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Scientists uncover world's smallest dinosaur eggs. They're no larger than a grape

The rare fossilized eggs could offer new insights into dinosaur reproduction.

Oldest mosquito fossil shows males were once bloodsuckers too

Oldest fossil mosquito found in Lebanese amber suggests ancient males also fed on blood, revising our knowledge of mosquito evolution.

There's a new hypothesis for T rex's small arms

But you probably wouldn't say it to its face.

Paleontologists discovered a new species of ancient shark -- and it was so, so tiny

"[Its] teeth are the size of a sand grain. Without a microscope you'd just throw them away," says one of its discoverers.

New Antarctic Dinosaurs on Display at Field Museum

It's a great way to spend an afternoon or a day off.

Triceratops may have had horns to advertise good genes and attract mates

It's always about sex, isn't it?

Four-legged snake is missing link between lizards and serpents

An "absolutely exquisite" fossil of a juvenile snake with limbs has been discovered by English paleontologists in Brazil. The fossil dates back from the early Cretaceous, 110 million years ago, and is the oldest evidence of a definitive snake.

Creationist finds Paleocene fossils in his basement, claims they're 4,500 years old

An Alberta citizen discovered a trove of rare fossilized fish while digging up his basement. But Edgar Nernberg isn't a man who "believes" in science - instead, he claims that the fish are 4,500 years old, from Noah's flood.

Snakes evolved on land, possibly with toes and feet

A new analysis conducted by Yale researchers revealed that the first snakes may have actually evolved on land, not in water. These proto-snakes were likely night hunters that might have had hind legs and even toes. “We generated the first comprehensive reconstruction of what the ancestral snake was like,” said Allison Hsiang, lead author the […]

Velociraptor's cousin was an even better predator

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a new species of dinosaur, closely related to the famous velociraptor. This new species, Saurornitholestes sullivani was a bit bulkier, probably had a better sense of smell, an researchers believe it was an even better predator than its cousin.

Predatory cockroach found in 100 million year old amber

Geologists have found a praying-mantis-like cockroach that lived at the side by side with the dinosaurs, 100 million years ago, during the mid Cretaceous. The insect was preserved in amber. Peter Vršanský from the Geological Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Günter Bechly from the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart found the insect at a mine in […]

Turtle fossil unearthed in New Mexico

Fossil hunting can be exciting and highly rewarding, but sometimes, fossils are also found through a fluke. Jeff Dornbusch, a volunteer with the Truth or Consequences museum in southern New Mexico (a museum of local history and tradition), was taking a hike on his day off when he stumbled on what he initially thought was a pile […]

Amber discovery shows Lyme disease is older than human race

Lyme disease is a stealthy disease, which can be very dangerous, especially if misdiagnosed. It was only recognized officially 40 years ago, but now, a new amber research has shown that the bacteria causing it may have been around for over 15 million years – long before any human was walking on Earth. The study […]

Meet 'Pinocchio rex' - the 9 meter long, ferocious cousin of Tyrannosaurus Rex

A new type of Tyrannosaur with a very long “nose” has been nicknamed “Pinocchio rex” – but this dinosaur was nothing to laugh about. It measured some 9 meters in length, was a ferocious carnivore, and had a long, distinctive snout – which possibly made it even more dangerous. Interestingly enough, the skeleton was found at […]

Amber fossil shows early reproduction in flowering plants

A cluster of 18 flowering plants from the Cretaceous (100 million years ago) has been found preserved in amber Among the flowers, one shows the earliest reproduction of flowering plants Based on microscopic imaging, paleontologists conclude that the pollination mechanism has remained virtually unchanged Amber is fossilized tree resin, valued as a gem since prehistoric […]

Crocodilians use sticks to attract prey

Two distinct groups of crocodilians have been reported to use tools for hunting They balance sticks on their snouts, baiting birds who want to use the sticks for nests Crocodiles actively search for the sticks (which are usually rare) and do this more often during the birds’ mating season It’s been known for quite a […]

Colossal New Predatory Species Terrorized Early Tyrannosaurs

When herbivorous dinosaurs went to sleep, they had bad dreams about Tyrannosaurs. But what where Tyrannosaurs afraid of? If you’re thinking “Nothing”, then you’re really wrong. A new species of carnivorous dinosaur (one of the three largest ever discovered in North America) competed with them 98 million years ago – the newly discovered species, Siats […]

Dino impact also wiped bees

A group of paleontologists believe that the same event that killed off the dinosaurs some 66 million years ago also caused a widespread extinction in bee populations. Currently, the widely accepted theory is that an asteroid or comet struck our planet 66 million years ago (the Cretaceous-Paleogene event, or K-Pg event), the impact and its […]

Nasutoceratops: 'Big-nose, horn-face' dinosaur

A new, unusual species of dinosaur has been discovered in the deserts of Utah. The 5m-long is a member of the triceratops family, and as fierce as they may look, this dinosaur was a herbivore. The huge ‘nose’ and exceptionally long horns are unlike any other dinosaurs previously described, which explains its name – Nasutoceratops […]

A word about the Cretaceous hot period

Almost always I happen to discuss global warming, something that often comes up. Still, the Earth was hotter in its history, like say right after the Cretaceous, so what’s the problem? In this article, we’re gonna clarify the aspects that differentiate those geologic periods from nowadays. Some sixty million years ago, there was virtually no […]

How some dinosaurs got enormously long necks

The longest creatures to ever walk the Earth were the long-necked, long-tailed dinosaurs known as the sauropods. But why did these huge vegetarians grow such huge necks, reaching up to 15 meters? That’s six times longer than that of the current world-record holder, the giraffe.   “They were really stupidly, absurdly oversized,” said researcher Michael […]

Bus sized Triassic marine monster sheds light on ecosystems

A new species of “sea monster” was unearther in Nevada – a predator so fierce that it often hunted prey as big or bigger than itself. Thalattoarchon saurophagis translates into “lizard-eating sovereign of the sea” – and boy is that a good name. It measured well over 8 meters and lived some 244 million years […]

Fantastic 100 million year-old time capsule traps ancient clash between spider and wasp

Trapped in the web, the wasp knows it’s done for, as it counts the seconds to its impending doom. The spider snatches its prey, and is prepared to act its revenge upon the ancient wasp, which is a parasite of spider eggs. But just as the final killing blow is imminent,  resin oozes from a tree […]

Earliest evidence of pollination is 100 million years-old, found in perfectly preserved insects

Scientists have uncovered pieces of fossilized amber containing tiny female insects called thrips, which upon closer inspections were found to have particles of pollen dusted over them.  The insects found are around 100 million years old, officially making them the oldest pollination record ever found. During the  lower Cretaceous Period, which corresponds to the recently discovered […]

Dinosaurs were plagued by giant fleas ten times bigger than today and a lot meaner

During the tumultuous  Cretaceous and Jurassic periods if you could only choose one word to describe the world, it would’ve certainly be ‘big’. Big dinosaurs, big plants, big trees, big fish and big insects, of course. Chinese scientists have found almost perfectly preserved fossils of two previously unknown extinct flea species in Inner Mongolia, which are roughly […]

Ancient wasps used to grow inside rotting dinosaur eggs

A recent discovery made by Argentinian paleontologist uncovered wasp cocoons hidden inside the 70 million year old fossilized egg of a titanosaur sauropod, suggesting that these ancient wasps used to dwell, consume and breed inside of them. The find was made after researchers carefully analyzed one of the five titanosaur eggs uncovered back in 1989 […]