Most modern animals have their roots half a billion years ago in the Cambrian Explosion, but one group was curiously missing from the fossil record - until now.
The complex social behaviour in early dinosaurs observed in a new study lines up with other fossil evidence that dinosaurs were more bird-like than crocodilian-like.
Archaehierax sylvestris, whose remains have been unearthed in the arid South Australian outback, was the apex predator in a lush prehistoric forest filled with marsupials and waterfowl.
Finding a fossil tooth embedded in bone is always great news for palaeontologists, as it is the gateway to some otherwise out-of-reach understanding of the behaviour of extinct animals.
Our research has also uncovered major long-term changes in ancient animal populations at Denisova Cave, and has provided the first direct evidence of Homo sapiens having lived there.
A spectacular series of fossilised footprints from sauropod dinosaurs and other ancient animals opens a window onto life in northeast Australia 95 million years ago.
This is a crucial dinosaur for palaeontologists; the variety of fossils available means researchers can study the species’ growth through its whole life span.
Tilly Edinger was the first person to apply a deep-time perspective into different species’ brain evolution. She did this by focusing on the hollow space within a dead animal’s skull.
Gemma Ware, La Conversation et Daniel Merino, La Conversation
A transcript of episode 11 of The Conversation Weekly podcast, including an interview on Israel’s foreign policy options following its recent election.
The environmental, cultural and scientific sensitivity of some sites, and rarity of some fossils, means amateur fossil collecting comes with huge risks.
‘Tetrapods’ were the first fish to evolve lungs and walk onto land. They were also our ancestors. Now, a new study sheds light on the size and shape of these unique animals’ brains.