paleontology

Sergey Krasovskiy/Stocktrek Images/Getty Images

10:00am Aug 05, 2020

Science Science

New Research Shows Dinosaurs Suffered From Malignant Cancer, Too

by Elena Burnett

Scientists have identified an aggressive bone cancer — for the first time — in the fibula of a dinosaur that lived 76 to 77 million years ago. The diagnosis sheds new light on dinosaurs and disease.

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Francisco Hueichaleo

5:36pm Jun 17, 2020

Science Science Environment

Scientists Find The Biggest Soft-Shelled Egg Ever, Nicknamed 'The Thing'

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A new study of dinosaur eggs, as well as a football-size egg from Antarctica, shows how some ancient creatures relied on soft shells rather than hard ones.

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Courtesy of Abigail Allwood

4:29pm Oct 17, 2018

Science Science

Geologists Question 'Evidence Of Ancient Life' in 3.7 Billion-Year-Old Rocks

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A new analysis of what were initially thought to be microbial fossils in Greenland suggests they might instead just be mineral structures created when ancient tectonic forces squeezed stone.

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Michael Hanson and Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar / Nature Publishing Group

5:14pm May 02, 2018

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How Did Birds Lose Their Teeth And Get Their Beaks? Study Offers Clues

by Rebecca Hersher

Modern birds are dinosaurs without toothy jaws, and with bigger brains. Newly published research fills in some of the missing links in their evolution.
Hossein Rajaei / Science Advances

8:44pm Jan 10, 2018

Science Science Environment

'Butterfly Tongues' Are More Ancient Than Flowers, Fossil Study Finds

by Rebecca Hersher

Scientists have discovered the proboscis butterflies use to suck nectar from flowers existed before flowers did. So: What were ancient butterflies using their long, tongue-like suckers for?

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Peñalver et al / Nature Communications

3:24pm Dec 12, 2017

Science Science

Amber-Trapped Tick Suggests Ancient Bloodsuckers Feasted On Feathered Dinosaurs

by Rebecca Hersher

The tick was with a feather from a dinosaur that lived in the Cretaceous Period. Modern ticks love to bite mammals, and scientists have long wondered what the tiny vampires ate millions of years ago.
Philippe Sellem/Paul Demri/ Voisin/Science Source

11:56am Aug 15, 2017

National National Science Health & Safety

6,000-Year-Old Knee Joints Suggest Osteoarthritis Isn't Just Wear And Tear

by Richard Harris

Even after a Harvard team took into account differences in age and weight among ancient specimens and knees today, they found that modern humans tend to have more osteoarthritis.

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Jian Han, Northwest University, China

5:04pm Jan 30, 2017

World News World News Science

Scientists Describe Ancient Bag-Like Sea Creatures From China

by Rae Ellen Bichell

They were ugly. And, unfortunately, they were not equipped with an anus. But the sand dwellers could be an important part of filling in our own early evolutionary tree.

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Danielle Dufault / (C) Royal Ontario Museum

6:00am Jan 12, 2017

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The Curious Case Of The Hyolith, An Ancient 'Ice Cream Cone' That's Found A Home

by Colin Dwyer

The creature, which roamed ocean floors over 500 million years ago, went years without a definitive scientific classification. Now, researchers think the oddball finally has a group to call its own.
Mick Ellison / American Museum of Natural History / Courtesy of Dr. Greg Erickson

3:12pm Jan 02, 2017

Science Science

Dinosaur 'Baby Teeth' Reveal That Dino Eggs Hatched Slowly

by Madeline K. Sofia

Early stages of dinosaur development remain a mystery. However, researchers have uncovered a new way to study the early stages using the teeth of fossilized dinosaur embryos.
Wikimedia Commons

7:00am Nov 25, 2016

Science Science

Preserved Paleo Protein Provides Perspective on Dino Family Tree, and Maybe Life in Space. Wait. What?

You are a paleontologist on expedition hunting dinosaur fossils. For all your efforts, you’ve unearthed just a few bone fragments. Back at the lab, you and your team determine that, based on their shape and size, you’re looking at a colossal waste of time and resources. But a new tool is emerging which allows us to use dinosaur DNA to better understand prehistoric evolutionary trees. It may also help to find life on Mars, or treat human diseases.

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Jamie Hiscocks/University of Cambridge

6:19pm Oct 27, 2016

Science Science

Researchers Say They've Found A Bit Of Fossilized Dinosaur Brain

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A small rock might contain tissue from a 130 million-year-old dinosaur brain. If confirmed, it would be the first bit of fossilized dino gray matter ever found.

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