Paleontology
This dinosaur had a weapon shaped like an Aztec war club on its tail
The flat and spiky tail club of a newly discovered ankylosaur was unique, even for this often weirdly armored group of dinosaurs.
Paleontology
More Stories in Paleontology
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AnimalsGiant ground sloths may have been meat-eating scavengers
Contrary to previous assumptions, at least one ancient giant ground sloth was a meat eater.
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EarthA volcano-induced rainy period made Earth’s climate dinosaur-friendly
New physical evidence links eruptions 234 million to 232 million years ago to climate changes that let dinosaurs start their climb to dominance.
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PaleontologyThis is the oldest fossil evidence of spider moms taking care of their young
A spider trapped in amber 99 million years ago guarded her eggs and may have helped raise her young.
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PaleontologyFossil tracks may reveal an ancient elephant nursery
Fossilized footprints at a site in Spain include those of an extinct elephant’s newborns, suggesting the animals may have used the area as a nursery.
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HumansFossils and ancient DNA paint a vibrant picture of human origins
Paleoanthropologists have sketched a rough timeline of how human evolution played out, centering the early action in Africa.
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PaleontologyThis big-headed pterosaur may have preferred walking over flying
The most intact fossil of a tapejarid pterosaur ever found yields new insight into how the ancient reptile lived.
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PaleontologyHow fossilization preserved a 310-million-year-old horseshoe crab’s brain
A 310-million-year-old horseshoe crab’s brain was preserved in clay, thanks to an uncommon fossilization process that protected the fragile neural tissues.
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EarthA new book reveals stories of ancient life written in North America’s rocks
In ‘How the Mountains Grew,’ John Dvorak probes the interlinked geology and biology buried within the rocks of North America.
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LifeIf confirmed, tubes in 890-million-year-old rock may be the oldest animal fossils
Newly described wormlike fossils may be ancient sea sponges. If confirmed, the fossils would reveal a remarkably early start to animal life.