Invertebrate paleontology is the scientific discipline within paleontology that investigates the fossil record of animals lacking a vertebral column, including groups such as mollusks, arthropods, echinoderms, cnidarians, and brachiopods. It focuses on the morphology, taxonomy, phylogenetic relationships, and evolutionary patterns of these organisms, using skeletal hard parts (e.g., shells, exoskeletons, ossicles) preserved in sedimentary rocks. Invertebrate paleontologists employ stratigraphic distribution, paleoecological reconstruction, and quantitative methods to infer biodiversity trends, biogeographic patterns, and environmental change through geologic time, and to refine biostratigraphic frameworks critical for correlating and dating sedimentary sequences.
Insects belong to a broader group of six-legged animals called hexapods. This group also includes other less well-known, small animals, including diplurans or two-pronged bristletails, wingless relatives of insects with two ...
A new study combining genomic analyses and fossil evidence sheds light on the century-old "Palaeoptera Problem," a longstanding debate over the evolutionary relationships among major groups of winged insects.
Evolution
Oct 13, 2026
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Researchers may have uncovered the reason why some of Earth's earliest animals were commonly preserved as fossils—even though they were essentially fragile "bags of goo"—while later soft-bodied creatures have largely disappeared ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 8, 2026
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Some 99 million years ago, during the age of the dinosaurs, a tiny insect belonging to a species previously unknown to science became trapped in tree resin. The resin hardened and turned into amber, and the fossil preserved ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 5, 2026
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A "peculiar" new species of Jurassic squid-like animal has been unearthed in Wyoming, U.S., following the discovery of two exceptionally rare fossils dating to around 160 million years ago.
Evolution
Sep 10, 2026
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Two tiny ant fossils recovered in southern Saskatchewan are helping scientists better understand the evolutionary history of modern ants. Ant fossils dating from 72–56 million years ago are rare. What happened to insects ...
Evolution
Sep 3, 2026
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The formation of complex terrestrial ecosystems was a significant innovation in the evolutionary history of life on Earth. This event signified the expansion of life beyond marine environments and marked the beginning of ...
Evolution
Aug 27, 2026
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The sights and sounds of the Jurassic era are long gone, and we will never know for sure what that ancient world looked and sounded like. Fossils can offer clues, and reconstructions can give us a sense of the noises some ...
Insects rely on a wide range of strategies to sense their surroundings and communicate with their peers. Fireflies (Lampyridae) and some related beetles are known for their ability to produce visible light through chemical ...
Scientists have discovered a remarkably well-preserved 100-million-year-old beetle fossil that provides a rare glimpse into the evolution of the intricate sensory and communication systems used by fireflies and their relatives ...
Evolution
Jul 31, 2026
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