In the southern Atlantic Rainforest remnants between Rio de Janeiro State in Southeast Brazil and Santa Catarina State in South Brazil, there are some 600 species... more
Veterinarians have successfully harvested eggs from the last two surviving northern white rhinos, taking them one step closer to bringing the species back from the brink... more
The cryoEM structure of a simian immunodeficiency virus protein bound to primate proteins shows how a mutation in early humans allowed our ancestors to escape infection while monkeys and apes did not. SIV's Nef... more
Plant extinctions from South Africa's three biodiversity hot spots represent 45.4 percent of all extinctions from 10 of the world's 36 hotspots, new research finds. more
A team of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Texas Austin has used a new technique to analyze tiny amounts of... more
Researchers found that Charles Darwin's famous finches defy what has long been considered a key to evolutionary success: genetic diversity. The study of the finches of the Galapagos Islands could change the way conservation biologists think... more
Wildlife-supporting countries on Thursday backed regulating international trade in giraffes in a bid to offer more protection to the gentle giants, feared to be facing a "silent extinction". more
Over the past 300 years, 79 plants have been confirmed extinct from three of the world's biodiversity hotspots located in South Africa—the Cape Floristic Region, the Succulent Karoo, and the Maputuland-Pondoland-Albany corridor. more
34 million years ago the warm 'greenhouse climate' of the dinosaur age ended and the colder 'icehouse climate' of today commenced. Antarctica glaciated first and geological data imply that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation,... more
34 million years ago, the warm greenhouse climate of the dinosaur age ended, and the colder icehouse climate of today commenced. Antarctica glaciated first, and geological data imply that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, the global... more
Nitrogen oxides, also known as NOx, form when fossil fuels burn at high temperatures. When emitted from industrial sources such as coal power plants, these pollutants... more
For centuries, miners have burrowed into the earth in search of salt—laid down in thick layers from ancient oceans long since evaporated. When scientists saw huge... more
New research on one of the oldest and most complete fossil primate skulls from South America shows instead that the pattern of brain evolution in this group was far more... more
Understanding of ancestral conditions for anthropoids has been hampered by the paucity of well-preserved early fossils. Here, we provide an unprecedented view... more
It has long been thought that the brain size of anthropoid primates—a diverse group of modern and extinct monkeys, humans, and their nearest kin—progressively increased over time. New research on... more
Social media users are fuelling a burgeoning appetite for acquiring wild otters and other endangered animals as pets, conservationists say, warning the trend could push species towards extinction. more
Scientists have found that increasing oxygen levels are linked to the rise of North American dinosaurs around 215 M years ago. A new technique for measuring oxygen levels in ancient rocks shows... more
Set-aside patches of high-quality forest on palm oil plantations may help protect species like orangutans, as well as various species of insects, birds and... more
The term "PUVA' stands for 'psoralen' and 'UV-A radiation.' Psoralens are natural plant-based compounds that can be extracted from umbelliferous plants such... more
Neanderthals and other early humans produced a tarry glue from birch bark; this was long considered proof of a high level of cognitive and cultural development. Researchers had... more
Scientists could be set to reveal the most accurate depictions of ancient vertebrates ever made after a world-first discovery at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland. more
Scientists have long known that water was abundant on ancient Mars, but there has been no consensus on whether liquid water was common, or whether it was largely frozen in... more
A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions across Europe has found evidence that suggests humans were responsible for the extinction of cave bears... more
For most of his life as a Samburu warrior, Lesaiton Lengoloni thought nothing of hunting giraffes, the graceful giants so common a feature of the Kenyan plains where he roamed. more
Specialists will meet in Geneva from Saturday to try to tighten rules on trade in elephant ivory, rhino horns and other endangered animal and plant species amid growing... more
'Coprolites' from the Must Farm archaeological excavation in East Anglia, UK, shows the prehistoric inhabitants were infected by parasitic worms... more
Dozens of countries will push at a global meeting for regulations on trade in 18 types of shark and ray, with conservationists warning Thursday of looming extinction for many species. more
Scientists have recovered the first genetic data from an extinct bird in the Caribbean, thanks to the remarkably preserved bones of a Creighton's caracara from a... more
Scientists have recovered the first genetic data from an extinct bird in the Caribbean, thanks to the remarkably preserved bones of a Creighton's caracara from a... more
Analyses show that gases found in microscopic inclusions in diamonds come from a stable subterranean reservoir at least as old as the Moon, hidden more than 410 km below sea... more
Eumelanin -- a natural pigment found for instance in human eyes -- has, for the first time, been identified in the fossilized compound eyes of 54-million-year-old crane-flies. It was previously assumed that melanic screening... more
The Trump administration recently announced a proposal that would gut the Endangered Species Act. The news follows in the wake of a report from the United Nations earlier this year that more... more
New research by a University of Bristol palaeontology post-graduate student has revealed fresh insights into how the braincase of the dinosaur Psittacosaurus developed and how this tells us about its posture. more
Many dream of what they would do had they a time machine. Some would travel 100 million years back in time, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Not many, though, would think of... more
Fossilised flies that lived 54 million years ago have revealed a surprising twist to the tale of how insects' eyes evolved. These craneflies, unveiled... more
It's an ancient fruit, but the avocado has been brought into the new millennium with the publication of its draft genome, which may be the key to improvements in future crops. more
An archaeologist says the discovery of a small clay shard inscribed with a partial inventory of goods at a 2,500-year-old citadel suggests that Cyprus' ancient city states "more than likely" managed their... more
Some of Britain's most majestic ancient trees are probably not as ancient as we previously thought, one of the country's leading tree-ageing experts has suggested. more
Research published this Wednesday (August 14th) in Scientific Reports describes Clevosaurus hadroprodon, a new reptile species from Rio Grande do... more
The fossilised remains of a huge penguin almost the size of an adult human have been found in New Zealand's South Island, scientists announced Wednesday. more
Hand-raising monarch butterflies in the midst of a global extinction crisis, Laura Moore and her neighbors gather round in her suburban Maryland yard to launch a butterfly newly emerged from... more
Hand-raising monarch butterflies in the midst of a global extinction crisis, Laura Moore and her neighbors gather round in her suburban Maryland yard to launch a butterfly newly emerged from its chrysalis. Eager to... more
Scientists have discovered how diatoms -- a type of alga that produce 20 percent of the Earth's oxygen -- harness solar energy for photosynthesis. The discovery could help lead to... more
Researchers recently identified cosmic iron traces in snow that fell in Antarctica. Preserved in the snow was dust containing a rare isotope that originated in a supernova. more
A stash of ancient amulets is seeing the light of day, now that archaeologists in Pompeii have unearthed the treasures from under a pile of ash dating to... more
Subsurface explorers have uncovered a previously undescribed 'Jurassic World' of around 100 ancient volcanoes buried deep within the Cooper-Eromanga Basins of central Australia. more
The Trump administration announced reckless and potentially devastating new rules Monday that will weaken the Endangered Species Act, which currently... more
An international team of researchers has discovered around 100 ancient volcanoes and associated lava flows buried deep within the Cooper-Eromanga Basins in central Australia.... more
New research has resolved a pig paradox. Archaeological evidence has shown that pigs were domesticated in the Near East and as such, modern pigs... more
An international team of subsurface explorers from the University of Adelaide in Australia and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland has uncovered a previously undescribed Jurassic world of around 100 ancient volcanoes... more
A study from McMaster University has unearthed new details about the evolutionary history of both antibiotic production and resistance and dates their co-emergence as far back as 350 to 500... more
The study is the first to put antibiotic biosynthesis and resistance into an evolutionary context. The findings will help to guide the future discovery of new antibiotics and antibiotic alternatives... more
Scientists have discovered that the building blocks of proteins can stabilize cell membranes. This finding may explain how the first cells emerged from the... more
New research led by Oxford University and Queen Mary University of London has resolved a pig paradox. Archaeological evidence has shown that pigs were... more
Paleontologists have discovered a 360-million-year-old (Devonian period) fossilized forest of lycopsid trees near Xinhang in China’s Anhui province — the oldest known fossil forest... more
The Trump administration on Monday rolled out some of the broadest changes in decades to enforcement of the landmark Endangered Species Act, allowing the government to put an economic cost on saving a species and other changes critics... more
Like the eponymous character in Shel Silverstein's classic children's tale, trees are generous with their gifts, cleaning the air we breathe and slowing the ravages of... more
Ancient sailors courted adventure and risked death on the Aegean Sea, as shown in five 2,000-year-old shipwrecks and a giant, granite anchor pole found near the Greek island of Levitha. more
Some fossil plants that lived in wetlands had fungi living in their roots, and others don't. To understand why, scientists waded into modern wetlands... more
Researchers describe the largest example of a Devonian forest, made up of 250,000 square meters of fossilized lycopsid trees, which was recently discovered in China's Anhui province. more
The 'mind-muscle connection.' Ancient lore for bodybuilders, latest buzz for Instragram fitness followers. But when the goal is muscle performance rather than growth alone, does the idea still carry any weight? A new analysis... more
The only hint that something extraordinary lay inside the plain wooden drawer in an unassuming office behind Nairobi National Museum was a handwritten note stuck to the front: "Pull Carefully". more
Astronomers used the combined power of multiple astronomical observatories around the world and in space to discover a treasure-trove of previously unknown ancient massive... more
Studies of early human settlement in alpine environments provide insights into human physiological, genetic, and cultural adaptation potentials. Although Late... more
The Devonian period, which was 419 million to 359 million years ago, is best known for Tiktaalik, the lobe-finned fish that is often portrayed pulling itself onto land. However, the "age of the fishes,"... more
As an alternative to traditional fossil fuels, biofuels represent a more environmentally friendly and sustainable fuel source. Plant or animal fats can be converted to biofuels... more
Paleobotanist Az Klymiuk didn't set out to upend science's understanding of the fossil record of plant-fungal associations. She just wanted to figure out the... more
The flightless bird weighed 15 pounds and was about 3 feet tall and probably feasted on other parrots. Study lead Trevor Worthy made the discovery after... more
Astronomers used the combined power of multiple astronomical observatories around the world and in space to discover a treasure-trove of previously unknown ancient massive galaxies. This is the first multiple discovery of... more
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Paleontology
