Paleontology

  1. Paleontology

    Baby dinosaurs took three to six months to hatch

    Growth lines on teeth indicate a surprisingly long incubation period.

    By
  2. Earth

    Coastal waters were an oxygen oasis 2.3 billion years ago

    Coastal waters contained enough oxygen to support complex life-forms including some animals hundreds of millions of years before fossils of such life first appear.

    By
  3. Paleontology

    Ancient oddball invertebrate finds its place on the tree of life

    Ancient marine invertebrates called hyoliths may be more closely related to modern horseshoe worms than mollusks, a fossil analysis finds.

    By
  4. Paleontology

    Readers weigh in on dinos, dark matter and more

    Ancient bird calls, the search for dark matter and more in reader feedback.

    By
  5. Paleontology

    Tomatillo fossil is oldest nightshade plant

    Two 52-million-year-old tomatillo fossils in Patagonia push the origin of nightshade plants back millions of years, to the time when dinosaurs roamed.

    By
  6. Earth

    Fossil microbes show how some life bounced back after dino-killing impact

    Pioneering microbes colonized the waters above the Chicxulub crater within hundreds of years following the impact, new research shows.

    By
  7. Paleontology

    Dinosaur tail preserved in amber, with feathers

    The tail of a dinosaur trapped in amber includes both feathers and identifiable bits of bone.

    By
  8. Paleontology

    Cretaceous bird find holds new color clue

    New molecular clues in 130-million-year-old bird fossil could help paleontologists firm up case for ancient color in dinosaurs.

    By
  9. Paleontology

    Dinosaurs may have used color as camouflage

    Fossilized pigments could paint a vivid picture of a dinosaur’s life.

    By
  10. Paleontology

    Dragon dinosaur met a muddy end

    ‘Mud dragon’ fossil discovered in China suggests that dinosaurs’ last days were an active time of evolution.

    By
  11. Paleontology

    First known fossilized dinosaur brain unearthed, scientists claim

    A dinosaur fossil that preserves brain tissue has been discovered for the first time, researchers announce.

    By
  12. Paleontology

    Picture of primate common ancestor coming into focus

    A new family tree analysis predicts behavior of primate common ancestor.

    By