Paleontology

  1. Earth

    Giant asteroid may have triggered deadly volcano eruptions

    Increased volcanic eruptions coincided much more closely with an asteroid impact and the extinction of the dinosaurs than previously believed, a new study suggests.

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  2. Paleontology

    New dinosaur identified in Alaska

    New species of duck-billed dinosaur discovered in the Alaskan permafrost.

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  3. Oceans

    Earth got first whiff of oxygen 3.2 billion years ago

    Photosynthesis by early cyanobacteria pumped oxygen into Earth’s oceans 200 million years earlier than once thought, new geochemical analyses show.

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  4. Paleontology

    Earliest sea scorpion discovered in Iowa

    Earliest sea scorpion discovered in impact crater in Iowa.

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  5. Paleontology

    New dolphin fossil makes a splash

    A newly discovered dolphin fossil provides clues to the evolution of river dolphins in the Americas.

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  6. Paleontology

    New dolphin fossil makes a splash

    A newly discovered dolphin fossil provides clues to the evolution of river dolphins in the Americas.

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  7. Earth

    Volcanic activity convicted in Permian extinction

    Precision dating confirms that Siberian volcanic eruptions could have triggered the Permian extinction.

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  8. Animals

    ‘Prehistoric Predators’ is a carnival of ancient dinosaurs, mammals and more

    A new children’s book offers gorgeous illustrations and information for everyone about ancient carnivores.

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  9. Paleontology

    Fossils illustrate evolution of life

    Paleontologist Donald Prothero takes readers through the evolution of life on Earth from the earliest oozes of goo to our recent relative Lucy.

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  10. Paleontology

    Sudden heat spikes did in Ice Age’s mammoth mammals

    Abrupt warming and excessive hunting by ancient humans were responsible for the disappearance of many large mammals, including woolly mammoths, during Earth’s last glacial period.

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  11. Paleontology

    Museum fossil links snakes to lizards

    Scientists have discovered the fossilized remains of the first four-legged snake. The fossil bridges the gap between snakes and lizards.

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  12. Paleontology

    50-million-year-old fossil sperm discovered

    Ancient worm sperm preserved in 50-million-year-old cocoons from Antarctica set age record.

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