paleontology
38 stories related to this topic, newest first.
nypost.comStudy Links T. rex Arm Size to Skull Growth Across Five Dinosaur Groups
A Royal Society paper published May 20 analyzed 85 dinosaur species and found that five predatory groups developed larger skulls and shorter forelimbs together. Researchers say the pattern appeared as prey size increased and jaws became the main weapon.
pockettactics.comPokémon Fossil Museum Exhibition Opens at Chicago's Field Museum
The Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition opened Friday at Chicago's Field Museum, marking the first time the show has been displayed outside Japan. It runs through April 11, 2027, and pairs real fossils with life-sized sculptures of fossil Pokémon.
ABC NewsChicago museum exhibition pairs Pokémon with real fossils
An exhibition at a Chicago museum combines Pokémon characters with actual fossils. The display is scheduled to open on May 22, 2026.
The Sydney Morning HeraldAustralian rocks yield 1.7-billion-year-old complex life fossils
A University of Sydney geobiologist examined ancient mudstone from the Northern Territory and identified microscopic fossils of early complex organisms. The study, published in Nature, shows these eukaryotes lived only in shallow oxygenated waters.
automotiveworld.comStudy Finds 59,000-Year-Old Tooth Shows Signs of Early Dental Procedure
Researchers examined a Neanderthal molar from a Siberian cave that shows evidence of an invasive dental procedure. The tooth dates to about 59,000 years ago and belonged to an adult individual.
usatoday.comScientists Identify New 88-Foot Dinosaur Species in Thailand
Researchers have described a newly identified sauropod from fossils found in northeast Thailand. The dinosaur measured 88 feet long and weighed about 27 tons.
ecns.cnResearchers Identify New Giant Dinosaur Species in Thailand
Scientists have described a previously unknown long-necked dinosaur species from fossils found in northeastern Thailand. The animal is estimated to have weighed about 27 tons and lived 100 to 120 million years ago.
Science NewsCrabs’ Sideways Walk Evolved Once 200 Million Years Ago
A study of 50 crab species found that sideways locomotion originated with a single ancestor roughly 200 million years ago. The trait is linked to the evolutionary success of the most diverse crab group, which now includes nearly 7,500 species. Researchers say the change required…
indianexpress.com88-Foot Nagatitan Dinosaur Remains Discovered in Thailand
British and Thai researchers have identified Nagatitan, the largest and geologically youngest sauropod known from Southeast Asia. The Cretaceous Period fossils, first spotted by a villager in Chaiyaphum province, include a 5.8-foot humerus and indicate the creature weighed 25 to…
France 24Thai Researchers Describe New Sauropod Species Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis from Northeast Thailand
A new sauropod species measuring 27 metres and weighing 27 tonnes has been named from fossils found in northeast Thailand. The study describing Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, the region's biggest known dinosaur, was published on 14 May 2026. Lead researcher Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul…
Al JazeeraScientists Name Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, Largest Dinosaur Discovered in Southeast Asia
Palaeontologists have identified a new species of sauropod from fossils first spotted by a villager in Thailand a decade ago. The 27-metre-long herbivore, named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, lived roughly 113 million years ago and weighed between 25 and 28 tons. The study, published…
interestingengineering.comNew Giant Long-Necked Dinosaur Species Identified From Thailand Fossils
Scientists have identified a new species of sauropod dinosaur from fossils found in north-eastern Thailand a decade ago. The nagatitan weighed 27 tonnes and measured 27 metres in length. The discovery was detailed in a study published in the Scientific Reports journal.
New York PostScientists Name New 27-Meter Sauropod from 113-Million-Year-Old Thai Fossils
Fossils of the 113-million-year-old sauropod Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, nearly 90 feet long and weighing 25 to 28 tons, were unearthed in Thailand’s Chaiyaphum province. The research, published May 14, 2026, in Scientific Reports, offers new insight into sauropod diversity and th…
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news.google.comPhysicists Update 18th-Century Cavendish Experiment in Bid to Detect Dark Matter
New Scientist's 16 May 2026 issue highlights an update to Henry Cavendish's 300-year-old experiment that may prove 10,000 times more sensitive than current dark matter detection methods. The magazine also reports discoveries ranging from a Neanderthal kneeprint beside a stalagmit…
Ars TechnicaProtein in Homo erectus Teeth Indicates Denisovan DNA Inherited by Modern Humans
Researchers identified a distinct form of the tooth enamel protein ameloblastin in Homo erectus samples from China that also appears in Denisovans and some modern human populations. The study examined ancient proteins from teeth approximately 400,000 years old, bypassing DNA degr…
jta.orgGerman Museum Agrees to Return 113-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Skull to Brazil
The State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart has expressed willingness to repatriate the skull of a large carnivorous dinosaur purchased in 1991. The fossil, one of thousands taken from Brazil over the past century, was acquired from a private dealer in Germany. The announcement…
nypost.com59,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Molar Shows Evidence of Stone Drill Dental Treatment
A molar discovered in Chagyrskaya Cave, Siberia, bears marks of intentional drilling to treat severe caries, according to a study published in PLOS One. The find pushes back the earliest known dental intervention by more than 40,000 years and is the first such evidence outside Ho…
Science News59,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Molar Shows Evidence of Possible Caries Manipulation
Researchers identified deliberate drilling to treat severe caries in a Neanderthal lower molar found in Chagyrskaya Cave, Russia. The find, published Wednesday in PLOS ONE, pushes back the earliest evidence of dentistry by more than 40,000 years and is the first such case identif…
newscientist.comAngiosperm Genome Duplications Coincided With Nine Prehistoric Environmental Upheavals
Researchers identified 132 ancient genome duplications in flowering plants that clustered into nine periods between 108 million and 14 million years ago. Almost all coincided with major events including climate change, shifting oxygen levels and the asteroid impact that ended the…
discovermagazine.comStudy Finds Coelacanth Lacks 11 Jaw Muscles Previously Thought Present
A 2025 study published in Science Advances determined that the coelacanth, an ancient fish species, does not possess 11 jaw muscles that researchers had previously believed it had. The finding alters prior understanding of the fish's anatomy. The coelacanth is frequently referred…
New ScientistKneeprint Found Near 175,000-Year-Old Stalagmite Structures in Bruniquel Cave
A possible kneeprint in clay preserved by calcium carbonate offers new clues about Neanderthals who built mysterious structures deep inside a French cave. Sophie Verheyden presented the findings on 4 May at the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna. The discovery comes as…
Science NewsRobot Dinosaur Experiments Test Whether Proto-Wings Could Flush Insects
Scientists tested a robotic Caudipteryx and animated versions on live insects and locusts, finding visual displays with protowings triggered stronger escape responses. The studies, conducted in Seoul and published in 2024 and 2026, explore possible behaviors of early pennaraptora…
New ScientistNeandertals Used Rhinoceros Teeth as Tools at Sites in Spain and France
Researchers identified marks on fossilized rhinoceros teeth from caves in Spain and France that indicate Neandertals used them as hammers and anvils around 100,000 years ago. The teeth served multiple purposes including shaping stone tools and processing vegetable fibers and hide…
James St. John / Wikimedia (CC BY 2.0)Fossilized Jaws Show Massive Octopuses Hunted in Dinosaur-Era Seas 100 Million Years Ago
New analyses of ancient octopus fossils reveal creatures up to 62 feet long that rivaled other marine predators during the dinosaur age. Researchers examined jaws from Japan and Vancouver Island, estimating sizes and diets based on wear patterns. The findings, published in Scienc…
James St. John / Wikimedia (CC BY 2.0)Fossilized Jaws Show Massive Ancient Octopuses Reached Over 60 Feet in Length
New analyses of ancient octopus fossils reveal creatures up to 62 feet long that hunted during the Cretaceous Period. Researchers compared jaws from Japan and Canada to modern octopuses, estimating sizes and noting wear from crushing hard prey. The findings, published in Science,…
Substrate placeholder — needs reviewFossilized Jaws Show Giant Octopuses Up to 19 Meters Long Dominated Cretaceous Oceans
Researchers have uncovered evidence of enormous octopuses from the Late Cretaceous Period, with some reaching lengths of up to 19 meters. The findings, based on fossilized jaws, indicate these creatures were top predators. The study reclassifies the fossils into two species and h…
G. Münster / Wikimedia (Public domain)Study Reclassifies 300-Million-Year-Old Fossil Previously Identified as Oldest Octopus
A new study has determined that the fossil Pohlsepia mazonensis, once thought to be the world's oldest octopus from 300 million years ago, is actually a relative of the nautilus. The reclassification is based on analysis of its teeth structure. The fossil, found in Illinois, is n…
Substrate placeholder — needs reviewFossil Analysis Shows Mammalian Ancestors Laid Hard-Shelled Eggs 250 Million Years Ago
An analysis of a fossil from South Africa reveals that mammalian ancestors laid hard-shelled eggs 250 million years ago. The study, published in Plos One, details findings from a Lystrosaurus embryo. Researchers used X-ray techniques to confirm the egg's structure.
Substrate placeholder — needs reviewFossil Embryo Confirms Egg-Laying Reproduction in Mammalian Ancestors from 250 Million Years Ago
Scientists have identified a 250-million-year-old fossilized embryo of Lystrosaurus in South Africa, providing the first definitive evidence that therapsids, ancestors of mammals, laid eggs. The specimen, discovered in 2008, was analyzed using advanced X-ray scanning to reveal an…
Substrate placeholder — needs reviewFossil Jawbone and Teeth in Egypt Identified as New Early Ape Species from 17 Million Years Ago
Fragments of a jawbone and teeth discovered in Egypt have been classified as a new species of early ape, Masripithecus moghraensis. The fossils date to approximately 17 million years ago. This finding provides additional evidence on the distribution of early apes in Africa during…
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean Exploration and Research / Wikimedia (Public domain)Scientists Reclassify 300-Million-Year-Old Fossil as Nautiloid, Not Oldest Octopus
A fossil previously identified as the world's oldest octopus has been reclassified as a nautiloid related to modern nautiluses. The 300-million-year-old specimen, Pohlsepia mazonensis, was analyzed using advanced imaging techniques. The finding corrects earlier assumptions from 2…
Substrate placeholder — needs reviewResearch Reclassifies 300-Million-Year-Old Fossil as Nautilus Relative, Not Octopus
Scientists have determined that a 300-million-year-old fossil previously identified as the world's oldest octopus is actually a relative of the nautilus. The fossil, Pohlsepia mazonensis, was analyzed using advanced imaging techniques that revealed structural differences from oct…
Substrate placeholder — needs reviewReanalysis of 1948 German Discovery Shows Neanderthals Hunted Large Mammals
Researchers have re-examined ancient elephant bones and a wooden spear discovered in Germany in 1948. The findings indicate that Neanderthals hunted straight-tusked elephants, which were among the largest land animals. This evidence suggests Neanderthals targeted large prey to su…
Substrate placeholder — needs reviewDecline of Massive Herbivores in Middle East Coincides with Shift to Smaller Stone Tools Around 200,000 Years Ago
Archaeological evidence indicates that large herbivores became scarce in the Middle East approximately 200,000 years ago. This decline aligned with a transition in tool use from heavy, large implements to smaller, lighter ones. The findings come from a study published in @NewScie…
Dasklubar / Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)Experimental Company Creates Handbag from Lab-Grown T. rex Collagen in Amsterdam
An experimental garment company collaborated with scientists to produce a handbag using collagen grown from protein fragments extracted from T. rex fossils. The one-of-a-kind item was developed in a laboratory setting. It is currently on display in Amsterdam.
sciencealert.comFossils of Ancient Reptile Reveal Early Evolution of Chest-Based Breathing
Mummified remains of Captorhinus, a small lizard-like reptile from 289 to 286 million years ago, preserve rib cages, cartilage and protein traces. These fossils show a flexible breathing apparatus similar to that in modern reptiles, birds and mammals. The discovery provides evide…
Substrate placeholder — needs review500-Million-Year-Old Fossil Reveals Pincers Potentially Linked to Spider Origins
A fossil from 500 million years ago contains pincers on a tiny organism, prompting scientists to reconsider the evolutionary origins of spiders. The discovery, detailed in a recent study, suggests early arthropods may have possessed chelicerae-like structures. Researchers indicat…
discovermagazine.comCambrian Fossil Reveals Origin of Chelicerates with Chelicera Structures
Researchers have identified a fossil arthropod from the Cambrian period that bears chelicerae, indicating the early origin of chelicerates. The specimen, named Houxilingia, was found in South China and dates to approximately 518 million years ago. This discovery provides evidence…