A creature preserved for 518 million years hints that the starfish family began with tentacles,…
Browsing: Paleontology
Paleontology is the scientific study of life in Earth’s past, primarily through the analysis of fossils—remains, traces, or impressions of ancient organisms preserved in rock. By uncovering and interpreting these remnants, paleontologists reconstruct evolutionary histories, ecosystems, and environmental changes that have occurred over millions of years. This field bridges geology and biology, shedding light on everything from the age of dinosaurs to the earliest microbial life. Explore this page for the latest fossil discoveries, analytical techniques, and insights into how ancient life helps us understand both the past and the future of our planet.
A new study sheds light on which animal groups evolved from life on land to…
A misidentified museum fossil has revealed Jeanerpeton mazonensis, a distinct amphibian ancestor that lived near…
By comparing the strength of fossilized limb bones, a research team led by the Keck…
Scientists were surprised to discover a fossilized tooth from a capybara that lived almost 9…
Unusual fossils from an ancient North Sea delta may reveal where plesiosaurs fed. Fossilized vomit…
Rare tracks from northeastern British Columbia reveal an ornithopod-dominated dinosaur community from a poorly documented…
A newly identified mammal relative suggests that Tanzania’s possible early dinosaur fossils may be younger…
One of the oldest known animal fossils preserved in three dimensions has been discovered in…
The “American cheetah” may have looked built for speed, but new evidence reveals a stranger…
A snapped rib reveals that Scotty, the largest Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found, survived long…
A small iguanodontian fossil from Japan adds evidence that Late Cretaceous coastal ecosystems supported dinosaurs…
Africa’s giant herbivores did not simply vanish in a wave of extinctions. Their evolutionary family…
Growing evidence that early human relatives do not fit neatly into traditional categories is prompting…
How quickly sediment accumulates on the seafloor appears to be the key factor determining whether…
Before insects ruled the skies and reshaped life on land, some of their ancestors may…
Ultraviolet imaging of a 125-million-year-old crocodylomorph fossil has revealed unexpectedly detailed traces of skin, sensory…
A team of paleontologists studying penguin fossils from Seymour Island found that ancient bird bones…