Evolutionary History of Life

Chemical analysis suggests the 400-million-year-old fossil Prototaxites was neither plant, animal or fungus – hinting at a mysterious life form that went extinct long ago

In new research, paleontologists investigated plant and tetrapod fossils and various microfossils from the Permian-Triassic South Taodonggou section in Xinjiang, China.

A new book highlights the beautiful work of Jay Matternes, an accomplished artist who drew everything from mammoths to early humans

Find out what dinosaurs ate and why it was important for their evolution as researchers analyze dinosaur poop.

Fossilized digestive material offers unparalleled insights into the dinosaurs' diets, feeding behaviors and parasites.

Researchers have found an ancient protein fold that might explain how life's basic building blocks became the complex systems we see today. This long-lost structure could help solve mysteries about early life and evolution. Discovery of a Lost Protein Fold Two RIKEN biologists have uncovered a

In the shadow of South Australia's largest mountain range beneath the outback soil lies a fossil record that reveals a rich history of life on Earth.

How scientists discovered that unique Scottish rocks record when Earth was first encased in ice.

252 million years ago, tardigrades may have escaped extinction using this one weird trick

Paleontologists have analyzed the fossil record of ammonites through the Late Cretaceous epoch (100.5 to 66 million years ago), characterized by some scientists as an interval of decline prior to their total extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.

Potentially hazardous asteroids pose a risk to Mars missions, but they can also yield insight into the history of the Red Planet and the early solar system, ...

Using subjective phrasing like "scientists believe" makes facts seem like opinions.

A groundbreaking study, led by Dr. Mark Wong of The University of Western Australia, has provided the first global picture of insect activity patterns across the fundamental day–night cycle.

Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) are a critically endangered species of salamander. The species has only one natural habitat remaining, a series of canals in Mexico City, and only 50 to 1,000 axolotls are estimated to be left living there.

Sanfordiacaulis densifolia is an extinct tree species that existed between 359 and 347 million years ago (Carboniferous period) in what is now New Brunswick, Canada.

Using tools of geology and genetics, MIT PhD student Fatima Husain investigates the co-evolution of life and Earth and works to communicate science to the public.

The megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon, which likely reached at least 15 m in total length, is an iconic extinct shark represented primarily by its gigantic teeth in the Neogene fossil record.

From uncovering a tyrannosaur's last meal to unlocking the secrets of a dino with a really long neck, these were the year's biggest stories

In February 2023, researchers from around the country gathered at a NASA-sponsored workshop to discuss the latest developments and a roadmap for a cryobot mission concept to drill through the icy crusts of Europa and Enceladus and search for life.

Several exoplanets at the edge of our galaxy could have formed continents — and advanced life — 5 billion years earlier than Earth, new research suggests.