paleontology
Dinosaurs got sick, too — but from what?
About 150 million years ago, a long-necked sauropod came down with a respiratory infection. The rest is history...or is it?
Terrifying proto-whale hunted on land and in the sea
Yet another ocean monster has been discovered.
The most terrifying pterosaur yet is discovered
Meet your new flying nightmare: Thapunngaka shawi.
Ancient megalodon shark was even bigger than estimated, finds study
A school lesson leads to more precise measurements of the extinct megalodon shark, one of the largest fish ever.
Massive fossil find in California includes mastodon, petrified forest
Mastodons, rhinos, and even camels — all in the great state of California.
From 1.8 million years ago, earliest evidence of human activity found
Scientists discover what our human ancestors were making inside the Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa 1.8 million years ago.
Humans still similar to first animals without heads, arms, or skeletons
555-million-year-old oceanic creatures share genes with today's humans, finds a new study.
Incredible fossil shows dinosaur sitting on preserved nest of eggs
Fossils of ancient creatures doing anything are rare. This one is absolutely unique.
Neanderthals could produce and hear human speech, new study finds
Their ear structures were not that different from ours.
Record for oldest DNA ever sequenced broken by mammoth remains
One million year old mammoth DNA more than doubles the previous record and suggests that even older genomes could be found.
Lair of giant predator worms from 20 million years ago found
Scientists discover burrows of giant predator worms that lived on the seafloor 20 million years ago.
Scientists piece together the story of humans and dogs
A new study tracks the human-dog relationship through DNA.
Earth’s first lifeforms breathed arsenic, not oxygen
The microbes that eventually produced the planet's oxygen had to breathe something, after all.
Megalodon’s actual size, recalculated
A new study bases its calculations on more than the great white shark.
Fossil reveals ‘cute’ baby dinosaur’s skull features
A rare titanosaur embryo was discovered with its skull preserved in 3 dimensions.
3,000-pound Triceratops skull unearthed in South Dakota
"You dream about these kinds of moments when you're a kid," said lead paleontologist David Schmidt.
New Google AR exhibits let you see prehistoric creatures up close
Google's Arts & Culture app just added a suite of prehistoric animals and NASA artifacts that are viewable for free with a smartphone.
Rare fossil depicting battle sheds light on ancient ant
Fossils depicting animals in action are very rare.
Dinosaurs suffered from cancer, study confirms
A recent analysis of a 76-million-year-old Centrosaurus apertus fibula confirmed that dinosaurs suffered from cancer, too.
How DNA revealed the woolly mammoth’s fate – and what it teaches us today
Scientists uncovered the secrets of what drove some of the world's last remaining woolly mammoths to extinction.
This ancient crocodile walked on two legs ‘like humans’
Batrachopus grandis, an ancient crocodylomorph, may have chased down land prey on its own two feet.
Allosaurus dabbled in cannibalism according to new fossil evidence
These Jurassic predators resorted to cannibalism when hit with hard times, according to a deliciously rare discovery.
Is poop-filled drinking water what killed ancient giant sloths?
Researchers think they know how a group of ancient sloths, who died thousands of years ago in Ecuador, met their untimely end.
New fossils reveal first known swimming dinosaur
Non-avian dinosaurs were thought terrestrially bound, but newly unearthed fossils suggest they conquered prehistoric waters, too.
Ancient ‘crazy beast’ mammal classified as new species
It's likely the most complete skeleton that's ever been discovered of the strange Gondwanatheria mammal group, which roamed the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana alongside dinosaurs.
The most dangerous place on Earth 100 million years ago
The Sahara is a harsh environment today. It used to be much, much, worse.
Why science took a slow dinosaur to Pangaea
From the mid-19th century, fossils were used as evidence for continental drift – but mainstream scientists didn't buy it until the 1950s.
Titanosaur footprints discovered on the roof of a French cave
Scientists discovered footprints made by some of the largest creatures ever to walk the Earth.
‘Reaper of death’ who fed on other dinosaurs discovered
A new dinosaur species related to Tyrannosaurs found in Canada.