‘Weird’ Dinosaur Prompts Rethink of Bird Evolution
A newly described fossil is as old as the “first bird,” Archaeopteryx, and represents a birdlike dinosaur that might have specialized in running or wading instead of flying
How Sauropod Dinosaurs Became the Biggest Land Animals Again and Again
New research hints at how sauropod dinosaurs got to be so gargantuan
Fossils Buried in LA Tar Pit Show Why Saber-Toothed Cats Blinked Out of Existence
At Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits, scientists found they could watch large mammals disappear from the fossil record—and could trace the ecosystem through the catastrophe
Bizarre-Looking Colossus Whale May Have Been Heaviest Animal Ever (Sorry, Blue Whales)
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” says a paleontologist not involved in the discovery of a 40-million-year-old fossilized whale
Mammals Preyed on Much Larger Dinosaurs, a Stunning New Fossil Reveals
An extraordinary fossil captures the moment when a hungry mammal attacked a dinosaur
Evidence of 1-Billion-Year-Old ‘Lost World’ of Microbes Discovered beneath Australian Outback
Fatlike compounds in ancient rocks point to a vast array of previously unknown microbes that once dominated complex life on Earth
This Thunderous Goose Relative Was Built like a Tank with the Wings of a Songbird
Officially, these prehistoric birds are the dromornithids, but everyone who studies them calls them thunderbirds—and for good reason.
This Gargantuan Bird Weighed as Much as a Sports Car
The elephant bird was the heaviest bird to ever walk the earth. Also, its eggs were 150 times the size of a chicken egg and thick as a dinner plate.
This Massive Scientific Discovery Sat Hidden in a Museum Drawer for Decades
The fossil was a prehistoric bird called Pelagornis sandersi, and its wings stretched out twice as wide as those of the great albatross.
462-Million-Year-Old Fossil Trove Holds Miniature World of Marine Creatures
Paleontologists have uncovered a miniature world of sea creatures whose tiny guts, eyes and even brains remain visible 462 million years after they perished
Dinosaurs' Air Sacs Evolved Many Times and Let Them Take Over the World
An extensive system of air sacs, evolved over and over, let dinosaurs grow larger without sacrificing strength
Five-Eyed, Nozzle-Nosed Oddity Lingered Far beyond the Cambrian Period
This ancient creature swam in surprisingly modern seas