Dinosaurs, as a scientific topic, encompass a diverse clade of archosaurian reptiles (primarily Dinosauria) that dominated terrestrial ecosystems during most of the Mesozoic Era and are central to research in vertebrate evolution, functional morphology, macroecology, and extinction dynamics. Study of dinosaurs integrates skeletal anatomy, phylogenetics, bone histology, biomechanics, ichnology, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction to investigate growth rates, locomotor strategies, trophic networks, and responses to climatic and tectonic changes. Modern research also emphasizes the dinosaur–bird transition, including the evolution of feathers, flight-related adaptations, and metabolic physiology, as well as patterns of diversification and selectivity associated with the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.
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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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 ...
A recently discovered extinct bird from the early Cretaceous Period (approximately 121 million years ago) may have waggled its long tail feathers to attract mates, according to a study published May 27, 2026 in the open-access ...
Plants & Animals
May 30, 2026
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A new raptor-like dinosaur from some 70 million years ago that ate fish and behaved like modern herons has been unearthed from southern Patagonia. The new species, which has been named Kank australis, was identified based ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 28, 2026
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Birds have all kinds of fancy decorations for attracting mates—male peacocks have a fan of feathers accented with shimmering blue eye-spots, birds of paradise do courtship dances that highlight their fluffy plumes, and female ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 27, 2026
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In the Triassic, the modern animals we know were just beginning to diversify into a menagerie of forms and body plans that rhyme with the lifestyles of extinct and living animals better known to the public, but nested in ...
Evolution
May 26, 2026
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The evolution of tiny arms in several groups of meat-eating dinosaurs was likely driven by the development of strong, powerful heads, which were used to attack prey, according to a new study led by researchers at UCL (University ...
Evolution
May 19, 2026
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The top predator prowling the seas during the age of the dinosaurs 100 million years ago may have been the octopus.
Paleontology & Fossils
May 17, 2026
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A new type of long-necked plant-eating dinosaur—the largest ever found in Southeast Asia—has been revealed in a study led by researchers at University College London (UCL), Mahasarakham University, Suranaree University of ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 14, 2026
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A great Tyrannosaurus rex strides through the conifer trees of her territory, sniffing the air. She picks up the scent from the carcass of a dead horned dinosaur, Triceratops, that she was feeding on yesterday. She walks ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 11, 2026
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