There is a Significant Colonial Bias in Fossil Research
A new study found that colonial history and socioeconomic factors influence how researchers study and interpret palaeontological samples. Its findings shed light on how ‘non-scientific’…
Zoology
Using Ancient DNA to Solve the Disappearance of Bears and Lions
The mysterious disappearance of ancient lions and bears from parts of North America for a thousand years or more prior to the last Ice Age,…
Early Human Environmental Conditions in Europe
Humans have been on the planet for nearly 3.5 million years, since “Homo erectus” first evolved with an upright posture that allowed them to use…
The Cretaceous Skies were Dominated by Tiny Pterosaurs
A new study led by researchers from the University of Portsmouth has discovered that newly hatched juveniles of large and gigantic pterosaurs likely outcompeted other…
New Information about the Evolutionary History of Mammals
Mammals evolved from members of the reptilian order Therapsida during the Triassic Period (about 252 million to 201 million years ago). Therapsids, which included Lystrosaurus,…
A CT Scan Reveals Bone Disease in the Jaw of a Tyrannosaurus Rex
We know a lot about Tyrannosaurus rex jaws, from the bite force of a baby dinosaur to how adults crunched on their prey like an…
Earth’s First Known Giant Creature
The two-meter skull of an enormous new ichthyosaur species, Earth’s first known giant creature, reveals how extinct marine reptiles and modern whales evolved into giants.…
A New Fossil Reveals the Origin of Arthropod Respiratory System
A new fossil has been discovered that reveals the origin of gills in arthropods. David Legg, a University of Manchester research fellow, and a team…
Identifying the Underlying Patterns in Modern Evolution
The theory of evolution by natural selection explains how species change over time. That species evolution had been proposed and debated long before Darwin. The…
As Theropod Dinosaurs Evolved, their Jaws became Stronger
Modern birds appeared to emerge in the blink of an evolutionary eye. However, new research sheds light on the long series of evolutionary changes that…
Researchers describe the Second Opabiniid ever discovered a Century Later
Opabinia regalis is an extinct stem-group arthropod discovered in British Columbia’s Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale Lagerstätte (505 million years ago). Opabinia was a soft-bodied animal…
The Origins of Australia’s Iconic Snakes have been revealed
Deadly snakes are among Australia’s most iconic animals, but a new study led by the Australian National University (ANU) has helped explain how they descended…
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