A group of superbly preserved dinosaur fossils discovered in Montana are giving scientists the clearest picture yet of the giant theropods known as tyrannosaurs.
Read MoreTag: evolution
Two Ostrich Ancestors, No Bigger Than Chickens, Discovered in Wyoming Fossils
Although no bigger than chickens, a pair of 50-million-year-old fossil birds turn out to be some of the earliest known ancestors of today’s giant, flightless birds, like the ostrich and the emu.
Read More
New Dinosaur Discovered in Montana Reveals How Duckbills Got Their Crests
A huge dinosaur with distinctive headgear may have cut an unusual figure in its day 79 million years ago, but to scientists today, it fits as snugly as a puzzle piece in the history of its dinosaur family.
Read More
Dinosaur Blood Cells, Soft Tissue Discovered in 75-Million-Year-Old Fossils
Scientists say they’ve isolated what appear to be red blood cells and other microscopic bits of soft tissue from several 75-million-year old dinosaur fossils, using a technique that could revolutionize the…
Read More
‘Hellboy’ Dinosaur Discovered in Alberta Reveals Evolutionary Surprises
Discovered in the ancient sediments of Alberta, and named for a monstrous hero from ’90s comics, a strange new species of horned dinosaur is an object lesson in how appearances…
Read More
Brontosaurus ‘Resurrected’ as a Type of Dinosaur by New Fossil Study
For more than a hundred years, Brontosaurus — the long-necked and long-neglected icon of the Ancient West — has been dismissed as a mere duplicate in the record books of…
Read More
Bones Discovered in Montana Are of the World’s Earliest Primate, Study Finds
Arranged as they were in life, they would fit comfortably on the tip of your finger. But this assortment of tiny bones — excavated from the same deposit in Montana…
Read More
Oldest Horned Dinosaur in North America Discovered in Montana
The oldest known species of horned dinosaur in North America has been identified from a fossil skull no larger than your fist. Although it’s a distant relative of the great…
Read More
New Species of Horned Dinosaur With Flashy, Butterfly-Shaped Frill Discovered in Montana
One of the most abundant and diverse families of dinosaurs from the Ancient West has a new member among its ranks. Two new specimens of ceratopsid, or horn-faced dinosaur, have…
Read More
Tiny, Toothy Mammal Discovered in Wyoming Fossil Named for Lady Gaga
The fossil of a small, deer-like mammal with unusual teeth has earned the name of “little monster.” The little animal browsed on leaves and grasses in what’s now southwestern Wyoming about…
Read More
Earliest Ancestor of Plant-Eaters on Land Discovered in Kansas Fossil
The fossil remains of an unusual animal unearthed in Kansas represent the oldest known ancestor of the world’s first land-dwelling plant-eaters, paleontologists say. A seemingly paradoxical creature, the small specimen —…
Read More
‘Cool’ New Arctic Tyrannosaur Discovered in Alaska Fossil
At a quarry on Alaska’s North Slope, scientists have found the fossil skull of an unusual new type of Arctic tyrannosaur. But this is no T. rex. At 70 million…
Read More
Young Dinosaur Found in Ancient Mud Pit Is New Species of ‘Small Giant,’ Fossils Suggest
A young sauropod that met its death mired in an ancient mudflat may have been small for its kind — that is, the size of a modern humpback whale —…
Read More
‘Colossal’ New Species of Predatory Dinosaur Dwarfed Tyrannosaurs, Scientists Say
An enormous new species of predatory dinosaur has been discovered in the fossil beds of southeastern Utah, paleontologists say, a “colossal” carnivore that was the apex predator of its day…
Read More
700,000-Year-Old Horse Found in Yukon Permafrost Yields Oldest DNA Ever Decoded
The frozen remains of a horse more than half a million years old have reluctantly given up their genetic secrets, providing scientists with the oldest DNA ever sequenced. The horse…
Read More
America’s Saber-Toothed Cats Weren’t ‘Native,’ Study Finds
One of Ancient America’s most distinctive predators — the saber-toothed cat — likely wasn’t native to the continent, as had been thought for decades. Instead, according to a team of…
Read More
