Paleo in the News

Scientists exploring Romania’s Hațeg Basin have discovered one of the densest dinosaur fossil sites ever found, with bones lying almost on top of each other. The K2 site preserves thousands of remains from a prehistoric flood-fed lake that acted like a natural bone trap 72 million years ago. Alongside common local dinosaurs, researchers uncovered the first well-preserved titanosaur skeletons ever found in the region. The site reveals how ancient European dinosaur ecosystems formed and evolved in the final chapter of the age of dinosaurs.

Scientists exploring Romania’s Hațeg Basin have discovered one of the densest dinosaur fossil sites ever found, with bones lying almost on top of each other. The K2 site preserves thousands of remains from a prehistoric flood-fed lake that acted like a natural bone trap 72 million years ago. Alongside common local dinosaurs, researchers uncovered the first well-preserved titanosaur skeletons ever found in the region. The site reveals how ancient European dinosaur ecosystems formed and evolved in the final chapter of the age of dinosaurs.

Scientists exploring Romania’s Hațeg Basin have discovered one of the densest dinosaur fossil sites ever found, with bones lying almost on top of each other. The K2 site preserves thousands of remains from a prehistoric flood-fed lake that acted like a natural bone trap 72 million years ago. Alongside common local dinosaurs, researchers uncovered the first well-preserved titanosaur skeletons ever found in the region. The site reveals how ancient European dinosaur ecosystems formed and evolved in the final chapter of the age of dinosaurs.

From clever cockatoos to vomiting spiders, these cool critters captivated us this year.

Data from Axial, the most-monitored underwater volcano, are helping geophysicists hone eruption predictions. For Axial, 2026 is their next bet.

By moving around, some cancer cells force attacking immune cells to just nibble at the edges rather than engulf them completely.

Researchers have found that fossilized dinosaur eggshells contain a natural clock that can reveal when dinosaurs lived. The technique delivers surprisingly precise ages and could revolutionize how fossil sites around the world are dated.

Researchers have found that fossilized dinosaur eggshells contain a natural clock that can reveal when dinosaurs lived. The technique delivers surprisingly precise ages and could revolutionize how fossil sites around the world are dated.

Researchers have found that fossilized dinosaur eggshells contain a natural clock that can reveal when dinosaurs lived. The technique delivers surprisingly precise ages and could revolutionize how fossil sites around the world are dated.

Editor in Chief Nancy Shute talks about life’s complexities, from its evolution on Earth as a single cell to complex human behavior.

Researchers are keeping an eye on the building-sized asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a 4 percent chance of hitting the moon seven years from now.

An NIH scientist’s maverick approach reveals legal, ethical, moral, scientific and social challenges to developing potentially life-saving vaccines.

Long before whales and sharks, enormous marine reptiles dominated the oceans with unmatched power. Scientists have reconstructed a 130-million-year-old marine ecosystem from Colombia and found predators operating at a food-chain level higher than any seen today. The ancient seas were bursting with life, from giant reptiles to rich invertebrate communities. This extreme complexity reveals how intense competition helped drive the evolution of modern marine ecosystems.

Long before whales and sharks, enormous marine reptiles dominated the oceans with unmatched power. Scientists have reconstructed a 130-million-year-old marine ecosystem from Colombia and found predators operating at a food-chain level higher than any seen today. The ancient seas were bursting with life, from giant reptiles to rich invertebrate communities. This extreme complexity reveals how intense competition helped drive the evolution of modern marine ecosystems.

Solve the crossword from our January 2026 issue, in which we take a crack at geological principles

Gut problems like irritable bowel syndrome are often worse in women. A mouse study reveals a pain pathway involving estrogen, gut cells and bacteria.

A massive collision between two asteroid-sized bodies around a nearby star offers a rare look at the violent process of planetary construction.

Psychiatrist Robert Custer spent his life convincing doctors that compulsive gambling was not an impulse control problem. Today, his research is foundational for diagnosis and treatment.

Traces of opium found inside an ancient alabaster vase suggest drug use was common in ancient Egypt, not rare or accidental. The discovery raises the possibility that King Tut’s famous jars once held opiates valued enough to be buried with pharaohs—and stolen by tomb raiders.

The Terra Hunting Experiment will track the wobbles of dozens of stars nightly for years in the most focused hunt yet for an Earth twin.