Ancestor of All Animals – Including Humans – Identified in Australian Fossils
A wormlike creature that lived more than 555 million years ago is the earliest bilaterian. A team led by UC Riverside geologists has discovered the…
Fossils
Evolutionary Origin of the Human Hand Revealed by Ancient Fish Fossil
An ancient fossil found in Canada reveals new insights into how the human hand evolved from fish fins. An ancient Elpistostege fish fossil found in…
“Wonderchicken” – Origin of Modern Birds Revealed by Fossil From the Age of Dinosaurs
The oldest fossil of a modern bird yet found, dating from the age of dinosaurs, has been identified by an international team of paleontologists. The…
Ancient Sea-Worm Mystery Solved by Student After 50 Years in “Wastebasket”
When a partial fossil specimen of a primordial marine worm was unearthed in Utah in 1969, scientists had a tough go identifying it. Usually, such…
50 Newly Identified Footprints Show Stegosaurs Left Their Mark on Scottish Isle of Skye
They are among the most recognizable dinosaurs … now paleontologists have discovered that stegosaurs left a lasting impression on a Scottish island. Around 50 newly…
Rare Lizard Fossil Provides Important Clues on How Fossils Stay Preserved for Millions of Years
Researchers at the University of Bonn are investigating the conservation status of the reptile, which is up to 20 million years old. The tiny forefoot…
Remarkable Discovery of 1 Billion-Year-Old Green Seaweed Micro-Fossils in China
Virginia Tech paleontologists have made a remarkable discovery in China: 1 billion-year-old micro-fossils of green seaweeds that could be related to the ancestor of the…
110-Million-Year-Old Treasure Found by Scientists – “Something That Was Thought to Be Impossible”
A remarkable new treasure has been found by scientists from the University of Portsmouth — the first fossil plant gum on record. The beautiful, amber-like…
New Species of Marine Reptile Discovered in Southeast Alaska
Gunakadeit joseeae is the most complete thalattosaur ever found in North America. Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have identified a new species of…
Since 1941 It Was Thought to Be the Oldest Bamboo Fossil – But It Wasn’t Bamboo at All
A fossilized leafy branch from the early Eocene in Patagonia described in 1941 is still often cited as the oldest bamboo fossil and the main…
Scientists Find 550 Million-Year-Old Fossilized Digestive Tract – Solving a Mystery of Primordial Evolution
A 550 million-year-old fossilized digestive tract found in the Nevada desert could be a key find in understanding the early history of animals on Earth….
New Discovery of 96-Million-Year Old Turtle Species and Hints at Intercontinental Migrations
New 96-million-year old turtles from Texas connect North America with Asia and the Southern Hemisphere, suggesting vast intercontinental migrations during this time. The Arlington Archosaur…
This Ancient “Giant Spider” Fossil Surprised Paleontologists – Detective Work Revealed a Hoax
A ‘Jackalope’ of an Ancient Spider Fossil Deemed a Hoax Earlier this year, a remarkable new fossil specimen was unearthed in the Lower Cretaceous Yixian…
Discovery of 385-Million-Year-Old Forest Reveals Modern Trees Emerged Earlier Than Believed
A research team led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York has uncovered evidence that the transition toward forests as we know…
Dinosaur Footprints Suggest That Jurassic Beasts Trotted Between Africa and Europe
Dinosaur footprints found in several European countries, very similar to others in Morocco, suggest that they could have been dispersed between the two continents by…
Global Warming, Ocean Acidification: Earth Was Stressed Before Dinosaur Extinction
Fossilized seashells show signs of global warming, ocean acidification leading up to asteroid impact. Shells’ chemistry shifted to respond to influx of carbon into the…
New Fossils of Ancient Snake With Hind Legs Reveals Tantalizing Details of Evolution
New fossils of an ancient legged snake, called Najash, shed light on the origin of the slithering reptiles, including how snakes got their bite and…
What Came First, the Animal or the Embryo? New Research Has Answer
Animal embryos evolved before animals. Animals evolved from single-celled ancestors, before diversifying into 30 or 40 distinct anatomical designs. When and how animal ancestors made…