Fossil

Fossils found in Moroccan cave may be a close Homo sapiens ancestor

The fossilized lower jawbones of two adults and a toddler, as well as teeth, a thigh bone, and some vertebrae, were unearthed in a cave in Casablanca, Morocco.

The mandible of an archaic human who lived about 773 000 years ago is pictured after being excavated at a cave called Grotte a Hominides at a site known as Thomas Quarry I in the southwest part of the Moroccan city of Casablanca in this undated photograph released on January 7, 2026.
A REPLICA of the remains of a more than 3-million-year-old female hominid known as "Lucy" at the National Museum in Addis Ababa August 7, 2007.

A newly discovered species complicates the human origin story

160-million-year-old Anchiornis fossils.

160 million years later: This rare fossil is overturning everything we knew about how birds evolved

Dinosaur, edmontosaurus close up with open mouth. Ukraine, Khmelnitsky, October 2021.

'Medusa,' possible 'dinosaur mummy' discovered in Badlands, transferred for further research


Ancient proteins found in fossils up to 24 million years old

Proteins, a cell's molecular machinery, also offer valuable information and have the virtue of surviving much longer, as new research shows.

 A paleontologist cleaning a skeleton during an archaeology dig; illustrative.

'Ash-Winged Dawn Goddess': Oldest North American pterosaur fossil found

Jaw, wing bone, and tooth of Eotephradactylus mcintireae (209.2 Ma) reveal a floodplain ecosystem with fish, giant amphibians, and early turtles before the end-Triassic mass extinction.

 'Ash-Winged Dawn Goddess': Oldest North American pterosaur fossil found.

Rulers of the sea: 100 million years ago squids were kings

Researchers uncovered 263 fossilized squid beaks, including about 40 different species that had never been seen before.

 An example of  grinding tomography images.

Fast-footed fossil with outsized toes rewrites small-dino story

Originally misidentified as Nanosaurus, the metre-long teen fossil is the most complete early small dinosaur skeleton ever discovered, researchers say.

 Fast-footed fossil with outsized toes rewrites small-dino story.

First ever discovery of sauropod gut contents confirms herbivorous diet

Analysis reveals sauropods didn't chew but used gut microbes to digest varied plant diet.

 Australian Age of Dinosaurs Collection Manager Mackenzie Enchelmaier holds up sauropod gut content fossil.

'Very strange' ancient marine predator identified - had 50 neck vertebrae

Researchers believe it was one of the first plesiosaurs to hunt prey from above.

 'Very strange' ancient marine predator identified - had 50 neck vertebrae.

Lost world found: Fossils beneath Madura Strait rewrite human history

Two skull fragments provide unique insights into how and where this ancient human lived.

 The fossils.

New pterosaur species Nipponopterus mifunensis identified from Japanese fossil

Expected to provide important clues on pterosaur evolution, the fossil is the first known member of a new genus.

 New pterosaur species Nipponopterus mifunensis identified from Japanese fossil.

Nature study: Newly analyzed fossil reveals earliest feathered flight

"Archaeopteryx is not the first dinosaur with feathers, nor is it the first dinosaur with wings. However, we think it is the earliest known dinosaur that could use its feathers for flying."

 Nature study: Newly analyzed fossil reveals earliest feathered flight.

Footprints found in Australia are the oldest evidence of clawed animals ever found

'A single track-bearing slab calls into question everything we thought we knew about when modern tetrapods evolved.'

 Footprints found in Australia are the oldest evidence of clawed animals ever found.