paleontology

Diverse lines of evidence point to humans’ presence in the New World long before the dawn of Clovis culture. But rewriting this chapter of human history raises many questions about how these early people came to inhabit these continents.

Octopuses were around 82 million years earlier than scientists previously thought—and had two extra limbs at the time.

Archaeologist and paleontologist Juan Carlos Cisneros tells The Scientist that researchers frequently fail to involve local groups—and sometimes violate laws—when studying Latin American fossils.

Researchers determined the season during which the meteor struck by studying the bones of fish excavated from a contentious field site.

A new analysis of fossil footprints suggests that the 2-meter-tall, 4- to 5-meter-long carnivores that left them could run nearly 45 kilometers per hour, bolstering the evidence that at least some dinosaurs were speedy, agile hunters.

A report of preserved fragments of nuclei and chromatin in a fossilized femur of a 125-million-year-old Caudipteryx dinosaur elicits skepticism.

A handful of high schoolers prompt scientists to develop a new approach for calculating the size of the ancient behemoth.

A massive, well-preserved skull discovered in China in the 1930s belongs to a new species called Homo longi, researchers report, but experts remain skeptical about the evidence.

A forensic investigation of Seqenenre Taa II’s traumatic injuries suggests he died with his hands tied behind his back, perhaps the end result of fighting to liberate his kingdom.

Listen to a musicologist blow through the oldest known shell horn.

The sperm, belonging to a tiny marine crustacean, dates back nearly 100 million years, making it the most ancient animal sperm found to date.

The study is the first to show a genomic relationship between dogs and humans on the move.

Sharp drops in global temperatures helped seal the fate of three extinct hominin species, including our close relatives, the Neanderthals, according to thousands of archaeological specimens and a model of past climate conditions.

A selective advantage may have led the modern human Y chromosome to sweep through the Neanderthal population after it was introduced via interbreeding more than 100,000 years ago.

A paleontologist at the National Museums of Kenya is spearheading an effort to make 3-D reconstructions of the institution’s fossils available internationally.

If confirmed, the result means people migrated to North America much earlier than thought, but some experts remain unconvinced.

The Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden is still assessing the damage from a June 15 fire.

The University of South Alabama professor, who died of complications related to COVID-19, reconstructed the historic range of plants that once grew in the southeastern US.

Meet some of the people featured in the June 2020 issue of The Scientist.