Paleontology

Paleontology

Long-necked dinosaurs grew to be giants in more ways than one

Some early relatives of giant, long-necked sauropods may have used a different strategy to grow to colossal sizes than previously thought.

Animals

‘Spying on Whales’ dives into the story of true leviathans

"Spying on Whales" retraces the evolution of cetaceans, explaining how they came to be some of Earth’s largest creatures.

Climate

Why won’t this debate about an ancient cold snap die?

Critics are still unconvinced that a comet caused a mysterious cold snap 12,800 years ago.

Paleontology

These newfound frogs have been trapped in amber for 99 million years

Trapped in amber, 99-million-year-old frog fossils reveal the amphibians lived in a wet, tropical climate.

Paleontology

Oldest known lizard fossil pushes group’s origins back 75 million years

CT scan reveals hidden identity of an unusual lizard fossil found years ago in the Italian Alps.

Life

Skeletons come in many shapes and sizes

In Skeletons, two paleobiologists recount how and why skeletons evolved, as well as the variety of forms they take and the many purposes they serve.

Paleontology

How birds may have escaped the dino-killing asteroid impact

A tree-loving lifestyle became a risk for ancient birds in a world-changing catastrophe.

Paleontology

The Chicxulub asteroid impact might have set off 100,000 years of global warming

About 66 million years ago, the Chicxulub asteroid impact set off 100,000 years of global warming, an analysis of oxygen in fish fossils suggests.

Paleontology

Here’s how hefty dinosaurs sat on their eggs without crushing them

Some heavier dinos had a strategy to keep eggs warm without crushing them: sit in an opening in the middle of the clutch instead of on top of them.

Animals

This ancient fowl bit like a dinosaur and pecked like a bird

A new fossil of Ichthyornis dispar helped scientists create a 3-D reconstruction of the ancient bird’s skull, shedding light on early bird evolution.

Animals

These seals haven’t lost their land ancestors’ hunting ways

Clawed pawlike forelimbs help true seals hunt like their land-dwelling ancestors.

Paleontology

Colorful moth wings date back to the dinosaur era

Microscopic structures that scatter light to give color to the wings of modern butterflies and moths date back almost 200 million years.