Unfortunate insects fossilized at their most intimate

Permanently linked lovers suggest species’ mating technique has remained unchanged for millennia.

High school student discovers skeleton of baby dinosaur

A chance find by a high school student led to the youngest, smallest and most complete fossil skeleton yet known from the iconic tube-crested dinosaur Parasaurolophus.

The discovery shows that the prehistoric plant-eater sprouted its strange headgear before it celebrated its first birthday. Three-dimensional scans of nearly the entire fossil are available online, making this the most digitally accessible dinosaur to date.

Earth's core affects length of day

Researchers have found that variations in the length of day over periods of between one and 10 years are caused by processes in the Earth’s core.

Worm poo's window into past climate

Dinosaurs, diets and ecological niches: Study shows recipe for success

A new scientific study answers a long-standing question in palaeontology — how numerous species of large, plant-eating dinosaurs could co-exist successfully over geological time.

Results from the largest study of dinosaurs recovered from Alberta’s Dinosaur Park Formation suggest that niche partitioning was at play: adaptations in skulls and jaws allowed for distinct groups of herbivores to specialize in eating specific types of vegetation, thereby avoiding competition for valuable food sources.

The origin of the turtle shell: Mystery solved

Biologists have finally solved the riddle of the origin of the turtle shell. By observing the development of different animal species and confirming their results with fossil analysis and genomic data, researchers show that the shell on the turtle’s back derives only from its ancestors’ ribcage and not from a combination of internal and external bone structures as is often thought.

Geology: Evidence That Elemental Fluorine Occurs in Nature

Fossil insect traces reveal ancient climate, entrapment, and fossilization at La Brea Tar Pits

The La Brea Tar Pits have stirred the imaginations of scientists and the public for over a century. But the amount of time it took for ancient animals to become buried in asphalt after enduring gruesome deaths has remained a mystery. Recent forensic investigations reveal new insights into fossilization and the prevailing climate at the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits toward the end of the last Ice Age.

Ancient jigsaw puzzle of past supercontinent revealed

A new study has revealed the past position of the Australian, Antarctic and Indian tectonic plates, demonstrating how they formed the supercontinent Gondwana 165 million years ago.

Geology: Geological Study Explains Mystery of Australian Opal Fields