Fossils

Science 18 hours ago

Scientists discover 'alien' insect in amber from 100 million years ago

The alien-looking insect, which had a bizarre head and long thin legs, likely crawled around on trees.

Science 18 hours ago

Stunning fossil discovery: Giant otter was size of wolf

Millions of years ago, a wolf-sized otter swam around ancient swampy China, scientists have discovered.

Science 18 hours ago

Tomb discovery: Headless crocodiles shock experts

The Egyptian discoveries include a plethora of human remains, numerous sheep or goats with puncture marks in the skulls, a cat, and even two headless crocodiles.

Science 18 hours ago

Pile of skeletons found inside 2,400-year-old tomb in Iraq

A 2,400-year-old tomb filled with the skeletons of at least six people has been discovered in northern Iraq.

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Bones unearthed near ancient city of Troy yield clues of deadly infection

The ancient skeleton of a woman who lived near the storied city of Troy has given up the secrets of what killed her.

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Remains of a rare 3-million-year-old creature found in eastern Argentina

The animal, a mammal, has been described as a mix of a horse and an elephant.

Science 18 hours ago

Giant megalodon shark teeth may have inspired Mayan monster myths

Giant fossilized teeth from extinct megalodon sharks may have inspired portrayals of a primordial sea monster in Mesoamerican creation myths, according to a new study of the concepts of sharks in ancient Mayan society.

Science 18 hours ago

Mammoth fossils found at site of LA subway dig

Fossils from giant, ice age-beasts were uncovered while workers were digging an extension to the Los Angeles subway system.

Science 18 hours ago

Human ancestor Lucy was avid tree-climber, her bones reveal

Lucy’s tree-climbing activities can be read in her bones, according to a new study that used computed tomography scans of her skeletal remains to learn more about her ancient behavior.

Science 18 hours ago

Saber-toothed cat had a huge skull, but a puny bite

A newly described fossil skull from one of the largest of the saber-toothed cats, Machairodus horribilis, is the biggest saber-toothed skull ever found.

Science 18 hours ago

Newfound ancient 'sea monster' is largest yet from Antarctica

About 66 million years ago, an ancient sea monster the height of a five-story office building once gnashed its sharp teeth as it swam around the dark waters of Antarctica, a new study finds

Science 18 hours ago

'Mud Dragon' dinosaur unearthed in China

A new species of bird–like dinosaur was recently discovered at a construction site in Southern China. Dubbed Tongtianlong limosus, the winged creature had died after becoming mired in mud about 66–72 million years ago– hence it’s nickname, the ‘Mud Dragon.’

Science 18 hours ago

Bathroom trip leads to ancient Australian discovery

New research out of Australia has pushed back the date of human settlement in the arid part of the continent to 49,000 years ago— and not only that, the archaeological site in question was reportedly discovered because of a bathroom break.

Science 18 hours ago

Ancient battle left 'sea monster' with tooth stuck in its face

About 75 million years ago, a mosasaur bit another mosasaur so hard that it left its tooth behind, new research finds.

Science 18 hours ago

Scientists identify fossilized dinosaur brain tissue for first time ever

A brown pebble discovered on an English beach more a decade ago is actually the world's first known example of a fossilized dinosaur brain, scientists have confirmed.

Science 18 hours ago

Meet the world's oldest known righty

A lot has changed over 1.8 million years, but perhaps not the tendency of hominids to favor their right hand.

Science 18 hours ago

Brutal burials point a finger at ancient blood feuds, study says

Bodies buried in violent, nontraditional ways in the distant past in the United States and Mexico could be evidence of blood feuds, an archaeologist argues.

Science 18 hours ago

Hurricane Matthew unearths huge prehistoric shark tooth

A Virginia couple was on vacation at North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and stumbled across a prehistoric shark tooth.

Science 18 hours ago

Ancient teeth lead researchers to prehistoric shark discovery

Researchers have discovered a new species of prehistoric shark, and at about 13 feet long, it was comparable to the size of the great white sharks of today.

Science 18 hours ago

Argentine findings suggest earlier human presence in Americas

Bones and tools found at an archaeological site near the city of Tres Arroyos, Argentina, lend more evidence to the idea that prehistoric people lived in the Americas earlier than thought.

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Big dinosaurs had 'bling' on their heads, report finds

Researchers have discovered that theropods that developed ornaments on their heads evolved to gigantic body sizes 20 times faster than those that didn’t.

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Rare fossil captures a snake that ate a lizard that ate a beetle

The circle of life has been captured in a unique 48-million-year-old fossil.

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Skeleton of prehistoric 'sea monster' found in Scotland

This week, researchers in Scotland unveiled the fossilized skeleton of “the Storr Lochs Monster”– a Jurassic–era predator known as an ichthyosaur that roamed the oceans 170 million years ago.

Science 18 hours ago

World's oldest fossils found in Greenland

Researchers have discovered fossils in Greenland that date to 3.7 billion years ago, making them the world’s oldest fossils, according to the University of Wollongong in Australia.

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Rare find: T-rex skull will be shown at Seattle museum

On Saturday, a rare tyrannosaurus rex skull will go on display at the Burke Museum in Seattle, a discovery unearthed this summer in Montana.

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New dolphin species discovered thanks to Smithsonian fossil

Researchers at the Smithsonian have identified a new species of river dolphin thanks to a fossil that has been in the museum's collection for over 60 years.

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Oldest cancer in human ancestor found in 1.7-million-year-old bone

An ancient foot bone from South Africa with an aggressive form of cancer on it is the oldest evidence of cancer in a human relative, researchers from South Africa reported recently.

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2,000-year-old dog graveyard discovered in Siberia

The carefully buried remains of five dogs were recently found in a 2,000-year-old doggy graveyard near the Arctic Circle in Siberia, according to archaeologists

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Prehistoric tattoos were made with volcanic glass tools

Volcanic glass tools that are at least 3,000 years old were used for tattooing in the South Pacific in ancient times, a new study finds.

Science 18 hours ago

Mummified, 99-million-year-old wings caught in amber

About 99 million years ago, a hummingbird-size bird got stuck in a glob of tree resin and eventually died, leaving its feathers to mummify in what became a lump of amber, a new study finds.

Science 18 hours ago

Ancient insects carried corpses of prey for camouflage

If you were magically transported back to the mid-Cretaceous, you'd likely have your hands full dodging dinosaur giants like Iguanodon or the toothy Carcharodontosaurus