Fossil

Ancient proteins found in fossils up to 24 million years old

Proteins, a cell's molecular machinery, also offer valuable information and have the virtue of surviving much longer, as new research shows.

 A paleontologist cleaning a skeleton during an archaeology dig; illustrative.
 'Ash-Winged Dawn Goddess': Oldest North American pterosaur fossil found.

'Ash-Winged Dawn Goddess': Oldest North American pterosaur fossil found

 An example of  grinding tomography images.

Rulers of the sea: 100 million years ago squids were kings

 Fast-footed fossil with outsized toes rewrites small-dino story.

Fast-footed fossil with outsized toes rewrites small-dino story


First ever discovery of sauropod gut contents confirms herbivorous diet

Analysis reveals sauropods didn't chew but used gut microbes to digest varied plant diet.

 Australian Age of Dinosaurs Collection Manager Mackenzie Enchelmaier holds up sauropod gut content fossil.

'Very strange' ancient marine predator identified - had 50 neck vertebrae

Researchers believe it was one of the first plesiosaurs to hunt prey from above.

 'Very strange' ancient marine predator identified - had 50 neck vertebrae.

Lost world found: Fossils beneath Madura Strait rewrite human history

Two skull fragments provide unique insights into how and where this ancient human lived.

 The fossils.

New pterosaur species Nipponopterus mifunensis identified from Japanese fossil

Expected to provide important clues on pterosaur evolution, the fossil is the first known member of a new genus.

 New pterosaur species Nipponopterus mifunensis identified from Japanese fossil.

Nature study: Newly analyzed fossil reveals earliest feathered flight

"Archaeopteryx is not the first dinosaur with feathers, nor is it the first dinosaur with wings. However, we think it is the earliest known dinosaur that could use its feathers for flying."

 Nature study: Newly analyzed fossil reveals earliest feathered flight.

Footprints found in Australia are the oldest evidence of clawed animals ever found

'A single track-bearing slab calls into question everything we thought we knew about when modern tetrapods evolved.'

 Footprints found in Australia are the oldest evidence of clawed animals ever found.

Rare fossilized butterfly identified as new extinct species Tacola kamitanii

It is the first butterfly fossil from the Early Pleistocene epoch, dating to 2.6 to 1.8 million years ago.

 Rare fossilized butterfly identified as new extinct species Tacola kamitanii.

Did T. rex's 'grandparents' migrate over the Bering Land Bridge?

Tyrannosaurus rex evolved in North America, specifically in Laramidia, the western half of the continent.

 The disparity of the Northern and Southern hemisphere’s evolution of terrestrial Cretaceous faunas after the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum

New fossils suggest land bridges brought apex crocodiles to the Caribbean

Fossils date to 5 to 7 million years ago, extending sebecids' existence by 5 million years.

 New fossils suggest land bridges brought apex crocodiles to the Caribbean.

Oldest-known ant preserved in 113 million-year-old Brazilian fossil

The species, called Vulcanidris cratensis, is part of a lineage called hell ants - named for their demonic-looking jaws.

A 113-million-year-old fossilized ant preserved in limestone unearthed in northeastern Brazil, the world's oldest-known ant specimen is seen in this photograph released on April 24, 2025.

Massive dinosaur fossil found at Big Bend National Park

Student expedition leads to discovery of a large vertebra belonging to an Alamosaurus.

 Massive dinosaur fossil found at Big Bend National Park.