Paleontology

Paleontology

Pieces of an Ancestor: African site yields new look at ancient species

Fossils unearthed at sites in eastern Africa provide a rare look at Ardipithecus ramidus, a member of the human evolutionary family that lived more than 4 million years ago.

Paleontology

Reptilian Repast: Ancient mammals preyed on young dinosaurs

Two nearly complete sets of fossilized remains from 130-million-year-old rocks are revealing fresh details about the size and dietary habits of ancient mammals, hinting that some of these creatures were large enough to feast on small dinosaurs.

Paleontology

Subway dig in L.A. yields fossil trove

Fossil finds made when a subway line was extended from Los Angeles into the San Fernando Valley include bones of mastodons, ground sloths, extinct bison and camels, and 39 new species of fish.

Paleontology

Flightless Feathered Friends

New finds of fossil penguins, as well as analyses of the characteristics and DNA of living penguins, are shedding light on the evolution of these flightless birds.

Paleontology

Plenty of dinosaurs yet to be found

Despite a dramatic surge in dinosaur discoveries in recent years, paleontologists won't soon run out of interesting new fossils to unearth, a new analysis suggests.

Paleontology

. . . and the big bird that didn’t

The California condor, one of today's largest and rarest birds, may have survived the last ice age because of its varied diet.

Paleontology

The big fish that went away . . .

Fossils found near Charleston, S.C., suggest that an extinct species of billfish related to today's swordfish and marlin would easily exceed the lengths documented for world-record specimens of those oft-sought sports fish.

Paleontology

Dino Dwarf: Island living may have led to ancient downsizing

Fossils unearthed at a German quarry hint that members of one species of dinosaur that lived in the region about 152 million years ago evolved to be abnormally small because of the constraints of its island ecosystem.

Paleontology

Irish elk survived after ice age ended

New fossil finds indicate that the so-called Irish elk, previously thought to have died out at the end of the last ice age, survived in some spots for several millennia more.

Paleontology

Fossil birds sport a new kind of feather

Two fossil specimens of a primitive, starling-size bird that lived about 125 million years ago have tail feathers that may hold the clues to how feathers originated.

Paleontology

Early Bird: Fossil features hint at go-get-’em hatchlings

A well-preserved, 121-million-year-old fossilized bird embryo has several features that suggest that the species' young could move about and feed themselves very soon after they hatched.

Paleontology

Big Gulp? Neck ribs may have given aquatic beast unique feeding style

The fossilized neck bones of a 230-million-year-old sea creature have features suggesting that the animal's snakelike throat could flare open and create suction to pull in prey.