A lack of sex held back life's diversity for millions of years, fossil study finds
The way that Earth's first animals reproduced held back life's diversity for millions of years, until stress and competition led to the development of sexual reproduction, which in turn accelerated th...
Digestion corrosion marks on a hatchling Allosaurus (Dinosauria, Theropoda) maxilla from the Upper Jurassic of Guimarota (Leiria, Portugal)
Papers in Palaeontology, Volume 12, Issue 3, May/June 2026.
A new large paracrocodylomorph archosaurian from the Tarjadia Assemblage Zone (upper Ladinian to lower Carnian) of the Chañares Formation (Argentina) and a revision of key loricatan features
Papers in Palaeontology, Volume 12, Issue 3, May/June 2026.
How did so many theropod dinosaurs come to have tiny arms?
Shrunken forelimbs were likely a byproduct of large, powerful skulls—with one notable exception
120,000-year-old European fallow deer—tracing the loss of genetic diversity
European fallow deer have faced a dramatic loss of genetic diversity since the last interglacial period. This was revealed by 120,000-year-old fossils from central Germany's Neumark-Nord site in Saxon...
World's largest scorpion had 6-inch pincers, and prowled UK land and waters 415 million years ago
Enigmatic 415 million-year-old fossils belong to a giant scorpion that may have reached lengths of around 3 feet (1 meter), a remarkable body size because most life on land at that time was small.
Briefing chat: Spinosaurs with salt glands could have lived in marine environments
Scientists discover a new species of four-"winged" microraptor dinosaur, Jian changmaensis, that likely glided like a flying squirrel and targeted prehistoric birds 120 million years ago.
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New Velociraptor cousin was a '4-winged' dragon that hunted prey from the trees of ancient China, fossil find hints
A new microraptor from Cretaceous China likely preyed on ancient birds.
Deep-sea discovery uncovers new family of copepods near Greenland
An international research team, including Dr. Nancy Mercado Salas from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), has described a new family of copepods (Copepoda). The disco...
Fossil fishes buried in the desert reveal a missing chapter in marine history
When an asteroid struck Earth about 66 million years ago, it ended the age of dinosaurs and transformed life across the planet. The effects of that catastrophe are visible in the fossil record on land...
Newfound velociraptor cousin probably glided on four 'wings' and hunted early birds
A fossil bed in northwestern China is littered with the remains of hundreds of prehistoric birds—including some whose broken bones were crushed into pellets, similar to those coughed up by modern owls...
Goethe never knew this 40-million-year-old ant was hidden in his collection
Scientists examining amber from Goethe’s personal collection discovered three hidden fossil insects, including an extinct ant preserved in extraordinary detail. Advanced 3D imaging allowed researchers...
Extraordinary fossils solve a 500-million-year mystery: Bryozoans were there at the dawn of animal life
Bryozoans are tiny, filter-feeding colonial invertebrates that thrive in the world's oceans today, yet for decades their origins presented a puzzling gap in the fossil record. While nearly every other...
World's largest scorpion revealed by 415-million-year-old fossils
Fossil fragments found in the U.K. have been identified as remains of the largest scorpions ever. Measuring more than a meter in length, Praearcturus gigas was among the first large predators to ever ...
This Dinosaur Had the Claws of a Raptor but Hunted Like a Heron
Scientists have uncovered a fish-hunting raptor from Patagonia that may have stalked prey like a giant prehistoric heron. A newly identified dinosaur from Patagonia is giving scientists fresh insight ...
Scientists Discover a Bizarre Crocodile Cousin That Walked Like a Dinosaur
A newly discovered crocodile relative from the Triassic had a beak, tiny arms, and walked on two legs, making it look more like an ostrich-like dinosaur than a crocodile. During the Triassic Period, t...
Ancient altercations between musk turtles and alligator gar recorded in Florida's fossil record
Sometime between 5.5 and 5.6 million years ago, two shell crushers squared off in the languid currents of an ancient Florida river. The fossils they left behind, discovered by paleontologists at the F...
New Crocodile Cousin Discovered After 210 Million Years Hidden in Stone
A newly identified prehistoric crocodile relative, Eosphorosuchus lacrimosa, was discovered alongside another croc species in New Mexico fossils dating back 210 million years. Around 210 million years...
Paleontologists just found the peacock of the dinosaur era: « Dubbed the “Banko’s feather dragon,” the extinct bird’s tail feathers were twice the length of its entire body. »
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