Paleontology

Paleontology

Was it sudden death for the Permian period?

The massive extinctions that came at the end of the Permian period could have occurred within a mere 8,000 years, which suggests a catastrophic cause for the die-offs.

Paleontology

Overlooked fossil spread first feathers

A new look at a fossil that had been lying in a drawer in Moscow for nearly 30 years has uncovered the oldest known feathered animal.

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

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

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

Salvaged DNA adds to Neandertals’ mystique

Researchers who isolated a sample of Neandertal mitochondrial DNA say that it provides no evidence that Neandertals contributed to modern human evolution.

Paleontology

Fossil gets a leg up on snake family tree

A 95-million-year-old fossil snake with legs may be an advanced big-mouthed snake, not a primitive ancestor.

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.

Paleontology

All mixed up over birds and dinosaurs

A bit of fossil fakery snookered a team of paleontologists