Latest articles by Patrick Pester
Striking new satellite images show Indonesia's new jungle capital taking shape
Nusantara will be the new capital of Indonesia as Jakarta continues to subside below sea level.
Only part of rare 280 million-year-old fossil is real — the rest is mostly paint
Researchers have found that a fossil of the lizard-like Tridentinosaurus antiquus is mostly fake.
Temperature inside Chicxulub crater after dinosaur-killing asteroid hit revealed with 'paleothermometer'
Researchers measured the temperature of the Chicxulub crater 66 million years ago, unlocking mysteries of the dinosaur-dooming mass extinction event.
Major 'magnetic anomaly' discovered deep below New Zealand's Lake Rotorua
Lake Rotorua, which sits at the heart of a dormant volcano and is the setting for one of New Zealand's most famous Māori love stories, has been mapped in detail for the 1st time.
Gargantuan 'star lizard' was one of the last (and largest) dinosaurs of its kind
Scientists spent years retrieving fossils of the Cretaceous sauropod, which they've named Sidersaura, or "star lizard."
'I felt my heart skip a beat': Researcher discovers dinosaur 'chicken from hell' after buying fossil online
A "chicken from hell" dinosaur that lived just before the asteroid struck has been discovered in South Dakota.
Bigfoot? Sasquatch? Nope, it's probably just a black bear — unless you live in Florida
Bigfoot reports across North America have been linked to the presence of black bears, but the research can't account for sightings in Florida.
A bizarre 'snake worm' has baffled scientists for over a decade, now they know what it is
A newfound species of fungus gnat is behind Alaska's "snake worm" mystery, in which thousands of fly larvae moved together in the shape of a snake.
Columbia, Rodinia and Pangaea: A history of Earth's supercontinents
Scientists have identified three definitive supercontinents in Earth's history and predict the landmasses we live on today will come together again in the future.
Megalodon tooth found on unexplored seamount 10,000 feet below the ocean's surface
A remotely operated submersible was deep in a never-before-studied part of the ocean when it extracted the megalodon tooth.
See 'incredible' photos of bird that is both male and female
This green honeycreeper has male plumage on one half of its body and female plumage on the other half.
Super-healing shark regrows its fin after humans cut a huge chunk off
The shark is only the second in history to be observed regrowing a dorsal fin.
10 times animals did weird things in 2023
Animals' strange behaviors frequently made headlines this year, from orcas sinking boats to dogs drowning kangaroos.
Hammerhead sharks are vanishing from their mountain homes in the Gulf of California, divers say
Scalloped hammerhead sharks used to seek refuge at two Mexican seamounts, but it appears fishing has killed them off.
Cannibal animals: 12 creatures that gobble up their own kind
Cannibalism is more common in the animal kingdom than you might think.
120 million-year-old 'plants' turn out to be ultra-rare fossilized baby turtles
A new study re-examining old fossils collected by a Colombian priest more than 50 years ago has found they are actually rare hatchling turtles.
Alpha chimp steals eagle's dinner in 'surreal and exhilarating' forest encounter
Chimps usually hunt for their meat, but a rare confrontation between a chimp and an eagle in Tanzania showcased their ability to scavenge.
Cats' dazzling eye colors may come from 1 unusual ancestor
The cat family has an amazing array of eye colors stemming from one unusual ancestor.
Aftershocks from devastating 1886 Charleston earthquake may still be hitting the US today
Researchers have found evidence that aftershocks may continue for centuries after a major earthquake — though the finding is still open for debate.
'No scientific evidence' that ancient human relative buried dead and carved art as portrayed in Netflix documentary, researchers argue
A new commentary blasts claims about Homo naledi featured in Netflix's "Unknown: Cave of Bones."
Surprise discovery of snake-like lizard feared extinct leaves scientists amazed
Researchers found three species of skink in Australia they feared could be extinct, including the Lyon's grassland striped skink.
Chimps use military tactic only ever seen in humans before
Scientists have discovered that chimps living in Côte d'Ivoire carry out surveillance on each other to avoid or incite conflict — much like in human military operations.
'Yeti hair' found in Himalayas is actually from a horse, BBC series reveals
DNA from a supposed Abominable Snowman actually came from a horse, but that doesn't mean stories of the Yeti passed on by local people aren't important.
