The Permian is a geologic period of the Paleozoic Era spanning approximately 299–252 million years ago, characterized by the assembly and dominance of the supercontinent Pangaea and associated climatic aridification and continental interior environments. It encompasses several globally recognized stages (e.g., Cisuralian, Guadalupian, Lopingian) defined by biostratigraphic markers and radiometric constraints. The Permian is notable for major evolutionary radiations and reorganizations of terrestrial and marine biotas, including diversification of amniotes, as well as progressive decline of many Paleozoic marine invertebrate groups, culminating in the end-Permian mass extinction that marks the boundary with the Triassic.
Earth responded to its most severe past warming event by evolving a new and bizarre type of photosynthesis that allowed a group of primitive plants to survive. Research led by the University of Leeds has revealed how lycophytes—a ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 20, 2026
0
28
In a study published in The Anatomical Record, researchers have identified a new species of large-bodied gorgonopsian from the middle Permian. The discovery pushed back the known origins of when these apex predators began ...
A study examining fossil evidence shows that large land predators were already hunting big plant-eating animals more than 280 million years ago. University of Toronto Mississauga researchers Jordan M. Young, Tea Maho, and ...
Ecology
Mar 2, 2026
0
149
Around 250 million years ago, what is today scorching desert in remote northwestern Australia was the shore of a shallow bay bordering a vast prehistoric ocean. Fossils recovered from this region over 60 years ago, and almost ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Feb 23, 2026
0
227
An international research team led by Dr. Lorenzo Marchetti from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin has described the oldest known impressions of reptile skin from the Thuringian Forest in central Germany. Particularly remarkable ...
Evolution
Feb 12, 2026
0
94
A new study led by a researcher from the School of Zoology and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History at Tel Aviv University examined dinosaur fossils preserved with their feathers and found that these dinosaurs had lost ...
Evolution
Dec 16, 2025
0
95
A research team from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), in collaboration with international partners, has completed a high-resolution biomarker analysis of the Zal ...
Ecology
Dec 2, 2025
0
25
A research team led by Academician Jin Zhijun from the Institute of Energy, Peking University, has revealed how interactions between Earth's tectonic activity and astronomical cycles jointly shaped the planet's climate and ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 27, 2025
0
45
An international team of paleontologists has spent more than 15 years excavating and studying fossils from Africa to expand our understanding of the Permian, a period of Earth's history that began 299 million years ago and ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Aug 11, 2025
0
371
