#eartharchives

A 30-year-old fossil was hiding bones from a mysterious ancient sea monster

A fossil from Japan has yielded hidden mosasaur bones—and tantalizing clues that they may belong to an entirely new species. Image credit: Satoshi Kawasaki.

The Dinosaurs That Went Extinct ... Twice

Paleontologists are resurrecting a famous Egyptian fossil site after a World War II air raid obliterated its most spectacular dinosaur discoveries—and their findings reveal a world even deadlier than expected. Image credit: Andrew McAfee, Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Paleontology rocked by organic molecules found in 66-million-year-old dinosaur bones

Researchers have found strong evidence that original collagen can survive inside dinosaur fossils for tens of millions of years, overturning a long-standing assumption about fossilization.

These mysterious Ice Age cave symbols may actually be the first image of mind-altering plants

Researchers suggest that 17,000-year-old cave symbols in Spain may depict psychoactive nightshade flowers, potentially making them the oldest known images of mind-altering plants. Image credit: Flobbadob/Geneviève Von Petzinger.

A 236-million-year-old fossil could rewrite the story of mammalian birth

Scientists may have uncovered evidence that a mammal ancestor was giving birth to live young 236 million years ago. Image credit: María de los Ángeles Miceli Baro.

New 'bum-head' shrimp species found in Brymbo fossil forest

A new species of prehistoric shrimp has been discovered by palaeontologists working at a fossil forest in Wrexham. Image credit: William Norris.

Can DNA from cave paintings tell us who the artists were?

A new study has retrieved human genetic material from the walls of caves with ancient rock art. Image credit: Luisrphoto.

The ‘blessed lizard’ that inherited the Earth after its worst apocalypse

Shakajlura riojanensis, a newly discovered Triassic apex predator, ruled the land millions of years before the rise of giant dinosaurs. Image credit: Lautaro R. Blanco.