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Dinosaurs

A Deep Dive Into the Skeleton of the Oldest-Known Modern Bird

A fossil found in China may offer new clues about avian evolution

A reconstruction of "grandfather turtle."

New Research

This Ancient Creature Shows How the Turtle Got Its Shell

The 240-million-year-old “grandfather turtle” may be part of the evolutionary bridge between lizards and shelled reptiles

Mosasaur

14 Fun Facts About the Animals of “Jurassic World”

While the lead predator of the film might be a genetically modified fiction, these real fossil species were just as amazing and bizarre

Dinosaurs likely weren't around to witness this lovely view from the rim of the Grand Canyon.

New Research

Dinosaurs (Probably) Never Saw the Grand Canyon

The canyon likely didn’t exist in time to be a hang out for giant lizards

Hammerhead sharks off the coast of Cocos Island, Costa Rica. The island is known for its incredible terrain and marine life, and is said to be the inspiration for Isla Nublar, the place Michael Crichton created as the setting for Jurassic Park—and now Jurassic World.

Where to Visit the Real Jurassic World After You See the Film

The movie’s filming locations and inspiration offer lush vegetation, stunning views and plenty of sharks

Cool Finds

Behind the Scenes at a Tyrannosaurus Rex Dissection

Months of work went into creating a model, life-sized dinosaur for experts to dismember and cut open

Scientists found what appear to be red blood cells in this claw from an unidentified theropod dinosaur.

New Research

Dinosaur Soft Tissue Recovered From Eight Cretaceous-Era Fossils

New sampling methods yielded cells and fibers from relatively ordinary fossils, broadening the possibilities for paleontology

An artistic reconstruction of the Regaliceratops peterhewsi, the newly discovered Triceratops cousin with a built-in crown.

New Research

The ‘Hellboy’ Dinosaur, a New Cousin of Triceratops, Is Fossil Royalty

The horned dinosaur wears a built-in crown and offers evidence of many more undiscovered species in North America

Saurornitholestes sullivani attacks a subadult hadrosaur Parasaurolophus tubicen

New Research

Meet Your New Favorite Dinosaur: The Velociraptor’s Cousin

A keen sense of smell gave this dino an edge

Here the experimental chick embryo (center) can be compared to a typical chicken about to hatch (left) and an alligator (right)

New Research

Researchers Create Chicken Embryos With Dinosaur-Like Faces

Researchers seeking to understand how birds got their beaks turned back the evolutionary clock just a tad

Bat-like Yi qi is the flying dinosaur this forest deserves.

New Research

This Fluffy Little Dinosaur Had Bat-Like Wings

About the size of a sparrow, Yi qi probably glided through Jurassic forests on membrane-covered appendages

The Jurassic dinosaur Chilesaurus diegosuarez, a plant-eating theropod.

New Research

Meet Chilesaurus, a New Raptor-Like Dinosaur With a Vegetarian Diet

A seven-year-old and his family found the unusual Jurassic theropod while out for a hike in southern Chile

Could we bring back the woolly mammoth?

These Are the Extinct Animals We Can, and Should, Resurrect

Biologist Beth Shapiro offers a guide to the science and ethics of using DNA for de-extinction

New Research

Scientists Clash Over Stegosaurus Sexing

A new paper is causing controversy with claims that dinosaurs’ sex can be determined by their bones

Cool Finds

This Little Kid Discovered a Dinosaur

A rare nodosaur has been found in Texas…by a little boy

Welcome back, Brontosaurus?

New Research

Back to Brontosaurus? The Dinosaur Might Deserve Its Own Genus After All

The popular name could be pulled back out of the scientific wastebasket, based on new analysis of dozens of related dinosaurs

New Research

Imagine Dinosaurs Tripping on Psychedelics

It could have happened.

Cool Finds

Jurassic Park May Have Been Right—Some Dinosaurs Hunted in Packs

The film inspired paleontologists to discover the truth about dinos, including whether raptors were social hunters

Our Answers to the Most Burning Questions of 2014

Here are the ten most popular installments of “Ask Smithsonian” this year

Arachnophobia, coral reefs, artificial cells and strange amphibians starred in some of this year's science finds you might have missed.

Ten Cool Science Stories You May Have Missed in 2014

ICYMI, there’s a newfound coral reef in Iraq, the smallest force has been detected and more in this year’s surprising science

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