Paleontology

More Stories in Paleontology

  1. Paleontology

    What may be one of Earth’s earliest animals has a punk rock vibe

    Squiggly markings like a punk rock hairdo led researchers to identify the remains as spongelike animals that may have lived around 560 million years ago.

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  2. Paleontology

    An ancient reptile’s fossilized skin reveals how it swam like a seal

    A reptile fossil is the first of its kind with skin and partially webbed feet, possibly showing how later species like plesiosaurs adapted to water.

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  3. Paleontology

    Crystallized dino eggs provide a peek into the tumultuous Late Cretaceous

    Definitively dating the age of a clutch of fossil dinosaur eggs at a famous site in China may let scientists link eggshell features to environmental shifts at the time.

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  4. Paleontology

    Young pterosaurs probably died in violent Jurassic storms

    Two hatchling pterosaurs with fractured arm bones point to ancient storms as the cause of mass casualties preserved in Germany’s Solnhofen Limestone.

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  5. Paleontology

    Dinosaur teeth reveal some were picky eaters

    The enamel in fossilized teeth reveals some dinosaurs preferred to eat particular parts of plants.

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  6. Paleontology

    A new species of ‘penis worm’ was discovered in the Grand Canyon

    A trove of fossils, including a penis worm with a spiked, invertible throat, suggests this spot may have been a cradle of Cambrian evolution.

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  7. Paleontology

    How an ancient marine predator snuck up on its prey

    Serrations at the edges of a fossilized flipper of the ancient marine reptile Temnodontosaurus suggests it may have been able to swim silently.

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  8. Paleontology

    How fast did dinosaurs really go? Birds walking in mud provide new clues

    Tracks of dinosaur footprints can hint at how fast the extinct animals moved. Here’s how guinea fowl can help fact-check those assumptions.

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  9. Paleontology

    Zombifying fungi have been infecting insects for 99 million years

    Two bits of amber discovered in a lab basement hold ancient evidence of a fungi famous for controlling the minds of its victims.

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