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Dinosaurs

The meat-eating predator Ceratosaurus tried to take down Stegosaurus, but the plant-eater got away and gained the upper hand.

Beyond Dinosaurs: The Secrets of Earth's Past

Meet the Dinos of ‘Deep Time’

Of the 700 specimens that roam the Smithsonian’s new Hall of Fossils, these six standout dinosaurs make a big impression

Ultimately, to understand how the Earth’s carbon cycle works is to appreciate the human influence currently impacting it.

Beyond Dinosaurs: The Secrets of Earth's Past

How Does Earth’s Carbon Cycle Work?

Stanford University’s Katharine Maher explains the mechanisms that heat and cool the planet

"I’ve never lost the wonder," says Hans-Dieter Sues (above). "To be the first human to find and touch an extinct creature is a singular moment that cannot be easily put into words."

Beyond Dinosaurs: The Secrets of Earth's Past

How Do Paleontologists Find Fossils?

Smithsonian’s Hans-Dieter Sues, who has collected fossil vertebrates in the U.S. and around the world shares some of his tips

T. rex moves in for the kill on a doomed Triceratops—an herbivore that existed mainly on a diet of palm fronds.

Beyond Dinosaurs: The Secrets of Earth's Past

The ‘Nation’s T. Rex’ Prepares to Make Its Smithsonian Debut

In a new exhibit about “deep time” at the National Museum of Natural History, T. rex is still the king

Reconstructed color patterns of Sinosauropteryx based on the pigmentation of fossil plumage. The dinosaur is portrayed in the predicted open habitat in which it lived around the Jehol lakes, preying on the lizard Dalinghosaurus.

The Colors of Dinosaurs Open a New Window to Study the Past

Old fossils and new technology are coloring in life’s prehistoric palette

Bedbugs, which were previously thought to be about 50 million years old, could be much older, new genetic and fossil evidence suggests.

Bedbugs Scurried the Earth Alongside the Dinosaurs 100 Million Years Ago

Researchers calculate that the pests evolved long before bats, which were thought to be their first hosts

Life reconstruction of the bizarre membranous-winged Ambopteryx longibrachium.

Newly Discovered Bat-Like Dinosaur Reveals the Intricacies of Prehistoric Flight

Though Ambopteryx longibrachium was likely a glider, the fossil is helping scientists discover how dinosaurs first took to the skies

An artist's rendering of how Suskityrannus hazelae may have looked.

When Tyrannosaurs Were Tiny

A new study describes an early T. rex relative that stood about three feet tall and weighed no more than 90 pounds

The 8.5-millimeter millipede had five-unit compound eyes and an unusually hairless rear end

Cool Finds

This Petite, 99-Million-Year-Old Millipede Was Entrapped in Amber

The diminutive arthropod represents not only a previously unknown species, but an entirely separate Callipodida suborder

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Smithsonian Voices

How the Geologic History of the Earth Provides Clues for Our Future

For Earth Day, Smithsonian paleobiologist Scott Wing reminds us that we can look to the fossil record to better understand human-caused global changes

Conditions were ripe for fossil-making when this tiny dinosaur walked through the mud some 120 million years ago. In the lower right corner of this image, you can even see splash mark from a rain droplet.

‘Exquisitely Preserved’ Skin Impressions Found in Dinosaur Footprints

The fossils were so well-preserved that the researchers could even see marks left by raindrops

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Smithsonian Voices

Smithsonian Paleontologist Hans Sues Is Taking Your Questions About Dinos, Humans and Even, Cats

Smithsonian’s new YouTube series, “The Dr. Is In.”

New Research

New Type of Arctic Dinosaur Discovered in Alaska

The duck-billed, crested lambeosaurine shows that a diverse array of dinos lived in the warmer but still harsh Arctic 70 million years ago

A partially exposed, 65-million-year-old fish from the Tanis deposit in North Dakota.

Fossil Site May Capture the Dinosaur-Killing Impact, but It’s Only the Beginning of the Story

The Tanis site in North Dakota contains evidence of the asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs

A bit of the ancient delta off the coast of Svalbard.

New Research

Earth’s Largest River Delta Was the Size of Alaska

The Triassic Snadd delta between Norway and Russia lasted millions of years and was likely a biodiversity hotspot

Trending Today

International Expedition Will Excavate the Dino-Rich ‘Jurassic Mile’

More than 100 paleontologists are heading to the fossil-filled Morrison Formation

Scotty’s skeleton is scheduled to go on view at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in May 2019

Cool Finds

Meet Scotty, the Largest and Longest-Lived T. Rex Ever Found

The dinosaur weighed an estimated 19,555 pounds and likely lived into its early 30s

An illustration of what Avimaia schweitzerae and its nest may have looked like.

Cool Finds

First-Ever Fossilized Mother Bird Found With Unlaid Egg

The rare 110-million-year-old bits of shell shine light on the reproduction during the age of dinosaurs

Artist's impression of a Galleonosaurus dorisae herd on a riverbank in the Australian-Antarctic rift valley during the Early Cretaceous, 125 million years ago.

New Dinosaur Species Found in Australia Reveals a ‘Lost World’

Galleonosaurus dorisae thrived in the now-vanished Australia-Antarctica rift

Moros was probably about 170 pounds, or roughly the size or a deer.

Meet T. Rex’s Teeny Cousin Whose Name Means ‘Impending Doom’

A newly discovered tyrannosauroid provides insight into the 70 million year gap in North American tyrannosaur evolutionary records

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