Unusual "Sail-Backed" Dinosaur Roamed Spain 125 Million Years Ago
Dubbed morelladon, fossil remains of a medium-size dinosaur discovered near the town of Morella in Spain's Castellón province
Archaeology & Paleontology1353 articles archived since 1845
Dinosaurs Evolved in a Startlingly Short Time
New fossil dates show beasts arose from their ancestors in half the time researchers previously thought
Ancient Tiny Whale Hunted with Pointy Teeth, Oversize Gums
An early species of baleen whale relied on teeth rather than a filter for feeding
An Ancient Nessie? Long-Neck Dinos Once Prowled Scottish Lagoon
Researchers made the discovery after noticing dinosaur footprints along the Isle of Skye's rocky coast—an area that was a lagoon during the Jurassic
Bizarre Ancient Sea Creature Was Well-Armed for Feeding
Fluid dynamics sheds light the Tribrachidium's approach to mealtime 550 million years ago
![How Dinosaurs Got Their Start—and Met Their End [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/93CBBE6E-16DD-4FBF-87D85A18A0EB9974_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
How Dinosaurs Got Their Start--and Met Their End [Video]
The only thing more remarkable than the ascent of these amazing beasts is their downfall
Ancient Board Game Found in Looted China Tomb
14-face die made of animal tooth and 21 rectangular pieces were part of a game that has not been played in 1,500 years
Mysterious Group of Extinct Humans Was More Diverse Than Neandertals
DNA from Denisovans suggests they lived in Siberia for millennia and were more genetically diverse than Neandertals, but less diverse than modern humans
500-Million-Year-Old Brains and Life in the Universe
A new study provides substantial support for earlier claims of 520-million-year-old arthropod brain systems, raising interesting questions about the nature of brains, life and intelligence in the cosmos...
Stephen Jay Gould on Marx, Kuhn and Punk Meek
Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould was influenced by Marx and Kuhn as well as by Darwin.
A Fossil Find Gets Entangled with South Africa's Apartheid Past
Some prominent South Africans associate Homo naledi with stereotypes of blacks promulgated during decades of whites-only rule
Dino's Tail Might Have Whipped It Good
Researchers built a physical model of the tail of the late Jurassic dinosaur Apatosaurus and found that its tail tip could have moved at supersonic speed to produce a whip-crack sound ...
Cute Furball Is Best-Preserved Mammal from Dinosaur Age
Chipmunk-sized critter with hedgehog-like spines lived 125 million years ago, leaving behind complete skeleton and soft tissues
Teeth from China Reveal an Early Human Trek out of Africa
"Stunning" find shows that Homo sapiens reached Asia around 100,000 years ago
Extinct Tree-Climbing Human Walked with a Swagger
Homo naledi ’s hands and feet could reveal answers about a key shift in human evolution—the move from a life of climbing trees to one spent walking on the ground...
Ancient Toothy Mammal Survived Dino Apocalypse
Hiding out in what is now New Mexico, beaver-like animal used specialized dentition to live on plants
9,000-Year-Old Decapitated Skull Found under Amputated Hands
The discovery may be evidence of the oldest known case of ritual beheading in the New World
Primordial Sea Beast Resembled Ancient Greek Warship
One of the earliest big predators to prowl Earth's primordial waters was a sea scorpion nearly 1.7 meters long
Oldest Lice Combs in the Americas Discovered
Traces of lice and lice eggs, as much as 800 years old, have been uncovered by archaeologists working in northern Chile
Catholic Spies in the New World? Relics Pose New Puzzle about Early American Colony
A recently unearthed burial in Jamestown, Va., from the early 1600s shows signs of Catholic rituals that are hard to explain in a colony set against the papacy
