- Woolly mammoth teeth reveal the world’s oldest microbial DNA
Scientists have uncovered microbial DNA preserved in mammoth remains dating back more than one million years, revealing the oldest host-associated microbial DNA ever recovered. By sequencing nearly 500 specimens, the team identified ancient bacterial…
- 7 days ago 5 Sep 25, 4:33pm - - Bizarre ankylosaur with giant neck spikes redefines dinosaur evolution
Spicomellus afer, a newly analyzed Jurassic ankylosaur from Morocco, is overturning scientists’ understanding of dinosaur evolution. Unlike any other known creature, it carried a collar of meter-long spikes fused directly to its ribs, along with an…
- 13 days ago 30 Aug 25, 3:19pm - - Ancient DNA finally solves the mystery of the world’s first pandemic
Scientists have finally uncovered direct genetic evidence of Yersinia pestis — the bacterium behind the Plague of Justinian — in a mass grave in Jerash, Jordan. This long-sought discovery resolves a centuries-old debate, confirming that the plagu…
- 13 days ago 30 Aug 25, 8:47am - - Scientists discover armored “goblin monster” in prehistoric Utah
Scientists have identified a new giant lizard, Bolg amondol, from Utah’s Kaiparowits Formation, named after Tolkien’s goblin prince. Part of the monstersaur lineage, Bolg reveals that multiple large lizards coexisted with dinosaurs, suggesting a…
- 14 days ago 29 Aug 25, 2:44pm - - Forgotten rock in Japan reveals 220-million-year-old ichthyosaur fossil
A chance glance at a museum display has led to the first-ever discovery of an ichthyosaur fossil in western Japan, dating back around 220 million years. Initially mistaken for a common bivalve fossil, the specimen was revealed to contain 21 bone frag…
- 18 days ago 26 Aug 25, 3:17am - - 500-million-year-old “squid” were actually ferocious worms
A stunning discovery in North Greenland has reclassified strange squid-like fossils, revealing that nectocaridids were not early cephalopods but ancestors of arrow worms. Preserved nervous systems and unique anatomical features provided the breakthro…
- 18 days ago 25 Aug 25, 3:14pm - - Extinct human relatives left a genetic gift that helped people thrive in the Americas
Scientists have discovered that a gene called MUC19, inherited from Denisovans through ancient interbreeding, may have played a vital role in helping Indigenous ancestors adapt as they migrated into the Americas. Found at unusually high frequencies i…
- 19 days ago 24 Aug 25, 3:11pm - - Ancient fossil discovery in Ethiopia rewrites human origins
In the deserts of Ethiopia, scientists uncovered fossils showing that early members of our genus Homo lived side by side with a newly identified species of Australopithecus nearly three million years ago. These finds challenge the old idea of a strai…
- 22 days ago 22 Aug 25, 1:33am - - 140,000-year-old skeleton shows earliest interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals
Scientists have uncovered the world s earliest fossil showing both Neanderthal and Homo sapiens features: a five-year-old child from Israel s Skhul Cave dating back 140,000 years. This discovery pushes back the timeline of human interbreeding, provin…
- 22 days ago 21 Aug 25, 1:44pm - - Mysterious Denisovan interbreeding shaped the humans we are today
Denisovans, a mysterious human relative, left behind far more than a handful of fossils—they left genetic fingerprints in modern humans across the globe. Multiple interbreeding events with distinct Denisovan populations helped shape traits like hig…
- 29 days ago 14 Aug 25, 1:37pm - - Bizarre ancient creatures unearthed in the Grand Canyon
A groundbreaking fossil discovery in the Grand Canyon has unveiled exquisitely preserved soft-bodied animals from the Cambrian period, offering an unprecedented glimpse into early life more than 500 million years ago. Researchers uncovered molluscs,…
- 29 days ago 14 Aug 25, 12:14pm - - Tiny ancient whale with a killer bite found in Australia
An extraordinary fossil find along Victoria’s Surf Coast has revealed Janjucetus dullardi, a sharp-toothed, dolphin-sized predator that lived 26 million years ago. With large eyes, slicing teeth, and exceptional ear bone preservation, this early co…
- 30 days ago 13 Aug 25, 6:33am - - Scientists just uncovered three ancient worlds frozen beneath Illinois for 300 million years
Over 300 million years ago, Illinois teemed with life in tropical swamps and seas, now preserved at the famous Mazon Creek fossil site. Researchers from the University of Missouri and geologist Gordon Baird have reexamined a vast fossil collection, u…
- 34 days ago 9 Aug 25, 3:23pm - - Stunning “wonder reptile” discovery rewrites the origins of feathers
The newly described Mirasaura grauvogeli from the Middle Triassic had a striking feather-like crest, hinting that complex skin appendages arose far earlier than previously believed. Its bird-like skull, tree-climbing adaptations, and pigment structur…
- 34 days ago 9 Aug 25, 3:15pm - - A 16-million-year-old amber fossil just revealed the smallest predator ant ever found
A fossilized Caribbean dirt ant, Basiceros enana, preserved in Dominican amber, reveals the species ancient range and overturns assumptions about its size evolution. Advanced imaging shows it already had the camouflage adaptations of modern relatives…
- 34 days ago 9 Aug 25, 2:09pm - - Princeton study maps 200,000 years of Human–Neanderthal interbreeding
For centuries, we’ve imagined Neanderthals as distant cousins — a separate species that vanished long ago. But thanks to AI-powered genetic research, scientists have revealed a far more entangled history. Modern humans and Neanderthals didn’t j…
- 61 days ago 13 Jul 25, 8:01am - - Tiny fossil with razor teeth found by student — rewrites mammal history
A university student on a fossil-hunting field trip in Dorset made a stunning discovery: a 145-million-year-old jawbone belonging to a previously unknown mammal species with razor-like teeth. With the help of CT scanning, 3D printing, and expert anal…
- 62 days ago 12 Jul 25, 1:47pm - - North america’s oldest pterosaur unearthed in Arizona’s Triassic time capsule
In the remote reaches of Arizona s Petrified Forest National Park, scientists have unearthed North America's oldest known pterosaur a small, gull-sized flier that once soared above Triassic ecosystems. This exciting find, alongside ancient turtles an…
- 66 days ago 8 Jul 25, 8:57am - - When rainforests died, the planet caught fire: New clues from Earth’s greatest extinction
When Siberian volcanoes kicked off the Great Dying, the real climate villain turned out to be the rainforests themselves: once they collapsed, Earth’s biggest carbon sponge vanished, CO₂ rocketed, and a five-million-year heatwave followed. Fossil…
- 71 days ago 3 Jul 25, 1:07pm - - These 545-million-year-old fossil trails just rewrote the story of evolution
A groundbreaking study suggests that the famous Cambrian explosion—the dramatic burst of diverse animal life—might have actually started millions of years earlier than we thought. By analyzing ancient trace fossils, researchers uncovered evidence…
- 77 days ago 27 Jun 25, 1:40pm -