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Paleontology & Fossils news
Ancient fossil sheds big light on evolution enigma, solving a 100-year arthropod mystery
For over a century, the Cambrian arthropod Helmetia expansa remained a mystery. Discovered by paleontologist Charles Doolittle Walcott in 1918, it was initially classified as a crustacean. Despite frequent mentions in research ...
Evolution
5 hours ago
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Study finds evidence that prehistoric rhinos lived in huge herds
Rhinos that flourished across much of North America 12 million years ago gathered in huge herds, according to a new study by the University of Cincinnati.
Ecology
6 hours ago
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Farmers brought fish up the mountains of Europe as early as the 7th century, ancient DNA reveals
Ancient DNA extracted from a sediment core from a high-altitude Pyrenean lake in Spain reveals that fish may have been added to the lake by humans as early as the 7th century CE. The findings, published in Nature Communications, ...
Ecology
8 hours ago
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Dinosaurs' apparent decline prior to asteroid may be due to poor fossil record, say researchers
The idea that dinosaurs were already in decline before an asteroid wiped most of them out 66 million years ago may be explained by a worsening fossil record from that time rather than a genuine dwindling of dinosaur species, ...
Paleontology & Fossils
10 hours ago
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Scientists shed light on life and times of 'Fiona' the pregnant ichthyosaur
About 131 million years ago, an 11-foot-long ichthyosaur slammed snout first into the seafloor and was rapidly buried by sediments—a sequence of events that helped preserve not only her skeleton, but that of her unborn ...
Paleontology & Fossils
11 hours ago
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Air pockets found in bones of Alvarezsauridae skeleton for the first time
A team of archaeologists and paleontologists from Argentina, the U.S. and China has unearthed the first known example of a fossilized Alvarezsauridae skeleton with evidence of air pockets in its bones. In their paper published ...
Yana, a 130,000-year-old baby mammoth, goes under the scalpel
Making incisions and carefully taking samples, the scientists at a laboratory in Russia's far east looked like pathologists carrying out a post-mortem.
Paleontology & Fossils
Apr 4, 2025
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Bizarre-looking dinosaur challenges what we know about the evolution of fingers
Oviraptorosaurs are weird dinosaurs that look a bit like flightless birds. But these ancient animals aren't just funny-looking fossils. As my team's new research published in Royal Society Open Science shows, they can help ...
Evolution
Apr 3, 2025
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Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs
Jurassic dinosaurs milled about ancient Scottish lagoons, leaving up to 131 footprints at a newly discovered stomping ground on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, according to a study published in PLOS One by Tone Blakesley of ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Apr 2, 2025
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Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming
Dozens of amphibians perished together on an ancient floodplain around 230 million years ago, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Aaron M. Kufner of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S., ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Apr 2, 2025
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Island life 200 million years ago: Ancient neptunian dike reveals rare mixed marine and terrestrial fossil assemblage
Two Paleontology and Evolution students from the University of Bristol have undertaken the first ever study which describes the incredible range of fossils which were sucked into a neptunian dike, a deep, fissure-like cave ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Apr 2, 2025
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New fossils reveal ancient carnivorous mammals in Himalayan foothills
A group of researchers, including Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (HU) Professor Dr. Steven Jasinski, has published a study on fossil carnivoran mammals from the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains in northern ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Apr 2, 2025
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Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid, research reveals
More mammals were living on the ground several million years before the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs, new research led by the University of Bristol has revealed.
Evolution
Apr 1, 2025
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Oldest known phosphatic stromatoporoid sponge discovered in south China
International scientists have uncovered the oldest known phosphatic stromatoporoid sponge, dating back approximately 480 million years to the Early Ordovician, in South China.
Plants & Animals
Mar 31, 2025
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Plesiosaur discovery sheds light on early Jurassic evolution and plausible endemism
A newly described plesiosaur fossil from southern Germany is providing crucial evidence about the diversification of these ancient marine reptiles during the Early Jurassic.
Evolution
Mar 31, 2025
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'Inside out' fossil reveals a new species with a perfectly preserved interior
A new species of fossil from 444 million years ago that has perfectly preserved insides has been affectionately named "Sue" after its discoverer's mom.
Paleontology & Fossils
Mar 27, 2025
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First fossil hyena tracks found in South Africa. How expert animal trackers helped
"The art of tracking may well be the origin of science." This is the departure point for a 2013 book by Louis Liebenberg, co-founder of an organization devoted to environmental monitoring.
Paleontology & Fossils
Mar 27, 2025
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Ancient parasitic 'Venus flytrap' wasp preserved in amber reveals parasitoid strategies
An extinct lineage of parasitic wasps dating from the mid-Cretaceous period and preserved in amber may have used their Venus flytrap-like abdomen to capture and immobilize their prey.
Ecology
Mar 26, 2025
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Why humans have smaller faces than Neanderthals
The human face is strikingly distinct from our fossil cousins and ancestors—most notably, it is significantly smaller, and more gracile. However, the reasons behind this change remain largely unknown. A team of researchers ...
Evolution
Mar 26, 2025
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How survivors spanned the globe after Earth's biggest mass extinction
Scientists don't call it the "Great Dying" for nothing. About 252 million years ago, upward of 80% of all marine species vanished during the end-Permian mass extinction—the most extreme event of its kind in Earth's history.
Ecology
Mar 26, 2025
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More news
Giant claw unearthed in Mongolia belongs to a new species of two-fingered dinosaur
A fossilized gathering of ancient crustacean reveals new insights into their lives
New report calls for return of human remains—but UK museums lack the resources to act
Oldest cerapodan ornithischian dinosaur discovered in Morocco
Ancient seafloor creature grew like modern marine invertebrates, study suggests
Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible
Western Europe's oldest human face discovered in Spain
Melanosome patterns in Mesozoic mammals suggest they had dark, uniformly dull fur coloring
Rare aardvark trace fossils discovered in South Africa
Other news
Using orbital cycles to understand early life
New research finds fluorescence in feathers of Long-eared Owls
Predicting animal movements under global change
A new dissipation-based method to probe quantum correlations
Sperm don't just swim, they screw their way forward
Nurturing mothers help baby monkeys recognize key facial expressions
Unnoticed for decades, dinosaur footprints at Australian school reveal ancient secrets
Terrestrial 'life oasis' from end-Permian mass extinction period discovered in China
'Old stump' spotted by deer hunter is actually a mammoth tusk, Texas researchers say
A 62-million-year-old skeleton sheds light on an enigmatic mammal
Molecular-level technique reveals a single catalytic grain do work in real time
