Scientists unveil Xiphodracon, a rare Jurassic sea dragon from Britain
On England’s Jurassic Coast, a remarkable fossil discovery has shed new light on the ancient reptiles that once dominated Earth’s oceans.
A nearly complete skeleton...
Scientists reveal 1,000-year-old gut bacteria from ancient Mexican mummy
Scientists have uncovered remarkable details about the gut microbiome of a man who lived in Mexico around 1,000 years ago—long before the arrival of...
Early humans in Italy turned elephants into food and tools
New research has revealed how early humans living in what is now Rome skillfully butchered elephants for food and then repurposed their bones into...
Easter Island’s famous statues really did “walk,” and physics proves it
For centuries, the massive stone statues of Easter Island—known as moai—have inspired awe and mystery.
How did the ancient people of Rapa Nui, with no...
Ancient murals at Teotihuacan may reveal the language of a lost civilization
More than 2,000 years ago, Teotihuacan was one of the greatest cities in the world. Located in central Mexico, it was home to around...
Sea sponges may have been Earth’s first animals, new study shows
What were the first animals to appear on Earth? New research points to a surprising candidate: sea sponges.
A team of geochemists from MIT and...
Would cockroaches really survive a nuclear apocalypse?
Popular culture loves to joke that cockroaches would be the last survivors on Earth if humanity ever faced a nuclear apocalypse.
The 2008 Pixar film...
When the Red Sea vanished—and came back in a giant flood
More than six million years ago, one of the most dramatic environmental events in Earth’s history unfolded in the Middle East.
The Red Sea, now...
Fossil ear bones rewrite the story of freshwater fish
A new discovery of tiny fossilized fish bones has forced scientists to rethink the origins of some of the world’s most successful freshwater fish.
These...
Scientists discover Europe’s oldest blue pigment in Germany
Archaeologists in Germany have uncovered something that could change our understanding of early human creativity.
At a site in Mühlheim-Dietesheim, researchers found traces of a...