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Fossils

An illustration of the large, feathered Anzu wyliei depicts several striking anatomical features—its long tail, feathered arms, toothless beak and a tall crest on the top of its skull.

Scientists Discover a Large and Feathered Dinosaur that Once Roamed North America

The ‘Anzu wyliei’ species looks like a cross between a chicken and a lizard

Some dinosaurs, such as the (Caudipteryx zoui) above, had brightly colored feathers. New research suggests that modern birds inherited their own color varieties from their feathered dinosaur ancestors.

Colorful Plumage Began With Feathered Dinosaurs

The pigment patterns scientists use to predict ancient animal colors started with feathered dinosaurs and led to vibrant color in birds

Kootenay National Park

Cool Finds

Researchers Have Found a Treasure Trove of Fossils in Canada

Researchers have found a treasure trove of fossils in Canada

Cool Finds

See What It’s Like to be a Paleontologist in the Gobi Desert

Aki Watanabe took Google Glass to the Gobi Desert to show people first hand what fossil hunting is like

Typical entombment poses of some of the Jehol Biota’s animals (a Psittacosaurus (a) and primitive crow-like birds (b and c))—the same poses displayed by other victims of erupting volcanoes throughout history.

New Research

The “Pompeii of Animals” Shows Dinosaurs, Mammals and Early Birds in Their Death Throes

A lethal volcanic explosion is identified as the culprit behind a mysterious mass death of creatures that took place around 125 million years ago

On Jan. 16, the National Museum of Natural History unveiled “Tyrannosaurus rex: Say Hello to the Nation’s T. rex!” which features the cast of a T. rex skull

The King of All Fossils is Coming to Smithsonian in April

One of the most complete T. rex skeletons ever found will be on display at the National Museum of Natural History

This 200 Million-Year-Old Plant Species Helps Explain the Origin of All Flowers

Of the 300,000 flowering plants known today, Amborella is the only one that directly traces back to the common ancestor of them all

Ancient Reptiles Kept Switching Between Laying Eggs And Giving Birth to Live Babies

Colder temperatures seem key to triggering the switch to live births

One of the ancient human fossils found in Spain's La Sima de los Huesos.

Scientists Just Sequenced the DNA From A 400,000-Year-Old Early Human

The fossil, found in Spain, is mysteriously related to an ancient group of homonins called the Denisovans, previously found only in Siberia

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How the Burgess Shale Changed Our View of Evolution

The famed fossils are a link to some of the first complex creatures on Earth

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After 103 Years, the Natural History Museum Finally Gets Its Own Tyrannosaurus rex

The “Wankel Rex,” discovered in Montana in 1988, is one of just a dozen complete skeletons worldwide

Spotlight

What’s new at the Smithsonian in June

Nick Pyenson — Curator of Fossil Marine Mammals at National Museum of Natural History

Curator of Fossil Marine Mammals at National Museum of Natural History

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When Did Humans Come to the Americas?

Recent scientific findings date their arrival earlier than ever thought, sparking hot debate among archaeologists

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The Most Exciting (and Frustrating) Stories From This Year in Dinosaurs

From feathers to black market fossil controversies, 2012 was a big year for dinosaurs

The “Morphotype 1″ tunnel complex: points marked “a” represent tunnels, and points marked “b” signify vertical shafts.

Did Early Dinosaurs Burrow?

Were enigmatic, 230-million-year-old burrows created by dinosaurs?

Did Deinonychus and other “raptors” use their foot claws to restrain prey?

How Did Raptors Use Their Fearsome Toe Claws?

Claw Shapes: A Glimpse Into the Lifestyle of Raptors?

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Scientists Discover Oldest Known Dinosaur

A fragmentary skeleton pins the emergence of dinosaurs more than 10 million years earlier than previously thought

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Why Did Plant-Munching Theropods Get So Big?

Were these Late Cretaceous dinosaurs just the culmination of an evolutionary trend towards ever-larger body size or was something else at work?

Archaeopteryx had a wing that was different from that of modern birds, and, as seen here, might have been a glider more than a powered flyer.

Feathers Fuel Dinosaur Flight Debate

Was the early bird Archaeopteryx more of a glider than a flier?

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