Paleontology

Paleontology

New fossil weighs in on primate origins

A 55-million-year-old primate skeleton found in Wyoming indicates that the common ancestor of modern monkeys, apes, and people was built primarily for hanging tightly onto tree branches.

Paleontology

Forged fossil is a fish-eating fowl

Detailed analyses of Archaeoraptor, a forged fossil once thought to be a missing link between dinosaurs and birds, reveal that the majority of that fake comes from an ancient, fish-eating bird.

Paleontology

Fossils Hint at Who Left Africa First

Fossil skulls found in central Asia date to 1.7 million years ago and may represent the first ancestral human species to have left Africa.

Paleontology

Trackway site shows dinosaur on the go

Scientists say that a sediment-filled, bathtub-shape depression found at one of North America's most significant dinosaur trackway sites is the first recognized evidence of urination in dinosaurs.

Paleontology

Curved claws hint at pterosaur habits

A study of the claws of flying reptiles known as pterosaurs suggests that some of the creatures may have walked like present-day herons and used their wing fingers to hold prey.

Paleontology

Mosasaurs were born at sea, not in safe harbors

Newly discovered fossils of prehistoric aquatic reptiles known as mosasaurs suggest that the creatures gave birth in midocean rather than in near-shore sanctuaries as previously suspected.

Paleontology

Stegosaur tails packed a punch

A mathematical analysis of a fossil stegosaur's bones leaves little doubt that the creature's spike-studded tail was an effective defense against predators.

Paleontology

Africa’s east coast netted ancient humans

Excavations of an exposed reef on Africa's Red Sea coast indicate that humans lived there 125,000 years ago, pushing back the date for the earliest seaside settlement by at least 10,000 years.

Paleontology

Dear Mummy: Rare fossil reveals common dinosaur’s soft tissue

A mummified dinosaur unearthed in Montana a year ago is giving scientists a rare peek at what the creature's muscles and other soft tissues may have looked like.

Paleontology

Telltale Dino Heart Hints at Warm Blood

A recently discovered fossil dinosaur heart is more like the heart of birds and mammals than that of crocodiles, providing further evidence that dinosaurs may have been warm-blooded.

Paleontology

Trilobites to Go

Extinct even before dinosaurs existed on Earth but extensively preserved in the fossil record, the eight orders of trilobites (more than 15,000 species) live on via this large, informative Web site, created by zoologist and amateur trilobite enthusiast Sam Gon III. The site provides a gallery of images, a glossary of terms, and much more. […]

Paleontology

Dinosaurs, party of six, meat eating

The bones of six carnivorous dinosaurs discovered in a fossil bed in Patagonia may indicate that big, meat-eating dinosaurs were social creatures.