Paleo in the News

Around 1,000 years ago, a major climate shift reshaped rainfall across the South Pacific, making western islands like Samoa and Tonga drier while eastern islands such as Tahiti became increasingly wet. New evidence from plant waxes preserved in island sediments shows this change coincided with the final major wave of Polynesian expansion eastward. As freshwater became scarcer in the west and more abundant in the east, people may have been pushed to migrate, effectively “chasing the rain” across vast stretches of ocean.

It’s possible to defy gravity using sound waves, magnets or electricity, but today’s methods can’t hoist heavy items high in the sky.

A mysterious excess of far-ultraviolet light seen across the Milky Way could come from the annihilation of clumpy dark matter.

Giant mosasaurs, once thought to be strictly ocean-dwelling predators, may have spent their final chapter prowling freshwater rivers alongside dinosaurs and crocodiles. A massive tooth found in North Dakota, analyzed using chemical isotope techniques, reveals that some mosasaurs adapted to river systems as seas gradually freshened near the end of the age of dinosaurs. These enormous reptiles, possibly as long as a bus, appear to have hunted near the surface, perhaps even feeding on drowned dinosaurs.

Giant mosasaurs, once thought to be strictly ocean-dwelling predators, may have spent their final chapter prowling freshwater rivers alongside dinosaurs and crocodiles. A massive tooth found in North Dakota, analyzed using chemical isotope techniques, reveals that some mosasaurs adapted to river systems as seas gradually freshened near the end of the age of dinosaurs. These enormous reptiles, possibly as long as a bus, appear to have hunted near the surface, perhaps even feeding on drowned dinosaurs.

Giant mosasaurs, once thought to be strictly ocean-dwelling predators, may have spent their final chapter prowling freshwater rivers alongside dinosaurs and crocodiles. A massive tooth found in North Dakota, analyzed using chemical isotope techniques, reveals that some mosasaurs adapted to river systems as seas gradually freshened near the end of the age of dinosaurs. These enormous reptiles, possibly as long as a bus, appear to have hunted near the surface, perhaps even feeding on drowned dinosaurs.

A mosquito proboscis repurposed as a 3-D printing nozzle can print filaments around 20 micrometers wide, half the width of a fine human hair.

In the aftermath of slavery, white psychiatrists diagnosed Black people with “religious excitement” and claimed they were unfit for freedom.

Fossils from Qatar have revealed a small, newly identified sea cow species that lived in the Arabian Gulf more than 20 million years ago. The site contains the densest known collection of fossil sea cow bones, showing that these animals once thrived in rich seagrass meadows. Their ecological role mirrors that of modern dugongs, which still reshape the Gulf’s seafloor as they graze. The findings may help researchers understand how seagrass ecosystems respond to long-term environmental change.

Fossils from Qatar have revealed a small, newly identified sea cow species that lived in the Arabian Gulf more than 20 million years ago. The site contains the densest known collection of fossil sea cow bones, showing that these animals once thrived in rich seagrass meadows. Their ecological role mirrors that of modern dugongs, which still reshape the Gulf’s seafloor as they graze. The findings may help researchers understand how seagrass ecosystems respond to long-term environmental change.

Fossils from Qatar have revealed a small, newly identified sea cow species that lived in the Arabian Gulf more than 20 million years ago. The site contains the densest known collection of fossil sea cow bones, showing that these animals once thrived in rich seagrass meadows. Their ecological role mirrors that of modern dugongs, which still reshape the Gulf’s seafloor as they graze. The findings may help researchers understand how seagrass ecosystems respond to long-term environmental change.

When the early Earth’s magma ocean crystallized 4.4 billion years ago, the deep mantle trapped an ocean’s worth of water, scientists say.

White-sided dolphins seem to help killer whales "scout" and catch Chinook salmon near Vancouver Island, then eat the leftovers

The tiny pantheon known as the Asgard archaea bear traits that hint at how plants, animals and fungi emerged on Earth.

Biologists poured cold water on Colossal Biosciences’ claim to have brought the dire wolf back from extinction, and some worry the overblown headlines will undermine conservation work

Scientist and photographer Felice Frankel has zoomed in on everyday occurrences with her camera for her new book, Phenomenal Moments, which reveals the hidden science in our daily lives

Finding that vampire bats along Peru’s coast carried H5N1 antibodies raises concerns that multiple bat species could become reservoirs for the virus.

The rollout of a type of genetic technology called a gene drive for tackling malaria could be edging closer after a lab study supports its success

Archaeologists found flint, iron pyrite to strike it and sediments where a fire was probably built several times at an ancient site in England.

A compilation of 100 examples of biological tilings shows how repeated natural motifs enhance strength, flexibility and other key functions.