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Paleontology

An artist imagines what two Mnyamawamtuka would look like as they cavort in the Cretaceous rain

New Research

Meet the Dinosaur With the Heart-Shaped Tail Bone

The newly discovered long-neck dino could help scientists figure out why some dinosaurs grew to be so large

By analyzing fossilized vomit and droppings, scientists have determined that Smok wawelski was one of the first predators to crush the bones of its prey.

Prehistoric Crocodile Cousin Crushed the Bones of Its Prey Long Before T. Rex

Fossilized feces filled with bone reveal the feeding habits of an ancient predator

Pandamonium

Pandas Weren’t Always Picky Eaters

A new study suggests the all-bamboo diet was adopted in the recent past, not millions of years ago

With just two rows of teeth, Edestus slid its lower jaw to slice apart its prey.

Scientists Model How Prehistoric Shark Cut Through Prey With ‘Scissor Jaws’

The 330-million-year-old species Edestus had one of the most unique bites in natural history

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Ingenious Minds

Studying the History of Life on Earth Keeps This Paleontologist Optimistic

Smithsonian scientist Nick Pyenson explains how taking an interest in natural history can help us understand our future

An illustration showing what Galagadon would have looked like in life, swimming along the river floor.

New Prehistoric Shark Species Discovered Alongside Sue the T. Rex

The teeth of Galagadon nordquistae were discovered in the rock that once surrounded the famous T. rex skeleton.

The species Orobates pabsti represents a group of animals that lived after the first animals to walk on land but before the evolution of modern lizards.

Scientists Used a Robot to Study How Prehistoric Lizards Walked

OroBOT, a robot version of an ancestor to the dinosaurs, is helping fill in some gaps in the evolution of walking

The red arrow points to where the prehistoric shark tooth got lodged in the pterosaur's neck.

What Is a Shark Tooth Doing in the Neck of a Flying Pterosaur?

A new study suggests that the winged reptile fell prey to a hungry predator lurking in the water

The collection of prints, including this Iguanodon one, reportedly represents the most diverse, detailed collection of Cretaceous fossils ever discovered in Great Britain

Cool Finds

Trove of Well-Preserved Dinosaur Footprints Unearthed Along Sussex Coast

Researchers discovered more than 85 fossilized footprints left by at least seven prehistoric species

The researchers are quick to point out that their findings don't suggest a link between brain size or shape and behavior, but instead offer an exploration of the genetic evolution of modern brains

Neanderthal Genes Influence Contemporary Humans’ Skull Shape, Brain Size

Individuals carrying these ancient ancestors’ DNA are more likely to have slightly elongated, rather than rounded, brains

Although the asteroid strike that created Chicxulub crater in modern-day Mexico dramatically affected life on Earth, the fiery crash isn't the whole story of the fate of the dinosaurs.

We Still Don’t Know Why the Reign of the Dinosaurs Ended

The asteroid strike on the Yucatán Peninsula 66 million years ago is only part of the story

Cool Finds

Early Mammals Were Thought to Be Small and Unseen in the Age of Dinosaurs. An Elephant-Sized Fossil Complicates That Story

At a time when proto-mammals and other creatures were getting smaller, this dicynodont bulked up with the thunder lizards

The marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex) stalked Australian forests tens of thousands of years ago.

How a Changing Climate May Have Killed Off the Marsupial Lion

The fearsome predator, related to koalas and wombats, ruled the wilds of Australia until the loss of its habitat helped drive it to extinction

A figure representing the Kayentatherium babies found with an adult specimen. They are the only known fossils of babies from an extinct mammal relative that lived during the Early Jurassic.

Weasel-Like Fossils Reveal Evolutionary Clues of the First Mammals

A protomammal known as Kayentatherium was discovered with 38 babies in 185-million-year-old rock

Artist's rendition of Mirarce eatoni.

New Research

This Dino-Era Bird Was as Advanced as Modern Species. So Why Did It Disappear?

An enantiornithine fossil found in the western U.S. sat in storage for 25 years before it was officially described

The fossilized crania of three long-snouted cetaceans.

The Mystery of Ancient Dolphins’ Super-Long Snouts

A new study suggests the extinct cetaceans used their snouts to hit and stun prey, much as swordfish do

New Research

Ancient Ape Was Just the Size of a House Cat

12.5 million-year-old teeth found in Kenya belonged to a species that ate leaves, but was likely outcompeted by an explosion of monkeys

Assortment of bird eggs and a fossil theropod egg

Dinosaurs May Have Given Birds Their Colorful, Speckled Eggs

A new analysis of fossilized eggshells suggests diversely patterned eggs evolved much earlier than previously believed

Khoikhoi of South Africa dismantling their huts, preparing to move to new pastures—aquatint by Samuel Daniell (1805). Pastoralism has a rich history in Africa, spreading from the Saharan region to East Africa and then across the continent.

Ritual Cemeteries—For Cows and Then Humans—Plot Pastoralist Expansion Across Africa

As early herders spread across northern and then eastern Africa, the communities erected monumental graves which may have served as social gathering points

The 28 footprints capture an early reptile-like creature's unusual diagonal gait

Cool Finds

The Grand Canyon’s Oldest Footprints Are 310 Million Years Old

Researcher Stephen Rowland says the creature that left the tracks was “doing a funny little side-walking step, line-dance kind of thing”

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