Paleo in the News

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.

Mosquitoes have reached Iceland, a place once thought too harsh for them to survive. Climate change may play a role in this shift.

A safety device helped maintain a buried person’s oxygen levels for up to 35 minutes, tests show, buying crucial time for an avalanche rescue.

For the first time, video footage has captured orcas in the Gulf of California hunting young great white sharks, using a trick to flip them over, paralise them and get at their energy-rich livers

The debate over Nanotyrannus’ identity is finally over. A remarkably preserved fossil proves it was a mature species, not a teenage T. rex. This discovery rewrites how scientists understand tyrannosaur evolution and Cretaceous predator diversity. For the first time, T. rex must share its throne with a smaller, faster rival.

The debate over Nanotyrannus’ identity is finally over. A remarkably preserved fossil proves it was a mature species, not a teenage T. rex. This discovery rewrites how scientists understand tyrannosaur evolution and Cretaceous predator diversity. For the first time, T. rex must share its throne with a smaller, faster rival.

The debate over Nanotyrannus’ identity is finally over. A remarkably preserved fossil proves it was a mature species, not a teenage T. rex. This discovery rewrites how scientists understand tyrannosaur evolution and Cretaceous predator diversity. For the first time, T. rex must share its throne with a smaller, faster rival.

For decades, Paranthropus robustus has intrigued scientists as a powerful, big-jawed cousin of early humans. Now, thanks to ancient protein analysis, researchers have cracked open new secrets hidden in 2-million-year-old tooth enamel. These proteins revealed both sex and subtle genetic differences among fossils, suggesting Paranthropus might not have been one species but a more complex evolutionary mix.

For decades, Paranthropus robustus has intrigued scientists as a powerful, big-jawed cousin of early humans. Now, thanks to ancient protein analysis, researchers have cracked open new secrets hidden in 2-million-year-old tooth enamel. These proteins revealed both sex and subtle genetic differences among fossils, suggesting Paranthropus might not have been one species but a more complex evolutionary mix.

An AI tool trained on chemical signatures from corpse-eating insects may help determine time and place of death for victims of violent crimes.

Researchers have uncovered dozens of long-misidentified coelacanth fossils in British museums, some overlooked for more than a century. The study reveals that these ancient “living fossils” thrived in tropical seas during the Triassic Period, around 200 million years ago. By re-examining mislabeled bones and using X-ray scans, scientists discovered a once-flourishing community of coelacanths that hunted smaller marine reptiles.

Researchers have uncovered dozens of long-misidentified coelacanth fossils in British museums, some overlooked for more than a century. The study reveals that these ancient “living fossils” thrived in tropical seas during the Triassic Period, around 200 million years ago. By re-examining mislabeled bones and using X-ray scans, scientists discovered a once-flourishing community of coelacanths that hunted smaller marine reptiles.

Cancer patients who got an mRNA COVID vaccine within a few months of their immunotherapy lived longer than those who did not, health records show.

A new Nanotyrannus fossil suggests the diminutive dino lived alongside T. rex in the late Cretaceous Period

Palaeontologists have argued for decades over whether certain fossils are young Tyrannosaurus rex or another species entirely – now they have strong evidence that the diminutive Nanotyrannus really existed

A type of Japanese dogsbane releases a scent identical to wounded ants’ distress signal, drawing in scavenging flies that unwittingly pollinate it.

Photographer Tim Flach's new book Feline explores the mysterious and irresistible world of cats, from the domesticated to the wild, and why we love them

In Ed Sayers's breathtaking documentary, a global community of film-makers capture the wildlife in their local areas. It's a bold departure from the glossy perspective of traditional nature documentaries, says Simon Ings

Tests on olivine hint that water-rich exoplanets could generate H2O internally, possibly explaining ocean worlds and even some of Earth’s early water.