Paleo in the News

Over 500 million years ago, the Cambrian Period sparked an explosion of skeletal creativity. Salterella, a peculiar fossil, defied conventions by combining two different mineral-building methods. After decades of confusion, scientists have linked it to the cnidarian family. The find deepens our understanding of how animals first learned to build their own skeletons.

Over 500 million years ago, the Cambrian Period sparked an explosion of skeletal creativity. Salterella, a peculiar fossil, defied conventions by combining two different mineral-building methods. After decades of confusion, scientists have linked it to the cnidarian family. The find deepens our understanding of how animals first learned to build their own skeletons.

A child-friendly brain imaging technique is just one way neuroscientist Cat Camacho investigates how children learn to process emotions.

The Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology is located on the campus of The Webb Schools and has the unique distinction as the only nationally accredited paleontological museum on a high school campus. As such, our high school students are heavily involved in museum programs from public outreach to research. For students in 11th and 12th grade, they can participate in the Advanced Studies in Paleontology class and work alongside our professional paleontologists to conduct actual research using Alf Museum specimens.

Rogers Peccary Scholars are 12th grade students in the Advanced Studies in Paleontology class who have not only completed the full set of science coursework for paleontology at The Webb Schools, but they have also undertaken an original research project in collaboration with the Museum curator, Dr. Mairin Balisi, and/or director, Dr. Andrew Farke. Students are awarded this distinction in honor of their work in making a lasting contribution to scientific knowledge. Students were honored and received their Peccary Society pin during the Annual Peccary Society Dinner on October 24th.

Congrats to our 2025 Rogers Peccary Scholars!

Dr. Andy Farke’s class

• Andres Caballero
• Matthew Jung

Dr. Mairin Balisi’s class

• James Base
• Fionn Graham
• Andrew Huang
• Sophie Lin
• Mandana Mojaverian
• Mikey Pino

Meet our Rogers Peccary Scholars and learn about their research projects in the video below.

No, aliens had nothing to do with a winding 1.5-kilometer-long path of holes. First used as a market, the Inca then repurposed it for tax collection.

President Trump has argued the U.S. should test nuclear weapons because other countries are doing it. But scientific data suggest they’re not.

From a sensational internet fluffball to his own domestic longhair Loki, renowned animal photographer Tim Flach explores the world of cats

As one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century, James Watson pioneered the field of genetics and left behind a complicated legacy

A microscope reveals an algae-like adaptation that might future-proof crop photosynthesis in extreme heat.

Ammolite gems’ fabulous colors arise from delicate assemblies of crystal plates.

The birds grunt like tennis pros when generating their rat-a-tat, a performance strategy that may help stabilize core muscles.

Jacob, an 11-year-old lion, has defied expectations by surviving for years after losing a leg – now we know his success is down to an innovative hunting strategy

Streams of liquid form drops thanks to unidentified disturbances. It could be the jiggling of individual molecules.

Many plants including cocoa, coffee and avocado cannot be gene-edited but a technique involving grafting could change that, opening the door to more productive and nutritious varieties

Lise Barnéoud's Hidden Guests shows how this fascinating new field brings with it profound implications for medicine, and even what it means to be human, finds Helen Thomson

Planetary scientist Adeene Denton runs computer simulations to investigate Pluto, the moons of Saturn and other icy bodies in the solar system.

Math and physics explain the anguish of a golf ball that zings around the rim of the hole instead of falling in.

Supernova remnants, stellar nurseries and more populate the new edge-on view of the Milky Way as seen from Earth’s southern hemisphere.

From blaming the victim to replying "I have no interest in your life" to suicidal thoughts, AI chatbots can respond unethically when used for therapy.

Researchers uncovered a 2.75–2.44 million-year-old site in Kenya showing that early humans maintained stone tool traditions for nearly 300,000 years despite extreme climate swings. The tools, remarkably consistent across generations, helped our ancestors adapt and survive. The discovery reshapes our understanding of how early technology anchored human evolution.