Paleontology
Why This 18th-Century Naturalist Believed He’d Discovered an Eyewitness to the Biblical Flood
Smithsonian paleontologist Hans Sues recounts a colossal tale of mistaken identity
Teenage T. Rex Fossils Reveal Haphazard Growth Spurts
A new study reaffirms that two debated dinosaur fossils named Jane and Petey weren’t a separate species
The Top Ten Scientific Discoveries of the Decade
Breakthroughs include measuring the true nature of the universe, finding new species of human ancestors, and unlocking new ways to fight disease
Our Top Ten Stories of 2019
From a 16-million-year-old tree to Confederate soldiers’ diaries, voracious snakes and England’s warrior king, these were the most-read stories of 2019
Lizard-Like Fossil May Represent 306-Million-Year-Old Evidence of Animal Parenting
Shortly after transitioning from sea to land, our egg-laying ancestors may have started parenting their young
Fossils From Some of the Last Homo Erectus Hint at the End of the Long-Lived Species
<em>Homo erectus</em>, one of the first species of the Homo genus, survived for longer than any other close human ancestor
Ancient Whale Fossil Helps Detail How the Mammals Took From Land to Sea
A 39-million-year-old whale with floppy feet, which may not have been very good for walking, helps illuminate the massive animals' transition to the oceans
Lice-Filled Dinosaur Feathers Found Trapped in 100-Million-Year-Old Amber
Prehistoric insects that resemble modern lice infested animals as early as the mid-Cretaceous, living and evolving along with dinosaurs and early birds
Video Game-Inspired Models Demonstrate How Prehistoric Squid Relatives Swam Through the Seas
By simulating liquid flows around the shells of ammonoids, scientists study how these ancient animals moved
How Scientists Resolved the Mystery of the Devil's Corkscrews
Smithsonian paleontologist Hans-Dieter Sues tells the tale of a fossil find that bedeviled early 20th-century researchers
Newly Discovered Fossil Bird Fills in Gap Between Dinosaurs and Modern Fliers
A skeleton from the Cretaceous found in Japan reveals an early bird with a tail nub resembling the avians of today
New Ancient Ape Species Rewrites the Story of Bipedalism
<i>Danuvius guggenmosi</i>, a “totally new and different” species of ape, would have moved through the trees using its forelimbs and hindlimbs equally
Eagle Talon Jewelry Suggests Neanderthals Were Capable of Human-Like Thought
New evidence from an archaeological site in Spain reignites a debate about Neanderthal cognition
Six Bewitching Smithsonian Specimens to Get You Ready for Halloween
Check out some of the spookiest (read: coolest) items in the National Museum of Natural History's collections.
Fossil Site Reveals How Mammals Thrived After the Death of the Dinosaurs
Recent discoveries highlight how mammals lived before and after the asteroid impact that triggered the world's fifth mass extinction
Newly Discovered Dinosaur Was a Giant 'Shark Tooth' Carnivore
<i>Siamraptor suwati</i>, discovered in Thailand, sliced flesh with razor-sharp teeth rather than crushing the bones of its prey
This Ancient Shark Looked Like an Eel and Swallowed Its Prey Whole
Scans of a rare 360-million-year-old shark skeleton shows the beasts used hunting techniques similar to modern sharks and fish
Bronze Age Baby Bottles Reveal How Some Ancient Infants Were Fed
Drinking vessels found in Bronze and Iron Age children's graves contained proteins from animal milk
1.7-Million-Year-Old Rhino Tooth Provides Oldest Genetic Information Ever Studied
Researchers read the proteins preserved in the tooth enamel of an ancient rhino, a trick that may allow them to sequence fossils millions of years old
Massive 'Ice Dragon' Ruled the Skies Above Ancient Alberta
The newly described pterosaur with a wingspan over 30-feet was one of the largest flying creatures to ever exist
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