The mummified remains of of a land-dwelling vertebrate are helping to reveal how early ancient reptiles began to take a breath with their whole chests — the breathing style used…
Category: Paleontology
Fossil reveals that an early relative of spiders had claws
A stunningly preserved fossil shows that early relatives of spiders and scorpions were already armed with their hallmark front claws about half a billion years ago. The newly described animal…
Modern apes may have actually evolved in North Africa or the Middle East
Modern apes may have swung into existence in North Africa or the Middle East. New fossil findings — published March 26 in Science — unveil Masripithecus, a roughly 17-million-year-old early…
A mouth built for efficiency may have helped the earliest bird fly
About 150 million years ago, in a coastal lagoon in what is now southern Germany, the oldest known bird gobbled up food with a beak built for efficient eating. It’s…
These ancient bumblebees were found with their pollen source
A telltale hint was on the bee’s knees. An analysis of 127 fossil flowers, flower buds and bees from central Germany revealed pollen particles that precisely matched ancient flowers to…
This exquisite Archaeopteryx fossil reveals how flight took off in birds
An exceptionally preserved specimen of the ancient bird Archaeopteryx offers the most detailed window yet into the evolution of flight, researchers report online May 14 in Nature. The remarkable preservation…
Could Spinosaurus swim? The fierce dinosaur ignites debate
Scene: A small patrol boat cruises through the water, just offshore of an island somewhere in the Caribbean. Cue the pounding drums, movie-trailer speak for danger approaching. Enter: Spinosaurus. Three…
The largest arthropod to ever live finally has a head
Two newly discovered fossils are helping scientists wrap their heads around the anatomy of the largest arthropod of all time — a millipede that grew longer than a king-sized bed…
This spiky fossil shows what early mollusks looked like
An animal that could be mistaken for a spiky fruit is giving scientists a peek into what mollusks looked like around 500 million years ago. Fossils of an ancient invertebrate…
The last woolly mammoths offer new clues to why the species went extinct
Four thousand years ago, on an island off the coast of what is now Siberia, the world’s last woolly mammoth took its final breath. Living on that island, isolated from…
