https://phys.org/biology-news/paleontology/ en-us News about paleontology, important paleontological discoveries and fossil studies Evolution is all about trade-offs. Traits that may be beneficial in one situation may backfire in another. Over millions of years, species can become specialized for one way of living rather than being equally good at everything. This explains why mammal teeth look the way they do today. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-evolution-mammal-teeth-slice-equally.html Evolution Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:20:01 EDT news704105217 About 22,000 years ago, a giant brown bear lumbered across what is now Portugal. The creature weighed around 385 kg (about 850 pounds), making it one of the largest of its kind ever found, towering over the Iberian brown bears that live there today. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-portugal-ancient-giant-shrank-thousands.html Evolution Thu, 23 Jul 2026 06:20:01 EDT news703950778 An international study led by researchers from the University of Tartu shows that approximately 470 million years ago, a significant ecological change took place in the world's oceans: For the first time, the interiors of empty mollusk shells began to be used as habitats. This marked the emergence of a new ecological niche and was a crucial step in the development of a marine ecosystem similar to today's. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-marine-animals-colonized-seashells-million.html Ecology Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:00:03 EDT news703949101 Around 80 million years ago, a stretch of tropical coastline in what is now northeastern Italy was lashed by monsoon rains and tropical cyclones. Those storms swept dinosaur carcasses, crocodiles, plants and river mud onto a tidal flat, where the tides and a film of microbes sealed everything away with extraordinary preservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-storms-built-graveyard-ancient-monsoons.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:20:09 EDT news703938783 Volunteers armed with chisels, brushes and protective goggles chip away at rock encasing the bones of a massive prehistoric amphibian in a glass-walled laboratory on the ground floor of Warsaw's Copernicus Science Centre. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-volunteers-painstaking-effort-massive-skeleton.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:55:08 EDT news703911286 For more than 25 years, Liopleurodon has been one of the world's most recognizable prehistoric marine predators. Immortalized in the BBC's landmark Walking with Dinosaurs series as a colossal 25-meter (82-foot) marine hunter, it captured the imagination of millions and became synonymous with the giant reptiles that ruled Jurassic seas. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-jurassic-sea-monster-smaller-thought.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:20:01 EDT news703852022 Calculating a fossil's position throughout geological history is a complex process. In paleontology and other disciplines, determining a location in the past is a challenge that requires refined computational tools to process large volumes of data. Now, the BIOST3 Research Group at the University of Barcelona has designed an open-access web interface for the general public that simplifies this process and facilitates access to high-quality paleogeographic reconstructions. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-web-tool-fossil-ancient-continents.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:00:07 EDT news703779721 A research team from Okayama University of Science, Tokyo City University, the Natural History Museum, Kishiwada City (Osaka Prefecture), and other institutions has identified four previously unrecognized fossil bones from a rock containing mosasaur remains collected about 30 years ago in Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-japan-mosasaur-premaxilla-fossil-hints.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:40:05 EDT news703773351 A rare CO chondrite meteorite was the probable impacter that struck Earth 66 million years ago, wiping out 75% of Earth's species, including nonavian dinosaurs. These findings are published in Science Advances. Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Paris, Brussels and Vienna, used advanced nickel isotope analysis of samples to narrow down the composition of the deadly Cretaceous-Paleogene meteorite. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-class-oddball-meteorite-dinosaurs.html Biotechnology Fri, 17 Jul 2026 14:00:11 EDT news703496174 Long before dinosaurs ruled the continents and modern crocodiles first appeared, their ancestors were already going through a decisive phase in their evolutionary history. It was in this ancient world, shortly after the greatest mass extinction in Earth's history, that a new species of fossil reptile was discovered in Brazil's inland Rio Grande do Sul state. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-reptile-fossil-brazil-common-dinosaurs.html Evolution Fri, 17 Jul 2026 12:00:01 EDT news703497438 When you think of carnivorous marsupials, you probably picture the Tasmanian devil or perhaps a spotted-tailed quoll. But these famous predators are only the largest members of a remarkable family of marsupials called dasyurids. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-australia-diverse-marsupial-predators-millions.html Evolution Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:00:11 EDT news703487821 Fossil finds are exciting moments that sometimes introduce the world to an ancient mammal or dinosaur that existed millions of years ago. But a longstanding problem in paleontology is that fossils are often incomplete, and subtle differences between certain species, along with major changes that can occur as an animal grows, complicate species identification. A paper published this month in Paleobiology lays the groundwork for a new approach to correctly identifying ancient animal fossils, with significant implications for vertebrate paleontology. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-alligators-expose-juvenile-fossils-classification.html Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:40:04 EDT news703427786 Today, oceans host a large variety of fast, resilient marine predators, including tunas, mackerels and various other fish species. Many of these fish belong to a lineage known as Scombridae, whose members are characterized by fins supported by thin, bony structures known as rays. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-tunas-ocean-predators-evolved-slowly.html Evolution Thu, 16 Jul 2026 07:00:01 EDT news703241727 Tyrannosaurus rex was a giant of the prehistoric world, standing up to 13 feet (4 meters) tall and weighing around 9 tons (8 tonnes). So you might expect that its hatchlings were also a considerable size. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-rex-babies-born-ready.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 15 Jul 2026 14:40:03 EDT news703338762 A collection of fossilized dinosaur bones from Wyoming features tooth marks that provide evidence that some bites were likely made by Tyrannosaurus rex, according to a study published July 15, 2026, in PLOS One by Bethania C. T. Siviero from Loma Linda University, U.S., and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-rex-responsible-tooth-fossil-bones.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 15 Jul 2026 14:00:26 EDT news703318086 Bones preserved in underwater caves offer a rare and powerful window into the past—but until now, researchers have had limited tools to understand how the remains of extinct megafauna and other animals came to rest in their underwater graveyards. New research led by Griffith University changes that. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bone-fingerprints-hidden-stories-underwater.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 15 Jul 2026 14:00:17 EDT news703314764 Ancient DNA can be a powerful tool for helping us reconstruct the long-dead past. Most surviving genetic material comes from the bones and teeth of animals that lived in cold environments, where freezing temperatures help prevent decay. While hotter climates are seen as hostile to preservation, researchers have recently extracted DNA from a tooth found in South Africa that may date to around 50,000 years ago—the oldest yet retrieved from sub-Saharan Africa. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientists-recover-saharan-africa-oldest.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:40:01 EDT news703325818 For more than 150 years, fossils of Jurassic fish scattered across Europe's museums were studied and drawn by generations of scientists. However, when a paleontologist decided to shine an ultraviolet light on them, a hidden world lit up. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ultraviolet-uncovers-juveniles-mysterious-jurassic.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:00:01 EDT news703319061 A Tyrannosaurus rex fossil billed as one of the world's largest and most complete specimens sold for a record $50.1 million Tuesday to a mystery bidder. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-gus-rex-mn-auction.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:26:48 EDT news703250778 A University of Auckland scientist has uncovered the fates of chimpanzees who starred in seminal psychological studies of the early 20th century. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-famous-puzzle-chimps-lost-years.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:10:02 EDT news703169610 Roughly 50,000 years ago, a kangaroo unlike any alive today lived in the mountain rainforests of New Guinea. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-giant-kangaroos-survived-years-guinea.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:20:04 EDT news702907946 A new study published in Scientific Reports describes the identification of a new species of long-necked dinosaur found in the Phu Kradung Formation in Thailand. The team calls the dinosaur Uragasaurus kalasinensis and says it is the first formally named mamenchisaurid dinosaur from Thailand. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-jurassic-dinosaur-species-thailand-bone.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:30:01 EDT news702897823 A new Stanford-led study offers the clearest picture yet of how some ocean life survived our planet's biggest mass extinction while most animals did not. About 252 million years ago, 96% of marine species and 70% of land animals died off during the Permian–Triassic extinction event, known as the "Great Dying." Not all branches of the evolutionary tree were affected evenly, however. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-link-mass-extinction-dominant-marine.html Evolution Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:42:09 EDT news702888087 In the late 1990s in the Ajimu region of Japan's Oita Prefecture, researchers discovered three fossilized vertebrae belonging to the Cryptobranchidae family of giant salamanders. These were embedded in the Tsubusugawa Formation, Pliocene-era strata of lake deposits dating back approximately 3.5 million years. The strata have also yielded fossils of animals that no longer roam Japan, such as elephants and crocodiles, revealing a glimpse of an era much warmer and more humid than Japan's current climate. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fossils-decades-reveal-extinct-million.html Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:34:27 EDT news702815638 Scientists have uncovered what may be the earliest evidence of "right-handedness" in the animal kingdom, dating back more than half a billion years. The discovery comes from the fossil record of Spriggina floundersi, an organism from the Ediacaran Period that lived about 550 million years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ancient-fossil-reveal-animal-kingdom.html Evolution Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:00:05 EDT news702711210 The transition from a lumbering, heavy dinosaur body to the flight-adapted bird body plan is one of many fascinating episodes in evolutionary history. Working out how this massive transformation took place relies heavily on fossil records, especially of transitional species. A study of a newly identified Jurassic bird published in the journal Science Advances is providing fresh insights into a tail adaptation that helps birds fly. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-tiny-jurassic-bird-reveals-key.html Evolution Wed, 08 Jul 2026 09:40:06 EDT news702720639 Before the oldest dinosaur, before animals or even plants had expanded onto dry land, ancient relatives of starfish called crinoids, resembling stalked sea flowers, were among the first creatures to flourish in Earth's earliest coral reefs more than 450 million years ago. The study of fossilized crinoids helps scientists understand how these animals evolved and offers rare insight into the origins of complex life. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-paleontologists-million-discovery-soft-tissue.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 06 Jul 2026 13:37:43 EDT news702563841 A new study, published July 6, 2026, in the journal Nature Communications, suggests that two of the best-known trends in human evolution—brain growth and the reduction in the size of the face and jaw—may be far less attributable to directed natural selection than scientists have long assumed. Instead, the findings by researchers at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) at the University of Tübingen point to a slower and presumably more limited evolutionary process than the traditional textbook portrayal suggests. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-larger-brain-smaller-human-evolution.html Evolution Mon, 06 Jul 2026 11:20:08 EDT news702551982 Arguably one of the most curious ancient human relatives is Homo floresiensis, a 3-foot-tall species that lived on the Indonesian island of Flores and has been nicknamed "hobbit" for its diminutive stature. Even though they had small brains, scientists had thought they were surprisingly advanced because early research linked them to big-game hunting, specifically targeting the extinct dwarf elephant (Stegodon florensis insularis), as well as the use of fire. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ancient-hobbit-humans-survived-meat.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 06 Jul 2026 09:55:04 EDT news702550397 Scientists have long posited that the earliest water animals to transition to land had amphibious tadpole features, going through a metamorphosis akin to that of today's frogs. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-rare-million-year-fossils-early.html Paleontology & Fossils Sun, 05 Jul 2026 09:20:01 EDT news701061081