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Paleontology & Fossils news
How a giant prehistoric elephant skull helped untangle an evolutionary mystery
About 400,000 years ago, early humans in Europe, Asia and Africa lived alongside giant straight-tusked elephants, far bigger than their modern-day cousins. Their evolution has long been a mystery to paleontologists, but an ...
Evolution
1 hour ago
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Mysterious plant fossil belongs to a family that no longer exists
In 1969, fossilized leaves of the species Othniophyton elongatum—which translates to "alien plant"—were identified in eastern Utah. Initially, scientists theorized the extinct species may have belonged to the ginseng ...
Plants & Animals
22 hours ago
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Were Neanderthals cold-adapted or were they just ready for anything? Ribcage reconstruction may hold the answer
Researchers at the Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid report that analysis of a Neanderthal ribcage from a cave in Iraq exhibits a "bell-shaped" thorax configuration typical of Neanderthals ...
World's oldest mammalian ancestor discovered in Mallorca
An international research team led by the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP) and the Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals (MUCBO | MBCN) have described a fossil animal that lived between 270 and 280 million ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 17, 2024
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Paleoenvironmental study at Waterfall Bluff reveals leopard seal far from Antarctic waters
Waterfall Bluff Rock Shelter (WB) (Eastern Cape Province (ECP), South Africa) contains archaeological deposits demonstrating persistent and continuous human occupation spanning from Late Marine Isotope Stage 3 (~39ka–29ka) ...
New insights into the evolution and paleoecology of mosasaurs
Mosasaurs are extinct marine lizards, spectacular examples of which were first discovered in 1766 near Maastricht in the Netherlands, fueling the rise of the field of vertebrate paleontology. Paleontologist Michael Polcyn ...
Evolution
Dec 12, 2024
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What bone scans reveal about a tiny crocodilian from the Jurassic era
Journeying back to the Jurassic era, scientists used cutting-edge tech to uncover the secrets about Orthosuchus stormbergi, a small, early crocodile ancestor. Their results are published in the Journal of Anatomy.
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 12, 2024
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New species of ancient fish may be smallest known vertebrate fossil in Queensland's history
Queensland Museum scientists have described a 400-million-year-old fossil, which is possibly the smallest vertebrate fossil animal known from Queensland—Palaeospondylus australis. Details about this ancient fish, found ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 11, 2024
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A new species of flying reptile reshuffles the timeline of pterosaur evolution
About 230 million years ago, almost 80 million years before the first bird appeared, their distantly related cousins, the pterosaurs took to the sky, as the first group of active fliers among the vertebrates. Pterosaurs developed ...
Evolution
Dec 11, 2024
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Thylacoleo the fossil lion makes a roaring comeback
A new model of Thylacoleo, Australia's once-fearsome carnivorous marsupial lion, will be on show at the Victoria Cave visitor complex at the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves.
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 11, 2024
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Triassic reptile with unusual jaws named as a new species
A new species of ancient reptile has been named after spending more than 200 million years buried in the ground. Threordatoth chasmatos was one of the last survivors of the procolophonids, a group of lizard-like animals that ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 6, 2024
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Apex the $45M stegosaurus is on display in New York. Here's what scientists hope to learn about it
The most expensive dinosaur fossil ever discovered will be on view in New York starting this weekend, American Museum of Natural History officials announced Wednesday.
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 6, 2024
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Neanderthals and modern humans must be classed as separate species to best track our origins, study claims
A new study published by researchers at London's Natural History Museum and Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven has reinforced the claim that Neanderthals and modern-day humans (Homo sapiens) must be classed as separate species ...
Evolution
Dec 5, 2024
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Tyrannosaur teeth discovered in Bexhill-on-Sea with help of retired quarryman
Research led by the University of Southampton has revealed that several groups of meat-eating dinosaurs stalked the Bexhill-on-Sea region of coastal East Sussex 135 million years ago.
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 5, 2024
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Q&A: What fossils reveal about ancient Australian forests and fire
Australia's forest ecosystems, renowned for their extraordinary diversity of rare plants and animals, also play a vital role in mitigating climate change by absorbing and storing carbon. However, fossils from these ancient ...
Ecology
Dec 3, 2024
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Mid-Pleistocene climate change may have shaped hominin development and dispersal
A multi-institutional team of evolutionary specialists, climatologists and sociologists has found evidence that climate change during and after the Mid-Pleistocene likely shaped hominin development in parts of what is now ...
Rare whitefly fossils found in New Zealand shed light on ancient forest life
Newly discovered insect fossils are so small they can barely be seen by the human eye but have been preserved in an extraordinary way. Published in the journal Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, a study reveals rare ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 2, 2024
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Muddy footprints suggest 2 species of early humans were neighbors in Kenya 1.5 million years ago
Muddy footprints left on a Kenyan lakeside suggest two of our early human ancestors were nearby neighbors some 1.5 million years ago.
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 1, 2024
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3D fossil scans investigate the origins of bipedal locomotion in human evolution
One of the most fascinating periods in the evolution of the human lineage is the appearance of the first ancestors capable of bipedalism. Knowing the type of locomotion used by many fossil species—walking upright on the ...
Evolution
Nov 29, 2024
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Fishy fossil find points to possible polar bear ancestry for Scottish bears
New analysis of ancient bones and fossils found in a Highland cave has revealed them to be "fishier than the average bear" and could even suggest polar bears once roamed Scotland.
Paleontology & Fossils
Nov 29, 2024
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More news
Peru scientists unveil crocodile fossil up to 12 million years old
Fossil discovery reveals giant worm lizard with snail-cracking jaws
Parasaurolophus pipes: Modeling the dinosaur's crest to study its sound
Human ancestor Lucy still has secrets 50 years after discovery
Ankylosaurid dinosaur, unearthed in China in 1986, identified as a new species
Paleontologists discover Saskatchewan's first Centrosaurus and Citipes elegans fossils
The megafauna mystery: Australia's 40,000-year-old cold case
Saber-toothed kitten preserved in ice for 35,000 years
Fossil finds: Footprints on South Africa's coast offer a glimpse into our ancestors' lives
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Layer by layer: How simulations help manufacturing of modern displays
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Giant virus encodes key piece of protein-making machinery of cellular life
Building a backbone: Scientists recreate the body's 'GPS system' in the lab
A 150-million-year journey from the Jurassic to Exposition Park
Dinosaur skeleton fetches 6 million euros in Paris sale
Woolly rhino discovered in Siberia in 2020 has a fatty hump on its neck
Blinded by the light: The effects of urban lighting on beach bugs
Carnivorous squirrels documented in California
Research reveals how bad bacteria trigger painful gut contractions
Coral reef nightlife becomes more predatory with artificial light
Chinese detector to hunt elusive neutrinos deep underground
