Fossils

Latest about Fossils

An artist's rendering of Utaurora feeding in the Cambrian sea.

The 'weirdest wonder' of evolution had an even weirder cousin, new study finds

By Brandon Specktor published

Scientists reexamined the fossil of a strange Cambrian sea creature and found that it is related to the 'weird wonder' Opabinia.

Fossils
A top (a), rear (b), bottom (c) and front (d) view of the vertebra discovered at 'Ubeidiya

1.5 million-year-old fossil rewrites 'Out of Africa' theory

By Charles Q. Choi published

A new analysis of a 1.5 million-year-old human vertebra found in Israel suggests that ancient human relatives dispersed out of Africa in multiple waves.

Fossils
An illustration of the early archosaur Mambawakale ruhuhu, whose name means "ancient crocodile from the Ruhuhu Basin" in Kiswahili. Paleontologists found only its skull, jaw and a few other bones, so the rest of the body — mainly the tail and limbs — are reconstructed based on the anatomy of its close relatives.

240 million-year-old 'crocodile beast' was one of the largest of its kind

By Laura Geggel published

A newly described archosaur that lived 240 million years ago in what is now Tanzania had "'powerful jaws and large knife-like teeth."

Fossils
various fossils of the species Mollisonia symmetrica, a bug-like Cambrian arthropod

500 million-year-old, bug-like fossils have stunningly preserved nervous systems

By Nicoletta Lanese published

The organisms may be related to modern arachnids, scientists say.

Fossils
The fossilized Florigerminis jurassica plant with a defined stem, bulbous fruit and fossilized flower bud (marked by the white arrow).

164 million-year-old plant fossil is the oldest example of a flowering bud

By Harry Baker published

Researchers in China have uncovered the oldest example of a fossilized flower bud ever.

Fossils
This ichthyosaur would have been some 33 feet (10 meters) long when it lived about 180 million years ago.

Enormous sea dragon fossil from 180 million years ago discovered in England

By Patrick Pester published

The remains of a monstrous "sea dragon" that swam in the seas some 180 million years ago have been unearthed in England.

Fossils
Exceptional fossils of a spider and a feather from the Australian site are between 16 million and 11 million years old.

Rare and fragile fossils found at a secret site in Australia's 'dead heart'

By Mindy Weisberger published

A site in Australia that holds thousands of astonishingly well-preserved fossils has been kept a closely guarded secret among paleontologists for the past three years.

Fossils
This illustration, depicting an active predatory encounter between two requiem sharks off what is now the coast of Maryland, shows one possible way the shark vertebra could have been bitten.

'Truly remarkable' fossils are rare evidence of ancient shark-on-shark attacks

By Laura Geggel published

The discovery of four shark fossils with bite marks shows that ancient sharks attacked or scavenged each other.

Fossils
The mushroom of the newly discovered parasitic fungus A. blatica growing out of the rectum of a carpenter ant fossilized in amber.

10 coolest non-dinosaur fossils unearthed in 2021

By Harry Baker published

A list of the 10 coolest stories about non-dinosaur fossil discoveries published in 2021.

Fossils
Specks of silver were found in the fossilized feces of ancient worms living in the seafloor.

Flecks of silver in poop of ancient Cambrian creature baffle scientists

By Harry Baker published

Researchers have discovered specks of silver in 500 million-year-old fossilized worm dung; the precious metal likely came from "mining" microbes.

Fossils
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