Paleontology

  1. Physics

    How neutron imaging uncovers hidden secrets of fossils and artifacts

    The technique can complement X-ray scanning and other tools to uncover details of dinosaur fossils, mummies and more.

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  2. Paleontology

    Newfound fossil species of lamprey were flesh eaters

    In China, paleontologists have unearthed fossils of two surprisingly large lamprey species from the Jurassic Period.

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  3. Paleontology

    Dinosaur feathers may have been more birdlike than previously thought

    Feather proteins can change during fossilization, raising questions about what dinosaur feathers really can tell us about feather evolution.

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  4. Paleontology

    New computer analysis hints volcanism killed the dinosaurs, not an asteroid

    Scientists take a creative approach to investigating what caused the mass extinction 66 million years ago, but the debate is far from settled.

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  5. Paleontology

    A one-of-a-kind trilobite fossil hints at what and how these creatures ate

    The preserved contents suggest the trilobite fed almost continuously and had a gut environment with an alkaline or neutral pH, researchers say.

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  6. Paleontology

    This newfound birdlike dinosaur had surprisingly long legs

    Early birdlike dinosaurs are mostly short-limbed and thought to have lived in trees, but Fujianvenator prodigiosus may have run or waded in swamps.

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  7. Life

    Around 13,000 years ago, humans and fire changed LA’s ecosystem forever

    Rapid drying combined with human-made fires changed Southern California forever, killing off ancient bison, dire wolves and five other megafauna species there.

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  8. Paleontology

    Meet the tiny ancient whale named after King Tut

    The newly discovered Tutcetus rayanensis lived about 40 million years ago. It was just 2.5 meters long and weighed less than 200 kilograms.

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  9. Paleontology

    A colossal ancient whale could be the heaviest animal ever known

    Perucetus colossus may have tipped the scales at up to 340 metric tons, but some scientists are skeptical it could have sustained that mass.

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  10. Paleontology

    This ancient, Lovecraftian apex predator chased and pierced soft prey

    Half a billion years ago, Anomalocaris canadensis probably used its bizarre headgear to reach out and snag soft prey with its spiky clutches.

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  11. Life

    A 407-million-year-old plant’s leaves skipped the usual Fibonacci spirals

    Most land plants living today have spiral patterns involving the famous Fibonacci sequence of numbers. But an extinct, ancient plant did not.

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  12. Paleontology

    Megalodon sharks may have become megapredators by running hot

    O. megalodon sharks were warm-blooded megapredators. But colder-blooded great white sharks may have had an evolutionary edge when food sources dwindled.

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