In 2021 a former avocado farmer discovered the most complete pterosaur skeleton ever found in Australia – and new research shows it represents a previously unknown species.
The extinct Australian giant flightless bird, Genyornis newtoni. Used with permission; all other rights reserved.
Jacob C. Blokland
By examining fossilized bone tissue, a new study finds rapid growth was an asset for survivors of the Great Dying 250 million years ago, Earth’s largest mass extinction event.
People have collected fossil horses throughout North America for centuries.
Florida Museum/Mary Warrick
Horse fossils are abundant and widespread across North America. Scientists often use their long history to illustrate how species evolve in response to a changing environment.
A herd of the duckbill Minqaria bata wander along the shore of what is now Morocco.
Raul Martin
If the climate warms by more than 7 degrees, the likelihood of extinction for a species increases, regardless of its other traits.
A replica fossil of the titanosaur Patagotitan, one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered. It would have weighed about 70 tons (63.5 metric tons.)
Spencer Platt/Getty Images News via Getty Images
Some of these giant vegetarians were as tall as a 3-story building. Microscopic analysis of their teeth, bones and eggshells reveals how they grew, what they ate and even their body temperature.
Details of a silicified fern fossil.
Geoff Thompson/Queensland Museum
Millions of years ago, widespread volcano eruptions in eastern Australia buried entire forests. Today, these time capsules reveal stunningly fossilised plants.