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Ferns bounced back much faster than other plants after the meteor impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Why Did Ferns Persist When All Other Plants Perished?
A strange layer in the fossil record contains evidence that fern populations exploded following the mass extinction that ended the Cretaceous period. Scientists want to know why.
Why Did Ferns Persist When All Other Plants Perished?
Why Did Ferns Persist When All Other Plants Perished?

A strange layer in the fossil record contains evidence that fern populations exploded following the mass extinction that ended the Cretaceous period. Scientists want to know why.

A strange layer in the fossil record contains evidence that fern populations exploded following the mass extinction that ended the Cretaceous period. Scientists want to know why.

Cretaceous period

T. rex-like dinosaur head covered in knobby structures
The Dino That Looked T. Rex-y Long Before T. Rex 
Shawna Williams | Jul 7, 2022 | 2 min read
Fossil findings shed light on a little-known group of Cretaceous-era beasts—and indicate that the combination of a large head and diminutive arms was no evolutionary fluke.
An artistic rendering of a dinosaur fleeing a wall of water
Cretaceous Meteor That Killed Most Life on Earth Hit in Spring
Amanda Heidt | Feb 24, 2022 | 5 min read
Researchers determined the season during which the meteor struck by studying the bones of fish excavated from a contentious field site.
Caudipteryx Dinosaur Flock stock photo
Paleontologists Find Possible Dinosaur DNA
Chloe Tenn | Oct 26, 2021 | 3 min read
A report of preserved fragments of nuclei and chromatin in a fossilized femur of a 125-million-year-old Caudipteryx dinosaur elicits skepticism.
Image of the Day: Wonderchicken
Amy Schleunes | Mar 20, 2020 | 1 min read
A newly discovered fossilized skull is between 66.8 million and 66.7 million years old and bears similarities to modern-day chickens and ducks.
Image of the Day: Tiny Dinosaur
Amy Schleunes | Mar 16, 2020 | 1 min read
A roughly 99-million-year-old piece of amber from northern Myanmar contains the skull of what appears to represent the smallest known dinosaur of the Mesozoic era.
asteroid
New Evidence Points to Asteroid as Cause of Dinosaur Extinction
Amy Schleunes | Jan 17, 2020 | 2 min read
Carbon cycle modeling and paleotemperature records argue that an asteroid impact—not volcanic fumes—was the main driver of the dinosaur die-off.
Image of the Day: Feather Feeders
Emily Makowski | Dec 11, 2019 | 1 min read
These ancient insects ate dinosaur feathers during the Cretaceous period.
New Mammal Fossil May Show How Ear Bones Evolved from Jaw Bones
Emily Makowski | Dec 6, 2019 | 1 min read
An ancient animal’s hammer, anvil, and stirrup bones are at the base of the jaw but completely detached from it.
Fossilized Beetle Is Earliest Evidence of Insect Pollinator
Abby Olena, PhD | Aug 16, 2018 | 3 min read
A 99-million-year-old beetle preserved in amber alongside grains of pollen likely pollinated prehistoric plants.
Image of the Day: Snakes Alive
Sukanya Charuchandra | Jul 19, 2018 | 1 min read
Scientists have found the 99-million-year-old remains of a baby snake.
Image of the Day: Pterosaur Fossils
The Scientist and The Scientist Staff | Mar 14, 2018 | 1 min read
Paleontologists find fossils from at least seven species of the flying reptiles in Morocco.
Spiders with Long Tails Found in Ancient Amber
Jim Daley | Feb 5, 2018 | 2 min read
This discovery closes a 170-million-year gap in the fossil record.
Hundreds of Pterosaur Eggs Discovered in China
Kerry Grens | Nov 30, 2017 | 1 min read
The fossil booty includes some eggs with embryo remains inside, and points to group nests involving long-term parental care.
Image of the Day: 100-Million-Year-Old Flower
The Scientist | Sep 21, 2017 | 1 min read
Scientists think dinosaurs brushed these ancient flowers into pools of tree resin, creating fossils preserved in amber.  
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