Paleontology

Paleontology

Fossil find extends ants’ ancient lineage

The recently described, 92-million-year-old fossil of a primitive worker ant pushes back the first record of its particular subfamily by 40 million years, forcing researchers to reevaluate their ideas about the early evolution of these insects.

Paleontology

Bird Brain? Cranial scan of fossil hints at flight capability

Detailed computerized tomography scans of the fossilized braincase of an Archaeopteryx show that several flight-related regions of the feathered creature's brain were highly developed.

Paleontology

Early life forms had a modular structure

Fossils recently discovered in northeastern Newfoundland reveal that some of Earth's earliest large organisms had modular body plans whose main architectural element was a branching, frondlike structure.

Paleontology

Chipmunks in Wisconsin toughed out ice age

Analyses of DNA from chipmunks in parts of the U.S. Midwest hint that some populations of the creatures stayed in northern refuges rather than migrating south at the beginning of the last ice age.

Paleontology

Neck Bones on the Menu: Fossil vertebrae show species interaction

Three fossil neck bones from an ancient flying reptile—one of them with the broken tip of a tooth embedded in it—indicate that the winged creatures occasionally fell victim to meat eaters.

Paleontology

Calling all orthodontists. . .

Researchers have unearthed fossils of a theropod dinosaur whose front teeth grew almost directly forward, which sets it apart from all other related species.

Paleontology

Allosaurus as a Jurassic headbanger

The skull of the carnivorous dinosaur Allosaurus fragilis can resist levels of stress much higher than those expected from chewing, which may provide insight into the animal's method of attacking its prey.

Paleontology

The last ice age wasn’t totally icy

Radiocarbon dating of fossils taken from caves on islands along Alaska's southeastern coast suggest that at least a portion of the area remained ice-free during the last ice age.

Paleontology

Did ancient wildfire end in barbecue?

Small pieces of large bones and petrified wood that show distinct signs of being burned may be evidence of a 74-million-year-old wildfire in central Wyoming.

Paleontology

Fossil Fingerprints: Rare earths tie bones to burial ground

The soil in which fossilization occurs leaves a chemical imprint on the bones, suggesting that scientists can use this soil signature to identify more precisely a fossil's original home.

Paleontology

Crawling through Time: Fish bones reveal past climate change

The timing of ancient migrations of snakehead fish from the Indian subcontinent into Europe, Asia, and Africa tells scientists about temperature and humidity changes in those locations.

Paleontology

Rare English bits are oldest known charcoal

Analyses of small black chunks of material extracted from 420-million-year-old rocks found along the England-Wales border suggest that they're remnants of the earliest known wildfire.