Vertebrate paleontology is the scientific discipline within paleontology that focuses on the study of fossilized remains of vertebrate animals, including their morphology, systematics, evolutionary relationships, and paleoecology. It integrates anatomical analysis, comparative biology, stratigraphy, and geochronology to reconstruct the origin, diversification, and extinction patterns of vertebrates through deep time. Research in vertebrate paleontology often involves detailed examination of skeletal elements, functional morphology, and phylogenetic methods to infer evolutionary trajectories and biogeographic histories, as well as to interpret environmental and climatic conditions recorded in vertebrate fossil assemblages and associated sedimentary contexts.
Dinosaur "mummies" couldn't have been further from my mind as I trudged up a grassy knoll on the Zerbst Ranch in east-central Wyoming, followed by University of Chicago undergraduates on a field trip linked to my Dinosaur ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Oct 27, 2025
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New research has revealed how more upright limb postures helped ancient reptiles overcome the biomechanical constraints of body size, paving the way for the evolution of larger sizes in archosaurs—a group that includes crocodilians, ...
Evolution
Oct 24, 2025
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65
Argentinian researchers have described a Carnian theropod with features previously thought to belong only to much later neotheropods, indicating greater early dinosaur diversity than expected as well as a possible climate-related ...
Most of our knowledge of New Zealand's prehistoric bird diversity comes from long-lost species with bones large enough to be studied by eye. But many bird bones are so tiny we can barely see their features without a microscope.
Ecology
Oct 24, 2025
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Imaging technology has revolutionized paleontology, allowing scientists to study fossils that are buried deep in the rock or too small to handle. Two recent studies I was involved with show some of the technology's potential, ...
Evolution
Oct 23, 2025
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In a new paper in Science, experts from the University of Chicago describe steps that took place some 66 million years ago to transform the carcasses of a duck-billed dinosaur, Edmontosaurus annectens, into dinosaur "mummies" ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Oct 23, 2025
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Sixty-six million years ago, two genera of long-necked, quadrupedal dinosaurs had an advantage over other sauropods: they could easily stand on their hind legs for extended periods. This allowed them to scare off potential ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Oct 23, 2025
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133
Imagine a sloth. You probably picture a medium-sized, tree-dwelling creature hanging from a branch. Today's sloths—commonly featured on children's backpacks, stationery and lunch boxes—are slow-moving creatures, living inconspicuously ...
Ecology
Oct 22, 2025
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New research led by UNSW Sydney paleontologists challenges the idea that Indigenous Australians hunted Australia's megafauna to extinction, suggesting instead they were fossil collectors.
Ecology
Oct 21, 2025
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Researchers have developed a novel application of histological staining to screen for ancient proteins in situ—within the fossil's microstructure—advancing the field of paleoproteomics by addressing long-standing challenges ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Oct 20, 2025
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