Fossils : Discovery News

World's First Animals Were Namibian Sponges

Posted Tue Feb 7, 2012 02:01 PM ET | 0

These animal fossils push back the date of the world's first animals another 100 million years. Read more

Just an Old Jurassic Love Song

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Mon Feb 6, 2012 02:26 PM ET | 0

The love song of an extinct katydid that lived 165 million years ago has been brought back to life. Read more

First 'Vampire' Bat Fly Fossil Discovered

Posted Fri Feb 3, 2012 02:48 PM ET | 0

A rare fossil shows that bat flies have been parasitizing the winged mammals for at least 20 million years. Read more

Was First Winged Dinosaur Jet Black?

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:03 AM ET | 0

The winged dinosaur Archaeopteryx had at least some jet black feathers. Read more

Dinosaur Freeway Found in Colorado

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Thu Jan 5, 2012 08:45 AM ET | 0

A bustling thoroughfare 98 million years ago was a coastal plain full of waterways. Read more

Strange Heads Evolved Before Unusual Bodies

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Wed Dec 21, 2011 09:45 AM ET | 0

Which evolved first -- heads or tails? Heads win, suggests new research. Read more

Mammals' Tusked Ancestor Roamed Tasmania

Posted Tue Dec 20, 2011 09:04 AM ET | 0

Roughly the size of a cow, the plant-eating animal had two tusks and a horny beak. Read more

Razor-Toothed Meat-Eater Was Mammal Relative

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Mon Dec 12, 2011 09:39 AM ET | 0

With its saw-like teeth and sleek body, this voracious predator was equipped to rip flesh from prey. Read more

First Superpredator Had Enormous Eyes on Stalks

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Wed Dec 7, 2011 02:26 PM ET | 0

The over 3-foot-long marine predator sat at the top of Earth's first food chain. Read more

First Superpredator Had Enormous Eyes on Stalks

Earliest Animals Looked Like Baseballs

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Tue Dec 6, 2011 07:00 PM ET | 0

Microscopic 570-million-year-old fossils from China may represent the earliest evidence of animal life on Earth. Read more

Woolly Mammoth to Be Cloned

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Mon Dec 5, 2011 04:56 PM ET | 0

In an odd twist, global warming may have helped scientists with the breakthrough needed to clone the elephant-like giant. Read more

North Pole Dinosaurs Lived Short, Hard Lives

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Fri Nov 18, 2011 07:00 AM ET | 0

Arctic life was tough on dinosaurs, with many not making it to their 20th birthday. Read more

Nest Full of Baby Dinosaurs Found

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Wed Nov 16, 2011 07:23 AM ET | 0

A 70-million-year-old nest filled with the remains of baby Protoceratops gives clues to the dinos' early behavior. Read more

Psychedelic-Colored Insects Flew Ancient Skies

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Tue Nov 15, 2011 01:52 PM ET | 0

The bright colors of the 50-million-year-old moth may have served to warn off predators. Read more

Psychedelic-Colored Insects Flew Ancient Skies

Mite Fossilized While Sucking on Spider's Head

Posted by Jennifer Viegas Tue Nov 8, 2011 02:06 PM ET | 0

About 49 million years ago, a mite decided to hitch a ride on a spider's head; then a blop of tree resin fell on them. Read more

Fossils