By looking at the eye bones and ear canals of extinct dinosaurs, researchers show that a small ancient predator likely hunted at night and had senses as good as a modern barn owl.
Combining evidence from archaeology, geochronology and paleoenvironmental science, researchers identified how ancient humans by Lake Malawi were the first to substantially modify their environment.
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.
Since the 19th century, biologists have treated the larvae of lampreys as a relic of evolutionary ancestry that could potentially give clues about vertebrate origins. Now fossils overturn that view.
Because of its skeleton’s heavy architecture, scientists have always assumed that Anteosaurus was a rather sluggish, slow-moving animal, only capable of scavenging or ambushing its prey, at best.