These Birds Survived the Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid
The asteroid and its after-effects ushered in a great extinction event that wiped out some three quarters of all plant and animal life, including dinosaurs and most birds.
Fossil Study Challenges Theories of Animal Evolution
Around 550 million to 540 million years ago, there was a remarkable explosion in the diversity and complexity of animal life on Earth.
Mysterious Crocodile Species Plugs Evolutionary Gap
Researchers say the fossil underscores how little we know about these mysterious ancient beasts.
Girl Finds 475-Million-Year-Old Fossil
The fossil is from one of the most successful species to have lived on Earth.
Ancient Footprints Show Humans and Giant Sloths Met
Scientists now believe humans stalked and then confronted a giant ground sloth thousands of years ago in New Mexico.
New Fossil Whale Discoveries Thrill Scientists
"There's always something new being discovered, Velez-Juarbe said. "The discoveries are coming faster than we can include them in our own work."
What Makes A Species Go Extinct?
Focusing too much on your looks? That's what sent these species over the edge.
Eyebrows May Have Played an Important Evolutionary Role
The ancestors of modern humans once had a very pronounced ridge on their brow, however, over time, our foreheads gradually became smoother and the eyebrows more visible and versatile.
90,000-Year-Old Finger Could Rewrite the Human Story
The fossil is 25,000 years older than traditional theories would expect.
Brains of Ancient Sea Monster Found by Scientists
Kerygmachela kierkegaardi is a distant relative of today's spiders, butterflies and lobsters.
Tiny, Ancient Reptile Could Detach Its Own Tail
The 4.5-pound reptile didn't let size stop it from spreading across Pangea.
New Images From NASA Suggest Mars Had Salt Water
The dents could have been left by life long ago, says one scientist.
Oldest Evidence of Parenting Found in Ancient Fossil
Not all animals take the time to parent their young, especially if they have hundreds per clutch of eggs. But it looks like this invertebrate did.
Huge Deposit of Crocodile-Like Fossils Found
This may be the densest deposit of Triassic-era fossils ever discovered in the United States.
Scorpion-Tailed Spider Chimera Discovered in Amber
The creature fills the gap between ancient tailed arachnids and true spiders.
Ancient Fossil of 'Lizard Fish' Discovered by Young Boy
This is the first time Candelarhynchus padillai has ever been seen in tropical South America.
Why Scientists Still Can't Define 'Modern' Human
The definition of a 'modern' human just became more contentious.
150-Million-Year-Old Feathered Dinosaur Fossil Found
This makes 11 total Archaeopteryx specimens.
Oldest Non-African Modern Human Fossil Rewrites History
The human jawbone, which still has teeth, is between 175,000 and 200,000 years old.
Buckingham Palace Is Made of Tiny Jurassic-Era Fossils
The palace is constructed from oolitic limestone, a material that contains 200-million-year-old microbes.
Dinosaur's Feathers Shimmered Like a Rainbow
This is the oldest example of iridescence in a dinosaur.
Giant Extinct Bat Discovered in New Zealand
The bat's teeth and bones were three times the size of today's average bat.
Wing-Scale Fossils of Moths and Butterflies Found
The tiniest fossils can change everything we know about early butterflies.
Ancient Shark Species Discovered in Alabama
80-million-year-old teeth rewrite what we know about shark evolution.
Ancient Shark Fossil Hints at Split from Humans
Sharks and humans common ancestor dates back 440 million years.
Mysterious Fossil Baffles Paleontologists
It's a mystery wrapped in an enigma, sprinkled with intrigue.