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The missing notebooks that solved a 55-million-year-old fossil mystery

predator New Zealand fossil discovery fish

A spectacular fossil fish discovered on a remote cliff in New Zealand nearly 30 years ago has finally revealed its full story thanks to an unexpected discovery: the original collector’s long-lost field notebooks. The 1.2-meter fossil, preserved in stunning three-dimensional detail, belonged to an ancient tarpon-like predator that cruised New Zealand waters about 55 million years ago.

12/06/2026 sciencedaily

Scientists may have debunked one of humanity's oldest habits

tooth Homo sapiens study

Ancient grooves on human teeth, once hailed as evidence of tooth-picking, may simply be the result of natural wear, according to a new study of wild primates. The research also revealed that a common modern dental defect appears to be uniquely human, hinting that today's lifestyles may be reshaping our teeth in unexpected ways.

08/06/2026 sciencedaily

A child's tooth and strange green stones uncover a 5,500-year-old mystery

tooth discovery excavation

An ancient mountain cave in the Pyrenees may have served as one of the earliest high-altitude mining camps ever discovered, with evidence of repeated visits spanning thousands of years. The find becomes even more intriguing with the discovery of a child’s remains and clues that deeper excavations could uncover prehistoric burials.

03/06/2026 sciencedaily

This bizarre crocodile relative from the Triassic looked like an ostrich dinosaur

limb Triassic Dinosauria

Scientists have discovered Labrujasuchus expectatus, a bizarre crocodile relative that looked more like an ostrich-like dinosaur than anything resembling a modern crocodile. It walked on two legs, had tiny arms, and sported a toothless beak—an unexpected combination for a member of the crocodile lineage.

29/05/2026 sciencedaily

This newly discovered raptor may have hunted like a giant heron

vertebra predator Dinosauria Kank

A newly discovered raptor-like dinosaur from Patagonia is changing how scientists think about ancient predators. Named Kank australis, the 70-million-year-old dinosaur appears to have hunted fish much like modern herons, using a long, flexible neck and specialized vertebrae adapted for swift, precise movements.

29/05/2026 sciencedaily

Scientists discover giant sea predator Tylosaurus rex that terrorized ancient oceans

predator fossil Mosasaurus Tylosaurus discovery evolution

A colossal new sea predator named Tylosaurus rex has been identified from fossils found in Texas, revealing a brutal 43-foot-long hunter that ruled ancient oceans 80 million years ago. The discovery not only introduces one of the biggest mosasaurs ever known, but also shakes up long-standing ideas about how these marine reptiles evolved.

23/05/2026 sciencedaily

Scientists solve 320-million-year mystery of reptile bone armor

armor bone study

Reptiles have been growing armor in their skin on and off for hundreds of millions of years, but scientists never fully understood how it evolved. A massive new evolutionary study shows these skin bones appeared independently in multiple lizard groups rather than coming from a single armored ancestor. Even more astonishing, Australian goannas lost this armor long ago — then evolved it back again millions of years later.

21/05/2026 sciencedaily

Britain’s 11,000-year-old “oldest northerner” was a 3-year-old girl, DNA reveals

DNA discovery

Scientists have identified the oldest known human remains in Northern Britain as a young girl who lived around 11,000 years ago. Found in a Cumbrian cave and nicknamed the “Ossick Lass,” she was likely between 2.5 and 3.5 years old when she died. Nearby jewelry and evidence of multiple burials suggest the cave held deep spiritual importance for some of Britain’s earliest hunter-gatherers. The discovery is shedding new light on life — and death — just after the Ice Age.

20/05/2026 sciencedaily

T. rex’s tiny arms may have evolved for a surprisingly brutal reason

jaw limb hunting predator prey Dinosauria skull

Why did T. rex have such tiny arms? Scientists now think it’s because its giant head became the ultimate hunting tool. Across multiple dinosaur groups, stronger skulls and crushing jaws evolved alongside shrinking forelimbs, especially in predators hunting enormous prey. In other words, once the bite became deadly enough, the arms may have stopped mattering.

20/05/2026 sciencedaily

Stunning 150-million-year-old stegosaur skull rewrites dinosaur evolution

fossil Dacentrurus Dinosauria Stegosauria discovery evolution skull

A spectacular dinosaur discovery in Spain is giving scientists a rare new look inside the world of stegosaurs. Paleontologists uncovered the best-preserved stegosaur skull ever found in Europe, belonging to the iconic plated dinosaur Dacentrurus armatus, which roamed Earth around 150 million years ago. Because stegosaur skulls are extremely fragile and almost never survive intact, the fossil is helping researchers uncover previously unknown details about how these armored giants evolved.

17/05/2026 sciencedaily

Stunning fossil discovery in Ethiopia rewrites human origins

Ethiopia fossil discovery evolution human origin

A stunning fossil discovery in Ethiopia shows that early Homo and a previously unknown Australopithecus species lived together around 2.6 to 2.8 million years ago. The find overturns the classic “ape-to-human” progression and paints human evolution as a crowded, branching tree with multiple species coexisting. Scientists dated the fossils using volcanic ash deposits and are now investigating what these ancient relatives ate and whether they competed for resources.

16/05/2026 sciencedaily

Scientists discover giant “last titan” dinosaur, Southeast Asia’s largest ever

Thailand Dinosauria

A massive new dinosaur discovered in Thailand is rewriting Southeast Asia’s prehistoric history. The newly named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis was a colossal long-necked sauropod that weighed around 27 tonnes and lived more than 100 million years ago. Scientists believe it may be the last giant sauropod ever to roam the region before rising seas transformed the landscape.

15/05/2026 sciencedaily

Paleontology rocked by discovery of organic molecules in 66-million-year-old dinosaur bones

bone collagen protein fossil Dinosauria Edmontosaurus discovery

Scientists have uncovered compelling evidence that dinosaur fossils may still contain traces of their original proteins, overturning a long-standing belief that fossilization destroys all organic material. In a remarkably well-preserved Edmontosaurus fossil from South Dakota, researchers detected remnants of collagen — the main protein found in bone — using advanced techniques including mass spectrometry and protein sequencing.

14/05/2026 sciencedaily

This strange giant dinosaur may change what we know about Jurassic titans

Argentina Jurassic fossil Bicharracosaurus Brachiosauria Brachiosauridae Dinosauria Diplodocia evolution

A bizarre new giant dinosaur discovered in Argentina is giving paleontologists a fresh look at how Jurassic titans evolved in the Southern Hemisphere. Bicharracosaurus dionidei stretched about 20 meters long and carried a strange mix of features seen in both Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus relatives. Scientists believe it could represent the first known Jurassic brachiosaurid from South America, helping fill a major gap in the dinosaur fossil record.

12/05/2026 sciencedaily

240-million-year-old giant “sand creeper” found hidden in retaining wall

tooth predator Australia fossil discovery skeleton

A forgotten fossil hidden inside a garden wall has turned out to be one of Australia’s most remarkable prehistoric discoveries. Scientists have now identified the 240-million-year-old amphibian, Arenaerpeton supinatus, revealing an almost perfectly preserved skeleton—complete with rare traces of skin. This ancient river predator, about 1.2 meters long, looked somewhat like a giant salamander but was bulkier and armed with fearsome fang-like teeth.

06/05/2026 sciencedaily

A 75-million-year-old fossil reveals a shocking tyrannosaur secret

bone predator fossil Tyrannosaurus behavior

Tyrannosaurs may be famous as fearsome apex predators, but new research reveals a more opportunistic—and slightly grim—side to their behavior. Using high-resolution 3D scans, a researcher identified precise bite marks on a massive tyrannosaur foot bone, showing that a smaller tyrannosaur had fed on the remains of a much larger relative over 75 million years ago.

05/05/2026 sciencedaily

This 275-million-year-old animal had a twisted jaw like nothing alive today

jaw Brazil fossil dating

Deep in a dried-up riverbed in Brazil, scientists uncovered a bizarre prehistoric mystery—twisted jawbones from a strange, long-lost animal unlike anything seen before. Dating back 275 million years, this creature, named Tanyka amnicola, belonged to an ancient lineage that should have already faded away, making it a kind of “living fossil” of its time.

01/05/2026 sciencedaily

This tiny mammal survived the dinosaur apocalypse and changed life on Earth

fossil Dinosauria extinction mammals

A newly discovered prehistoric mammal may hold clues to how life survived the dinosaur-killing extinction. The tiny species, Cimolodon desosai, lived 75 million years ago and had traits—like a small body and varied diet—that likely boosted survival odds. Found in Baja California, the fossil includes rare skeletal remains that reveal how it moved and lived. Researchers believe its lineage helped mammals endure one of Earth’s deadliest events.

27/04/2026 sciencedaily

Blood vessels found in T. rex bones are rewriting dinosaur science

bone DNA fossil Dinosauria Tyrannosaurus

Dinosaur DNA may still be out of reach, but scientists are uncovering something almost as exciting—ancient blood vessels hidden inside fossilized bones. In a massive Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed Scotty, researchers discovered a network of preserved vessels within a rib that once fractured and began healing 66 million years ago. Using powerful synchrotron X-rays from particle accelerators, they were able to peer inside the dense fossil without damaging it, revealing intricate, iron-rich structures

26/04/2026 sciencedaily

This 100 million-year-old snake had hind legs and a lost bone that changes evolution

bone limb predator Argentina fossil evolution

Nearly 100 million years ago, snakes weren’t the sleek, limbless creatures we know today—they still had hind legs and even a cheekbone that has almost vanished in modern species. A remarkably preserved fossil of Najash rionegrina from Argentina has reshaped how scientists think about snake origins, suggesting early snakes were large, wide-mouthed predators rather than tiny burrowers.

24/04/2026 sciencedaily