Paleo in the News

Antarctic krill don’t just sequester carbon in their poop; they also make carbon-rich pellets out of leftovers. But microplastics may throw a wrench in the works.

In the 1980s, John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis demonstrated quantum effects in an electric circuit, an advance that underlies today’s quantum computers.

A nearly 20,000-year-old woolly rhino horn reveals the extinct herbivores lived as long as modern-day rhinos, despite harsher Ice Age conditions.

Shimon Sakaguchi discovered T-reg immune cells. Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell identified the cells’ role in autoimmune disease.

GLP-1 injections use needles and require refrigeration. Pills that work in a similar way could be a cheaper, simpler solution.

Some conservation groups are calling for an effective ban on genetic modification, but others say these technologies are crucial for preserving biodiversity

Researchers in Alberta uncovered a fossil fish that rewrites the evolutionary history of otophysans, which today dominate freshwater ecosystems. The new species, Acronichthys maccognoi, shows early adaptations for its unusual hearing system. Evidence suggests otophysans moved from oceans to rivers more than once, leaving scientists puzzled about their ancient global journeys.

Researchers in Alberta uncovered a fossil fish that rewrites the evolutionary history of otophysans, which today dominate freshwater ecosystems. The new species, Acronichthys maccognoi, shows early adaptations for its unusual hearing system. Evidence suggests otophysans moved from oceans to rivers more than once, leaving scientists puzzled about their ancient global journeys.

Researchers in Alberta uncovered a fossil fish that rewrites the evolutionary history of otophysans, which today dominate freshwater ecosystems. The new species, Acronichthys maccognoi, shows early adaptations for its unusual hearing system. Evidence suggests otophysans moved from oceans to rivers more than once, leaving scientists puzzled about their ancient global journeys.

A personal reflection recalls Jane Goodall’s quiet pragmatism, her deep bond with Gombe’s chimps and the scientific legacy of her skeletal collection.

Spiking milk with live ants makes tangy traditional yogurt. Researchers have identified the ants' microbial pals and enzymes that help the process.

The Nobel Prize might be the most famous science prize but it celebrates just a narrow slice of science and very few scientists.

A strange Jurassic lizard discovered on Scotland’s Isle of Skye is shaking up what we know about snake evolution. Named Breugnathair elgolensis, the “false snake of Elgol” combined hook-like, python-style teeth and jaws with the short body and limbs of a lizard. Researchers spent nearly a decade studying the 167-million-year-old fossil, revealing that it belonged to a newly defined group of squamates and carried features of both snakes and geckos.

A strange Jurassic lizard discovered on Scotland’s Isle of Skye is shaking up what we know about snake evolution. Named Breugnathair elgolensis, the “false snake of Elgol” combined hook-like, python-style teeth and jaws with the short body and limbs of a lizard. Researchers spent nearly a decade studying the 167-million-year-old fossil, revealing that it belonged to a newly defined group of squamates and carried features of both snakes and geckos.

A strange Jurassic lizard discovered on Scotland’s Isle of Skye is shaking up what we know about snake evolution. Named Breugnathair elgolensis, the “false snake of Elgol” combined hook-like, python-style teeth and jaws with the short body and limbs of a lizard. Researchers spent nearly a decade studying the 167-million-year-old fossil, revealing that it belonged to a newly defined group of squamates and carried features of both snakes and geckos.

Several species of birds from different continents use and understand similar alarm calls when they see an invader that might lay an egg in their nest – this shared call hints at the origin of language

AI edits to the blueprints for known toxins can evade detection. Researchers are improving filters to catch these rare biosecurity threats.

New images reveal microstructures that, depending on how the wind blows, help give a dandelion seed lift-off or the grip needed to wait for a better breeze.

Jane Goodall, who chronicled the social lives of chimps, has died, but she leaves a lasting legacy on how we view the natural world

In most mammals, females live longer than males, but in birds the trend goes the other way – a study of over 1000 species points to possible reasons for these differences