Fossil News

• Mars
  Solar System
  Space Missions
  NASA
  Space Exploration
  Moon
   
  

  Mars May Have Supported Life: Martian Underground Could Contain Clues to Life's Origins

  January 20, 2013 — Minerals found in the subsurface of Mars, a zone of more than three miles below ground, make for the strongest evidence yet that the red planet may have supported life, according to new ... > full story
• Fish
  Marine Biology
  Sea Life
  Mammals
  Early Mammals
  Fisheries
   
  

  New Research Throws Doubt on Earlier 'Killer Walrus' Claims

  January 17, 2013 — Palaeontologists who examined a new fossil found in southern California have thrown doubt on earlier claims that a "killer walrus" once ... > full story
• Fossils
  Origin of Life
  Earth Science
  Near-Earth Object Impacts
  Geology
  Evolution
   
  

  Great Oxidation Event: More Oxygen Through Multicellularity

  January 17, 2013 — The appearance of free oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere led to the Great Oxidation Event. This was triggered by cyanobacteria producing the oxygen which developed into multicellular forms as ... > full story
• Marine Biology
  Sea Life
  Fish
  Cows, Sheep, Pigs
  Early Humans
  Endangered Animals
   

  Earliest Sea Cow Ancestors Originated in Africa, Lived in Fresh Water

  January 16, 2013 — A new fossil discovered in Tunisia represents the oldest known ancestor of modern-day sea cows, supporting the African origins of these marine ... > full story
• Forensic Research
  Origin of Life
  Fossils
  Evolution
  Anthropology
  Cultures
   
  

  What Did Our Ancestors Look Like? Hair and Eye Color Can Be Determined for Ancient Human Remains

  January 13, 2013 — A new method of establishing hair and eye color from modern forensic samples can also be used to identify details from ancient human remains, finds a new study. The HIrisPlex DNA analysis system was ... > full story
• Fossils
  Evolution
  Early Humans
  Evolutionary Biology
  Fish
  Anthropology
   
  

  Scientists Reassemble the Backbone of Earliest Four-Legged Animals Using Synchrotron X-Rays

  January 13, 2013 — Scientists have been able to reconstruct, for the first time, the intricate three-dimensional structure of the backbone of early tetrapods, the earliest four-legged animals. High-energy X-rays and a ... > full story
• Endangered Plants
  Nature
  Earthquakes
  Extinction
  New Species
  Endangered Animals
   
  

  Low Extinction Rates Made California a Refuge for Diverse Plant Species

  January 9, 2013 — The remarkable diversity of California's plant life is largely the result of low extinction rates over the past 45 million years, according to a new study. Although many new species have evolved in ... > full story
• Fossils
  Soil Types
  Nature
  Dinosaurs
  Endangered Plants
  Climate
   
  

  Jurassic Ecosystems Were Similar to Modern: Animals Flourish Among Lush Plants

  January 8, 2013 — In modern ecosystems, animals flourish amid lush vegetation. That was true 150 million years ago too, says a new study by paleontologists. They applied ecological principles to geochemical data from ... > full story
• Fossils
  Extinction
  Fish
  Marine Biology
  Paleontology
  Behavioral Science
   
  

  Giant Fossil Predator Provides Insights Into the Rise of Modern Marine Ecosystem Structures

  January 7, 2013 — An international team of scientists has described a fossil marine predator measuring 8.6 meters in length (about 28 feet) recovered from the Nevada desert in 2010 as representing the first top ... > full story
• Early Birds
  Birds
  Bird Flu Research
  Dinosaurs
  Evolutionary Biology
  Zoology
   
  

  First Fossil Bird With Teeth Specialized for Tough Diet

  January 7, 2013 — Beak shape variation in Darwin's finches is a classic example of evolutionary adaptation, with beaks that vary widely in proportions and shape, reflecting a diversity of ecologies. While living birds ... > full story

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