Eras
Eras are periods of time defined by geologic or historic events
Emperor Wang Mang: China’s First Socialist?
In A.D. 9, the Chinese emperor nationalized his state's land and redistributed it to the peasantry. That revolutionary act cost him his throne and his life—and even now his motives remain unclear
December 09, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
Spinops: The Long-Lost Dinosaur
Spinops was one funky looking dinosaur, and its discovery emphasizes the role of museum collections. Who knows what else is waiting to be rediscovered?
December 07, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
A Detailed Guide to a Hadrosaur’s Foot
This is not super-sexy research, but some of the biggest gaps in our understanding about dinosaurs involve relatively simple things
December 02, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Lambe’s Lazy, Scavenging Gorgosaurus
Back when tyrannosaurs were new to science, paleontologist Lawrence Lambe cast them as bumbling scavengers that ate rotten flesh
December 01, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Inside Sauropod Armor
A hollow, thin-walled bone is not exactly the sort of structure that is going to protect a sauropod from attack—so what was its purpose?
November 30, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Non-Avian Dinosaur Eats Avian Dinosaur
Paleontologists have found the bones of a bird inside a feathered dinosaur. What can this discovery tell us about how Microraptor lived?
November 22, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Paleontologists Track Dinosaurs Near Las Vegas
Very few skeletons have been found from this period, and much of what we know about the dinosaurs of the Early Jurassic Southwest comes from tracksites
November 21, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
The Mystery of the Five Wounds
The first case of stigmata—the appearance of marks or actual wounds like those Christ received during the Crucifixion—was recorded in 1224. Hundreds of cases have followed. But this phenomenon has not been fully explained.
November 18, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
Pampadromaeus: Brazil’s Triassic Plains Runner
A newly discovered dinosaur from Brazil may give paleontologists a better understanding of what the ancestral dinosaur looked like
November 17, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
The Mysterious Marshosaurus
The collected remains seem to represent an approximately 18-foot-long predator in a lower weight class than the giants living in the same environment
November 16, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
What Caused the Dinosaur Stampede?
According to a recent study, the cause of Australia's "Dinosaur Stampede" may have been more comedic than nightmarish
November 15, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Montana’s “Dueling Dinosaurs”
Did a recently discovered pair of dinosaurs die at each other's throats?
November 10, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
The Origin of a Little Tyrant
Is "Nanotyrannus" a small-bodied tyrannosaur, a juvenile of some unknown species, or a young Tyrannosaurus rex?
November 08, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
The Goddess Goes Home
Following years of haggling over its provenance, a celebrated statue once identified as Aphrodite, has returned to Italy
November 2011 |
By Ralph Frammolino
The Mysterious Torosaurus
Was Torosaurus just an adult Triceratops? A poorly understood species may hold the key to the answer
October 24, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
How Baryonyx Caused the Great Spinosaur Makeover
The discovery of a strange, crocodile-snouted dinosaur in England was the key to reconstructing one of the strangest groups of predatory dinosaurs ever
October 20, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Paleontologists Unveil the 11th Archaeopteryx
Just in time for the 150th anniversary year of Archaeopteryx, paleontologists announce an 11th specimen of the dinosaur-like bird
October 19, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
New Mexico’s Peculiar Two-Horned Dinosaur
A peculiar horned dinosaur from New Mexico may help paleontologists understand how titans such as Triceratops evolved
October 18, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
A Beautiful Baby Dinosaur
One of the most stunning theropod dinosaurs ever discovered may add to our understanding of how feathers evolved
October 14, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Naval Gazing: The Enigma of Étienne Bottineau
In 1782, an unknown French engineer offered an invention better than radar: the ability to detect ships hundreds of miles away
October 13, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
