February 13, 2019
Frogs fill in post-Gondwana picture
The positions of landmasses after the breakup of Gondwana during the late Mesozoic and early Paleogene are highly debated, especially the …
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Paleobiology
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12 articles · Page 1 of 1
February 13, 2019
Dinosaur soft tissues preserved as polymers
Since 2005, several samples of ostensibly soft tissue, such as blood vessels and bits of organic bone material, have been gleaned from dinosaur …
October 16, 2018
Marine animals have been migrating for millions of years
Scientists have suspected that ancient animals migrated in response to changing global temperatures, but until now, there was no documentation of …
July 3, 2018
Down to Earth With: Paleobiologist Rowan Lockwood
In 1608, Captain John Smith noted that oysters “lay as thick as stones” on the floor of the Chesapeake Bay. The shell reefs — built up by …
January 12, 2018
Fossil sea turtle hatchling reveals its Eocene proteins
A study of a 54-million-year-old sea turtle hatchling found in Denmark is adding to a growing body of evidence that certain proteins can remain …
September 18, 2017
Down to Earth With: Paleobiologist Gregory Erickson
As an undergraduate at the University of Washington, Gregory Erickson wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He started out as an engineering major, …
November 12, 2015
Down to Earth With: Paleobiologist Nigel Hughes
I first met Nigel Hughes, a paleobiologist at the University of California at Riverside (UCR), in 2010. He took me on a brisk walk through the …
June 23, 2014
Early Triassic fossil showed live birth in action
Not only does the fossil specimen preserve an example of live birth, or viviparity, in action, but the embryos are about 10 million years older …
June 23, 2014
Did tidal zone trilobites lead the way onto land?
During the Cambrian, when trilobites thrived in Earth’s early oceans, the continents were devoid of animal life. “The Cambrian explosion was an …
March 19, 2014
The trouble with turtles: Paleontology at a crossroads
Traditional paleontological research has been upended over the past few decades, as less traditional fields, such as genomics and developmental …
October 15, 2013
CSI La Brea: Tiny traces reveal big secrets of the tar pits
The La Brea tar pits in the middle of Los Angeles are known for turning up spectacularly preserved specimens of dire wolves, saber-tooth cats and …
July 6, 2012
Bringing dinosaur biology into the 21st century
We may know a lot about dinosaurs, but there’s an awful lot we don’t know yet, especially about their biology. How heavy were the dinosaurs? Were …