100 Million-Year-Old Bird With Unusually Long Toe Discovered in Amber
Researchers have discovered an ancient bird fossilized in amber with a toe structure unlike anything seen before in animal history.
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fossils
Study Pegs Divergence of Neanderthals and Humans at 800,000 Years Ago
Teeth can weather a lot, even 800 millennia in a cave. A batch of them – along with prehistoric fossils found in a cave system – have led scientists to a stunning new conclusion: Modern humans likely began breaking away from our Neanderthal relatives 800,000 years, much earlier than previously thought.
Read moreScientists Discover Much Shorter Cousin of T. Rex
Scientists announced Monday the discovery of a closely related cousin of the Tyrannosaurus rex, a much smaller 3-foot relative that might help researchers better understand the origins of tyrannosauroids and how they evolved to become the giants of the late Cretaceous Period.
Read moreChinese Fossil Sheds Light on Mysterious Neanderthal Kin
By MALCOLM RITTER AP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly 40 years after it was found by a monk
Read moreIndiana Sewer Project Unearths Trove of Mastodon Bones
Workers installing sewer lines across a southern Indiana farm unearthed the fossilized bones of a mastodon that likely stood about 9 feet tall.
Read moreAncient DNA Reveals New Branches of Denisovan Family Tree
Two distinct archaic human lineages have been discovered that provide new information on the geographical distribution of archaic hominin populations, and future research has implications for modern health issues in understudied populations, a new study published Thursday reveals.
Read moreFilipinos Plan More Diggings Where New Human Species Found
Archaeologists who discovered fossil bones and teeth of a previously unknown human species that thrived more than 50,000 years ago in the northern Philippines said Thursday they plan more diggings and called for better protection of the popular limestone cave complex where the remains were unearthed.
Read moreTrove of Ice-Age Fossils Found in LA Subway Dig
More than 500 fossils of Ice Age beasts, including saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths and huge mammoths, have been discovered in recent months by crews tunneling a new Los Angeles subway branch, paleontologists revealed Monday.
Read moreFossil Teeth Show Complexity of Human Evolution
A new analysis of fossilized teeth discovered in Italy is providing researchers with a broader understanding of the complexity of human evolution around 450,000 years ago.
Read moreRussian Saber-Tooth Fossils Illuminate Early Evolution of Mammal Lineage
Researchers have discovered the fossils of two new species of ancient saber-toothed predators that will help illuminate a key period in the early evolution of mammals.
Read moreFossilized Poop a Window Into Ancient Animal Diets
A trove of ancient fossils in central Spain has given scientists clues about the behaviors and diets of long-extinct animals, according to a study published Wednesday.
Read moreNew Specimen of Oldest Known Bird Discovered
A newly described fossil of the oldest known bird is the most senior specimen of the species found so far, according to a study published Friday in the journal PeerJ.
Read moreFossil Proves Ticks Feasted on Dinosaurs 100 Million Years Ago
A newly discovered fossilized tick trapped and preserved in amber serves as the first evidence that the blood-sucking creatures lived on feathered dinosaurs as early as 99 million years ago, according to a new study.
Read moreDinosaur’s Feathers Helped It Hide From Predators
Scientists analyzing the fossils of a small, feathered dinosaur have found that it used multiple types of camouflage to both avoid predators and sneak up on its prey, much like some mammals and birds living today.
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Periods of Climatic Disturbance Wiped Out Entire Marine Species
A period of globally low oxygen levels in Jurassic oceans that wiped out entire species and shrank others offers insight into how climate change could affect our marine ecosystems, a new study finds.
Read moreFossils Shed Light on Evolution of Amphibians
Recently discovered fossils of an extinct species from the Triassic period represent the missing link between amphibians and their colorful, worm-like relative, according to a new study.
Read moreIncomplete T. Rex Fossil Leads to Contract Dispute
A dispute over dinosaur bones landed in federal court Thursday, with a California man saying he was ripped off by a small company claiming to have found a largely intact skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
Read more3.3-Million-Year-Old Fossil Reveals Origin of Human Spine
Analysis of a 3.3 million-year-old fossil skeleton shows that portions of the human spinal structure which enable walking motions developed millions of years earlier than previously thought.
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