Paleo in the News

A popular idea links primates living on the ground with a tendency for right-handedness, but findings from urban langurs in India cast doubt on the idea

The earliest dinosaurs had rapid growth rates, but so did many of the other animals living alongside them, according to a new study.

The earliest dinosaurs had rapid growth rates, but so did many of the other animals living alongside them, according to a new study.

The earliest dinosaurs had rapid growth rates, but so did many of the other animals living alongside them, according to a new study.

Trees use circadian genes to time photosynthesis and reproduction – but as temperatures rise, the clocks may not work as well

Amino acids and other molecules important to the origin of life can be enriched within networks of rocky fractures, which would have been common on the early Earth

Garter snakes may recognise their own scent and react differently when it is altered, hinting at self-awareness in reptiles

Researchers describe zircons from the Andes mountains of Patagonia. Although the zircons formed when tectonic plates were colliding, they have a chemical signature associated with when the plates were moving apart. The researchers think that the unexpected signature could be explained by the mechanics of underlying tectonic plates that hasn't yet been described in other models.

An international team of scholars present the earliest clear archaeological and biomolecular evidence for the raising of chickens for egg production, based on material from 12 archaeological sites spanning one and a half millennia. The research indicates that the domestic chicken, now a staple in diets around the world, is not as ancient as previously thought.

Genomic anamolies dating back to the time of the dinosaurs misled scientists about the evolutionary history of birds.

What did an ancient Chinese emperor from 1,500 years ago look like? A team of researchers reconstructed the face of Chinese Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou using DNA extracted from his remains. The study suggests the emperor's death at the age of 36 might be linked to a stroke. It also sheds light on the origin and migration patterns of a nomadic empire that once ruled parts of northeastern Asia.

Long considered damaging to walls, a living coating of ivy can actually stabilise temperature and humidity and lower your energy bills, finds James Wong

There are thousands of species at risk of extinction, and we can’t save them all – how do conservationists think about which ones to focus on?

Horses show signs of stress if people touch them while they are tethered, but they appear much less anxious if they are able to walk away

When the skeletal remains of a giant ground sloth were first unearthed in 1796, the discovery marked one of the earliest paleontological finds in American history.

Japanese tits sometimes flutter their wings in an apparent gesture of encouraging their mate to enter their shared nest first

A 38-centimetre-tall deer, found in an arid region in the central Andes, is the first new deer species found in South America for over 60 years

Spiders that disguise themselves as ants live in many locations around the globe but until now most had been able to avoid detection from fossil researchers as well as predators.

Spiders that disguise themselves as ants live in many locations around the globe but until now most had been able to avoid detection from fossil researchers as well as predators.

Pet dogs have different patterns of brain activity when they are shown an object that doesn’t match the word they hear, suggesting they have a mental representation of what words mean