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Dinosaurs

The small dinosaur Patagonykus—one of an odd-looking group called alvarezsaurs—puzzled experts with its stout claws and bird-like bones.

Small, Stubby-Armed Dinosaurs Have Confounded Paleontologists. Are Answers Finally Within Reach?

Recent discoveries about an alvarezsaur called Manipulonyx have drawn renewed attention to this group of bird-like, clawed creatures and the mysteries around their anatomy and behavior

Paleontologists removed roughly 3,000 pounds of rocks and fossils from the site between mid-September and mid-October 2025.

Dinosaur National Monument Construction Work Turns Up New Fossils, Leading to the First Excavation at One Site in More Than a Century

Recent digs revealed roughly 20 feet of a long-necked dinosaur’s skeleton, and paleontologists suspect even more bones are lurking underground

Tyrannosaurus rex probably wasn't full-grown until around age 40, new research suggests.

Tyrannosaurus Rex Was Probably a Late Bloomer—and May Have Taken Around 40 Years to Grow Up

The behemoth dinosaurs grew more slowly and had longer life spans than previously thought, a new study suggests

A reconstruction of what Manipulonyx reshetovi may have looked like

This Dinosaur May Have Used Its Strange Clawed Hands to Pilfer and Pierce Eggs

A fresh analysis of a fossil found almost 50 years ago reveals a newly described genus named for its “manipulating claw”

Golden apple snails have eyes that are similar to humans’—and they can regenerate an amputated eye in just a month. Scientists uncovered a gene related to that process, laying the groundwork for more research that could help humans with eye injuries.

Eight Fascinating Scientific Discoveries From 2025 That Could Lead to New Inventions

By studying the natural world, scientists find blueprints for innovations that can improve human lives—in the genes of a shark, the fur of a polar bear and the flipper of an extinct reptile

Newly discovered species filled gaps in dinosaur evolution and shed light on historic migrations, while other studies offered new ways to date remains and made key insights about diets.

The Top Ten Dinosaur Discoveries of 2025, From Preserved Blood Vessels to the Return of a Short King

With studies of fossilized bones, gut contents, eggshells and more, paleontologists revealed new and captivating details about the enormous reptiles that once roamed the Earth

In 2025, researchers watched an interstellar comet, learned about human origins and traced the spread of measles.

The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2025, From Medical Breakthroughs to an Interstellar Visitor

All year long, these moments captivated the public, demonstrated dangerous trends, and pushed research and innovation forward

The reproductive structures of cycads, an ancient seed plant, heat up with infrared radiation to attract beetle pollinators, a new study suggests. 

Cool Finds

Before the First Brilliantly Colored Flowers Bloomed, Dinosaur-Era Plants Emitted Heat to Attract Pollinators

Some plants produce heat, which has long puzzled botanists. But a new study suggests that infrared radiation is an ancient method to lure beetle pollinators

Side view of NMNH's newly acquired Pachycephalosaurus skull, which is a rare, nearly complete specimen

Nearly Complete Skull of a Dome-Headed Dinosaur Makes Its Way to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History

The remarkable skull will be on display from December 22 through December 28. After spending the next few years behind the scenes for research, it will join NMNH’s permanently showcased fossil collection

Each strand of yarn traces the tracks that make up an ancient trackway.

This Site in Bolivia Boasts 16,600 Exposed Dinosaur Footprints—The Most Ever Found in One Location

Paleontologists counted the record-setting tracks and uncovered evidence of dinosaurs swimming and dragging their tails along what was a muddy superhighway for the animals millions of years ago

An artist's rendition of a group of Nanotyrannus dinosaurs attacking a juvenile T. rex

This Tiny Tyrannosaur Could Settle a Huge Scientific Debate

A new analysis of a fossil unearthed in 2006 provides a fresh line of evidence that a separate tyrannosaur lineage called Nanotyrannus lived alongside the famous T. rex

An artist's reconstruction of Edmontosaurus some 66 million years ago

Scientists Finally Know What This ‘Mummified’ Dinosaur Looked Like

A recent study suggests the unique geology of an area in Wyoming makes it a trove of unusually preserved fossils

Two T. rex dinosaurs square up for a fight in an illustration. Dinosaurs in the Cretaceous were thriving until the Chicxulub asteroid initiated a mass extinction.

The Dinosaurs of North America Were Thriving Up Until an Asteroid Wiped Them Off the Face of the Earth, Scientists Argue

A new study of dinosaur biodiversity challenges the belief that the megafauna were on their way out 66 million years ago

An artistic rendering of a Joaquinraptor casali with a croc leg in its mouth.

Cool Finds

Paleontologists Discover Megaraptor Fossil With a Crocodilian’s Leg Still in Its Mouth

The finding in Argentina reveals a new megaraptor species that would have ruled at the same time as North America’s T. rex, shedding light on what it took to be a prehistoric top predator

An artistic rendering featuring a confrontation between two dome-headed dinosaurs

Cool Finds

Paleontologists Discover Earliest Known Dome-Headed Dinosaur in Excellent Condition, Shedding Light on Its Mysterious Anatomy

Most of what researchers previously knew about the iconic Cretaceous dinosaurs came from their domed heads, which endured better than the rest of their skeletons

A fly trapped in a studied amber sample. 

Cool Finds

112-Million-Year-Old Amber Samples Preserve a Snapshot of an Ancient Forest

The deposits from the time of the dinosaurs contain fragile insects and a spider’s web

Researchers directly dated dinosaur eggs, which had filled with calcite crystals, in China.

Paleontologists Directly Date Dinosaur Eggs for the First Time, Shedding Light on the Cretaceous World 85 Million Years Ago

Using uranium-lead dating, researchers calculated the age of the eggs, rather than the sediments around them, at the Qinglongshan site in China

Predatory dinosaurs like Acrocanthosaurus perform a mating dance. Fossils indicating such a dance took place, possibly by this species, were described in 2016.

From Dinosaur Scratches to Insects in Amber, How Paleontologists Uncover Prehistoric Courtship

Researchers have found fossil evidence of varied creatures wooing and mating, as they continue to search for the telltale signs of dinosaurs copulating

An artist's reconstruction of what Spicomellus afer would have looked like.

Oldest Known Fossil of an Armored Ankylosaur Is ‘Far Weirder’ Than Paleontologists Expected

The 13-foot dinosaur, covered in long spikes fused into its bones, suggests ankylosaurs developed tail weapons 30 million years earlier than thought

Floods caused devastation across central Texas in July. In one area, volunteers responding to the disaster found newly uncovered dinosaur tracks.

Volunteers Discover 115-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tracks Revealed in the Wake of Devastating Texas Floods

Fifteen large prints were probably left behind by meat-eating dinosaurs, and they were revealed as floodwaters washed away dirt in early July

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