A gigantic crocodile-like hypercarnivore likely hunted dinosaurs 70 million years ago in what is now Argentina, a new study reveals. Researchers discovered the fossilized skeleton from the extinct apex predator in southern Patagonia in 2020. It grew up to around 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) long and weighed about 550 pounds (250 kilograms). The creature is named Kostensuchus atrox after the …
Read More »
A remarkable discovery of ancient fossils in North Greenland has recently shed light on a 500-million-year-old mystery that has baffled scientists for decades. Once believed to be early relatives of squids, these ancient creatures were thought to be among the first cephalopods to appear in the oceans. However, new research led by scientists from the University of Bristol and other …
Read More »
Stone tools discovered on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi are rewriting what experts thought they knew about human evolution in this region. The tools date to about 1 million to 1.5 million years ago, which suggests that Sulawesi was occupied by an unknown human relative long before our species evolved. “These are simple, sharp-edged flakes of stone that would have …
Read More »
Despite how Ross’ paleontology career is treated by his companions in Friends, there’s something special about finding the remains of creatures that lived millions if not billions of years before us. In fact, humanity’s interest in paleontology isn’t a modern development. Ancient Romans were just as fascinated by fossils. According to the ancient Roman historian Suetonius, Emperor Augustus established the …
Read More »
In the rugged badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, a groundbreaking discovery has recently captured the attention of paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts alike. In July 2024, an extraordinary set of dinosaur footprints was uncovered at this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Footprints from the Past According to Discover Wildlife, Dinosaur Provincial Park has long been a rich source of …
Read More »
CNN — Scientists have recovered ancient proteins from a fossilized rhinoceros tooth, breaking new ground in the study of ancient life on Earth. The 24 million-year-old tooth, which was unearthed in the Canadian Arctic, contains proteins that are 10 times older than the most ancient known DNA. Using the sample, scientists have now analyzed the oldest detailed protein sequence on …
Read More »
Paleontologists have unlocked a groundbreaking discovery that brings clarity to the evolutionary history of rhinos. A recent study, published in Nature, reveals how ancient protein sequences recovered from the fossilized tooth of Epiaceratherium sp., a rhinocerotid from the Early Miocene period, are transforming our understanding of this species’ past. These ancient proteins, preserved for over 24 million years, have not …
Read More »