Paleo in the News

A volcanic eruption may have triggered a deadly chain of events that brought the Black Plague to Europe in the 14th century.

From a dragonfly to marine organisms, photographer Michael Benson zoomed in with powerful scanning electron microscopes to take these extraordinary shots for his book Nanocosmos

Nearly three decades since the remarkable cloning of Dolly the sheep, it has all gone quiet on the human cloning front. Michael Le Page wonders what's happening behind the scenes

Camera traps in an area of the Leuser rainforest patrolled by NGOs spotted 17 tigers in 2023 and 18 Sumatran tigers in 2024, while surveys elsewhere on the island averaged seven

Duelling prairie chickens, a snake-mimicking moth and a once-a-year sunrise at the South Pole feature in the best images from the Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition 2025

Pet owners' increasing tendency to see their animals as children rather than dogs or cats can have dire consequences. Owners, and veterinarians, should be wary, warns Eddie Clutton

The modern house cat reached China in the 8th century. Before that, another cat — the leopard cat — hunted the rodents in ancient Chinese settlements.

An ancient, shared set of human-specific genes underwent changes in a geographically isolated population after around 300,000 years ago, scientists say.

Human activity can cause “healed” faults to release their stored strength, triggering unexpected quakes in tectonically stable regions.

“Magic-angle” graphene may provide new clues into poorly understood unconventional superconductors, which operate at higher-than-normal temperatures.

Postmenopausal women who listened to self-guided hypnosis recordings daily for six weeks saw meaningful improvements in hot flash symptoms.

We have long struggled to determine how the first living organisms on Earth came together. Now, surprising evidence hints that poorly understood prions may have been the vital missing ingredient

A small study finds that individualized prehab can dampen harmful immune responses and may reduce complications after an operation.

An HPV vaccine delivered into the nose can treat cervical tumors in mice. The vaccine targets a cancer protein produced by the virus.

Vets have developed a training protocol to help cats benefit from water-based rehabilitation therapies, in spite of their natural aversion to water

A newly identified crocodile relative from Egypt pushes back the origins of the marine-hunting dyrosaurids by millions of years. The fossil, Wadisuchus kassabi, shows a mix of primitive and advanced traits that mark a key evolutionary transition. Rare specimens of different ages reveal how these ancient predators developed. The find reinforces Africa as the center of early dyrosaurid evolution.

A newly identified crocodile relative from Egypt pushes back the origins of the marine-hunting dyrosaurids by millions of years. The fossil, Wadisuchus kassabi, shows a mix of primitive and advanced traits that mark a key evolutionary transition. Rare specimens of different ages reveal how these ancient predators developed. The find reinforces Africa as the center of early dyrosaurid evolution.

A newly identified crocodile relative from Egypt pushes back the origins of the marine-hunting dyrosaurids by millions of years. The fossil, Wadisuchus kassabi, shows a mix of primitive and advanced traits that mark a key evolutionary transition. Rare specimens of different ages reveal how these ancient predators developed. The find reinforces Africa as the center of early dyrosaurid evolution.

A tiny 242-million-year-old fossil from Devon is shaking up scientists’ assumptions about the earliest members of the lizard lineage. Instead of the expected skull hinges and palate teeth typical of modern lizards and snakes, this ancient creature shows a surprising mix of primitive and unusual traits—along with strikingly large, blade-like teeth. High-resolution synchrotron scans revealed details invisible to the naked eye, helping researchers name the new species Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae and rethink the origins of lepidosaurs, the diverse group that now includes more than 12,000 species.

A tiny 242-million-year-old fossil from Devon is shaking up scientists’ assumptions about the earliest members of the lizard lineage. Instead of the expected skull hinges and palate teeth typical of modern lizards and snakes, this ancient creature shows a surprising mix of primitive and unusual traits—along with strikingly large, blade-like teeth. High-resolution synchrotron scans revealed details invisible to the naked eye, helping researchers name the new species Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae and rethink the origins of lepidosaurs, the diverse group that now includes more than 12,000 species.