News

Ancient bone dice reveal 12,000-year history of gambling in America

bone game culture study

More than 12,000 years ago, Native American hunter-gatherers were already making and using dice—thousands of years before similar tools appeared elsewhere. These bone “binary lots” acted like primitive coins, producing random outcomes for games of chance. A new study shows these weren’t accidental objects but carefully designed tools used across many regions and cultures.

02/04/2026 sciencedaily-fossils

Scientists found a baby dinosaur hidden in rock and it is surprisingly cute

bone drawing South Korea Dinosauria Doolysaurus CT-scan discovery skull

Scientists uncovered a rare baby dinosaur in South Korea and named it Doolysaurus after a famous cartoon character. Using cutting-edge CT scans, they discovered hidden bones—including a skull—inside rock much faster than traditional methods. The young dinosaur, possibly fluffy and lamb-like, even had stomach stones that reveal it ate a mix of plants and small animals. The discovery suggests many more dinosaurs may still be hidden in Korea’s rocks.

01/04/2026 sciencedaily

Some dinosaurs could rise up like giants — until they grew too big

bone Dinosauria

Certain smaller sauropods could stand on their hind legs with surprising ease, giving them access to higher food and a defensive edge. Computer simulations show their bones handled stress better than those of their larger relatives. However, as they grew, the sheer weight made this posture much harder to sustain. What started as a useful trick in youth became a more limited, strategic move in adulthood.

30/03/2026 sciencedaily

Elasmosaurus: Beast of the Week

United States Cretaceous Late Cretaceous Elasmosaurus

 This week we will be checking out a sea beast who's proportions were so outrageous, it confused even scientists! Check out Elasmosaurus platyurus.Elasmosaurus was a large reptile that lived in he sea that covered what is now central part of the United States during the late Cretaceous period, between 80 and 77 million years ago.  From snout to tail it would have measured about 34 feet (7.1m) and would have eaten meat when alive.  Its genus name translates to "plate reptile" in reference to how

29/03/2026 prehistoricbeastoftheweek

Scientists say we’ve been looking in the wrong place for human origins

Egypt fossil evolution human origin

A fossil ape discovered in northern Egypt is reshaping the story of human evolution. The species, Masripithecus, lived about 17 to 18 million years ago and may sit very close to the ancestor of all modern apes. This finding challenges the long-standing focus on East Africa. Instead, it points to northern Africa and nearby regions as a possible birthplace of apes.

28/03/2026 sciencedaily-paleo

Scientists found a rhino in the Arctic and it changes everything

fossil dating new species

Scientists have uncovered a new species of rhinoceros in the Canadian High Arctic, revealing that rhinos once lived far farther north than expected. The fossil, dating back 23 million years, is unusually complete and has helped reshape ideas about how these animals migrated between continents. Evidence suggests rhinos crossed from Europe to North America more recently than scientists once thought.

24/03/2026 sciencedaily

This 67,800-year-old handprint is the oldest art ever found

claw Australia Indonesia discovery

Researchers have uncovered the world’s oldest known cave art—a 67,800-year-old hand stencil in Indonesia. The unusual, claw-like design hints at early symbolic thinking and possibly spiritual beliefs. This discovery also strengthens the case that humans reached Australia at least 65,000 years ago. It offers rare insight into the creative lives of some of our earliest ancestors.

22/03/2026 sciencedaily-human-evo

Ancient DNA reveals a farming shift that pushed a society to the brink

DNA Argentina study

A new study reveals that farming in Argentina’s Uspallata Valley was adopted by local hunter-gatherers rather than introduced by outside populations. Centuries later, a stressed group of maize-heavy farmers migrated into the region, facing climate instability, disease, and declining numbers. Despite these pressures, there’s no sign of violence—instead, families stayed connected across generations, using kinship networks to survive. The research shows how cooperation, not conflict, helped communi

22/03/2026 sciencedaily-paleo

This crocodile ran like a greyhound across prehistoric Britain 200 million years ago

United Kingdom Triassic fossil new species

A newly discovered Triassic reptile from the UK looked more like a racing greyhound than a crocodile, built for speed on land. With long legs and a lightweight body, it hunted small animals in a dry, upland environment millions of years ago. Scientists identified it as a new species after spotting key differences in its fossils. It’s also a tribute to an inspiring teacher who helped spark a future scientist’s curiosity.

21/03/2026 sciencedaily

Scientists recreated a dinosaur nest to solve a 70-million-year-old mystery

nest Dinosauria Oviraptor bird

Scientists recreated a life-size oviraptor nest to understand how these dinosaurs hatched their eggs. Their experiments showed the parent likely couldn’t heat all the eggs directly, meaning sunlight played a key role. This uneven heating could cause eggs in the same nest to hatch at different times. The results suggest oviraptors used a hybrid incubation method unlike modern birds.

19/03/2026 sciencedaily

These dinosaurs had wings but couldn’t fly

feather fossil Anchiornis Dinosauria bird

Some feathered dinosaurs may have briefly taken to the skies—only to give it up later. By studying rare fossils with preserved feathers, researchers uncovered a surprising clue hidden in molting patterns, revealing that Anchiornis likely couldn’t fly at all. Instead of the neat, symmetrical feather replacement seen in flying birds, these dinosaurs showed a messy, irregular molt—something only flightless animals exhibit.

18/03/2026 sciencedaily

Episode 173: Petrified Forest

United States Chinle Late Triassic Triassic formation

Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona, USA is a hub for Triassic palaeontology and has exposures representing 20 million years of the Late Triassic Chinle Formation. Visitors marvel at the colourful fossilised trees from which the park takes its name, but a whole host of animals called these swampy forests home 225 million years [&hellip

17/03/2026 palaeocast

Cosmic rays turned ancient sand into a geological time machine

Scientists at Curtin University have uncovered a new way to read the deep history of Earth’s landscapes using microscopic zircon crystals from ancient beach sands. These incredibly durable minerals trap traces of krypton gas created when cosmic rays strike them at Earth’s surface, effectively turning each crystal into a “cosmic clock.” By measuring that krypton, researchers can determine how long sediments lingered near the surface before burial, revealing how landscapes eroded, shifted, and sta

12/03/2026 sciencedaily-paleo

400 million-year-old fish fossils reveal how life began moving onto land

Australia China fossil formation skull

Scientists have uncovered new clues about some of Earth’s earliest fish, shedding light on the ancient origins of vertebrates that eventually moved onto land. By reanalyzing mysterious fossils from Australia’s famed Gogo Formation and studying a newly reconstructed 410-million-year-old lungfish skull from China, researchers are revealing how these primitive creatures evolved.

12/03/2026 sciencedaily

A massive asteroid hit the North Sea and triggered a 330-foot tsunami

feather

A long-running debate about the Silverpit Crater beneath the North Sea has finally been resolved. Scientists now confirm it formed when a roughly 160-meter asteroid struck the seabed about 43–46 million years ago. New seismic imaging and rare shocked minerals in rock samples provided the crucial proof. The impact would have sent a massive plume skyward and unleashed a tsunami over 100 meters (330 feet) high.

11/03/2026 sciencedaily-paleo

This 2-pound dinosaur is rewriting what scientists know about evolution

fossil Alnashetri Alvarezsauria Dinosauria bird evolution skeleton

A nearly complete dinosaur skeleton discovered in Patagonia is helping scientists crack the mystery of alvarezsaurs, a bizarre group of bird-like dinosaurs. The fossil of Alnashetri cerropoliciensis reveals that these animals became tiny before developing their later specialized features, such as stubby arms and ant-eating adaptations. Weighing under two pounds, the dinosaur is one of the smallest known from South America.

10/03/2026 sciencedaily

Haolong: Beast of the Week

China Cretaceous Early Cretaceous juvenile specimen Dinosauria Haolong

 This week we'll be checking out a newly described dinosaur that is so unique, it completely changes what we think we knew about dinosaur skin!  Enter Haolong dongi!Haolong was a plant-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now Liaoning, China, during the Early Cretaceous period, about 112.5 million years ago.  The only specimen on record measures about 8 feet (2.45m) from beak to tail but was a juvenile when it died so the species likely grew larger.  The genus name translates from Chinese to "S

08/03/2026 prehistoricbeastoftheweek

Scientists stunned to find signs of ancient life in a place no one expected

Morocco

While exploring ancient seabeds in Morocco, scientists discovered strange wrinkle-like textures in deep-water sediments that shouldn’t have been there. These structures are usually made by sunlight-loving microbial mats in shallow waters. But the rocks formed far below the reach of light, suggesting a different explanation. Evidence points to chemosynthetic microbes—organisms powered by chemical reactions—creating the mats in the dark depths of an ancient ocean.

08/03/2026 sciencedaily-paleo

T. rex took 40 years to reach full size, study finds

bone growth predator specimen Tyrannosaurus study

Tyrannosaurus rex may have taken far longer to grow up than scientists once thought. By analyzing growth rings in fossilized leg bones from 17 tyrannosaur specimens and using new statistical methods, researchers found that the famous predator likely took about 40 years to reach its full size—around eight tons—rather than the previously estimated 25 years.

05/03/2026 sciencedaily

2700-year-old teeth reveal the hidden lives of Iron Age Italians

tooth feeding growth Italy

Iron Age teeth from southern Italy have become time capsules, preserving intimate details of childhood and diet. Growth lines in the enamel reveal moments of early-life stress, while hardened plaque holds microscopic remains of cereals, legumes, and fermented foods. The findings suggest a community with diverse food resources and strong Mediterranean connections. Even a small sample offers a striking glimpse into how people lived, grew, and ate nearly three millennia ago.

04/03/2026 sciencedaily