that part of the reason woolly mammoths went extinct was the onset of allergies that made it difficult for them to find mates.
Unraveling an ancient European extinction mystery: Disappearance of dwarf megafauna on paleolithic Cyprus
Scientists have unraveled a mystery about the disappearance of dwarf hippos and elephants that once roamed the picturesque landscape on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus before paleolithic humans arrived.
Paleontology & Fossils
Sep 17, 2024
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Are kiwi and moa recent immigrants from Australia? Neither fossils nor genetic evidence support the story
Aotearoa New Zealand is a land of birds, from the smallest of wrens to the mightiest of moa. The ancestors of some species have been here for tens of millions of years, while others arrived only a few million years ago.
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 17, 2024
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The mammalian inner ear is a striking example of convergent evolution, new study reveals
A new study reveals the surprisingly convergent evolution in the inner ear of mammals. An international research team led by Nicole Grunstra from the University of Vienna and Anne Le Maître from the Konrad Lorenz Institute ...
Evolution
Sep 17, 2024
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178
Paleontologists find omnivorous ancestor of the giant panda, revealing it was not always just a bamboo eater
The Hammerschmiede fossil site in southern Germany has yielded finds from about 11.5 million years ago that have rewritten evolutionary history. The sole species of bear discovered to date at the site was a relative of the ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Sep 16, 2024
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Exceptional new fish fossil sparks a rethink of how Earth's geology drives evolution
Coelacanths are deep-sea fish that live off the coasts of southern Africa and Indonesia and can reach up to two meters in length. For a long time, scientists believed they were extinct.
Evolution
Sep 15, 2024
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More news
Trilobite fossils from upstate New York reveal 'extra' set of legs
AI-based technique speeds up the analysis of fossils
Three new ancestors added to Tasmanian tiger's storyline
Large theropod dinosaurs thrived near South Pole, Australian tracks show
Mysterious 50-million-year-old fish to get a new genus
Qunkasaura: New sauropod dinosaur from the Cretaceous discovered in the Iberian Peninsula
A tiny relative of the Triceratops: International team discovers a new horned dinosaur
Chemists explain why dinosaur collagen may have survived for millions of years
What fur development can tell us about our ancient ancestors
Tropical plants discovered in Tasmania's ancient Polar Forest
Kākāpō, not kiwi, are the true ancient species of Aotearoa, say paleontologists
Other news
Dietary zinc inhibits antimicrobial resistance gene transmission in lab tests
ESA's Hera spacecraft set for asteroid 'crime scene investigation'
Antarctic 'greening' at dramatic rate, satellite data show
Phage cocktail shows promise against drug-resistant bacteria
Scientists uncover auditory 'sixth sense' in geckos
Innovative method targets removal of PFAS from wastewater
Matching dinosaur footprints found on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean
Paleontologists discover new predatory dinosaur with a distinctive 'eyebrow'
In Mississippi, discovery of elephant fossil from the ice age provides window into the past
Solar flares may cause faint auroras across top of Northern Hemisphere
