Bone Up On What's Inside You
Author and self-described fossil fanatic Brian Switek talks about his new book Skeleton Keys: The Secret Life of Bone.
Stories by Brian Switek
Fighting Saber-Toothed Cats Bit Each Other on the Face
A pair of fossil skulls reveal how Smilodon fought with each other
Iconic Fossil Feather Probably Didn't Belong to Archaeopteryx
A new analysis of a famous fossil suggests that there may be more feathered dinosaurs in Germany’s lithographic limestone than we currently know
Dawn of the Crunch
A tiny fossil skull reveals the oldest known vertebrate capable of crunching hard-shelled prey
Run like a Dinosaur
Birds are living dinosaurs, but can they help us understand how their extinct relatives moved?
When Fingers Changed Fins
A new study offers a surprising look at what happened when fishy fins evolved into arms and legs
Fossil Jaws Are a Sign of When Mammals Bounced Back
A new analysis of fossil beasts adds a new wrinkle to the story of when the Age of Mammals really took off
Tiny Tyrannosaur Named the "Coyote King"
Fossils found in New Mexico reveal a carnivorous dinosaur from before the time of T. rex
New Duckbill Dinosaur Looks Sharp
Fossils found in the Gobi Desert reveal an unusual herbivore.
Who Is a Paleontologist, Really?
Academic gatekeeping obscures the contributions of communities vital to the study of ancient life
Busted Mastodon Is Ice Age Roadkill
A mastodon said to be pulverized by Ice Age humans was probably busted up by roadwork
Mastodons to the Max
A fossil skeleton found in California leads to the discovery of a new mastodon species.
Is "Scotty" the Biggest T. rex? Maybe Not
A huge T. rex was crowned as king of the tyrants. But the bones may tell a different tale
Spain Gets a New Fossil Flying Reptile
A fossil snout connects flying reptiles from the Iberian Peninsula and China
There Are More Dinosaurs to Discover from the Time of T. rex
Counter to expectations, an apparent drop in dinosaur diversity at the end of the Cretaceous indicates there are many species yet to be found
A Meal Fit for a King
A bitten bone shows how a young tyrannosaur fed
Tiny Fossils Reveal Early Days of Frogs
Bones uncovered in Arizona help fill a gap in the great amphibian backstory
Fossil Bones Reveal New Baby Dinosaur
The partial skull and additional bones represent a dinosaur species never found before
Spectacular Fossil Bird Foot Preserved in Amber
A rare amber inclusion underscores the importance of carnivores to the fossil record
New Spiky Dinosaur Discovered in Patagonia
Bajadasaurus had a neck covered in long spikes. The question is "Why?"
