Dinosaurs & Fossils News

Area of Mars Identified as Good Place to Look for Evidence of Past Life
SPACE.com – Fri Jul 30, 6:30 pm ET

A spot on Mars called Nili Fossae that is rich in clay mineral-rich rocks could be a prime spot to search for the fossilized remains of Martian life that may have existed 4 billion years ago, a new study suggests. Full Story »
Clawed Dinosaur Caught in the Act of Digging for Prey
LiveScience.com – Fri Jul 23, 10:50 am ET

A clawed, predatory dinosaur may have been caught in the act of digging for mammalian prey, scientists now reveal. Full Story »
Elephant tooth fossil found in Brazil: report
AFP – Tue Jul 20, 2:32 pm ET

AFP/File

SAO PAULO (AFP) - Scientists in Brazil say a fossil of an elephant's tooth found in the Amazon jungle proves the presence of pachyderms in South America some 45,000 years ago, a report said on Tuesday. Full Story »
Surprise! Puzzling Three-Horned Dino is Adult Triceratops
LiveScience.com – Fri Jul 16, 2:14 pm ET

A three-horned dinosaur long known as Torosaurus may actually represent an adult Triceratops, according to paleontologists. Full Story »
Cave of marsupial fossils discovered in Outback
AP – Fri Jul 16, 5:24 am ET

AP

SYDNEY - Scientists have discovered a cave filled with 15-million-year-old fossils of prehistoric marsupials in the Outback, a rare find that has revealed some surprising similarities between the creatures and modern-day kangaroos and koalas. Full Story »
Fossil Bones Suggest Ancient Marsupials Plunged to Death
LiveScience.com – Thu Jul 15, 10:20 am ET

More than 20 marsupials, some still suckling newborns, plunged to their deaths 15 million years ago through a vertical cave entrance obscured by vegetation, new fossil evidence suggests. Full Story »
Human lineage split from monkeys later than thought: study
AFP – Wed Jul 14, 1:48 pm ET

AFP/HO

PARIS (AFP) - The last ancestor shared by monkeys and humans probably lived between 28 and 24 million years ago, several million later than previously thought, fossils unveiled Wednesday have revealed. Full Story »
New Species Changes Idea on When Humans, Monkeys Split
LiveScience.com – Wed Jul 14, 1:15 pm ET

Our lineage might have diverged from our monkey relatives later than previously thought, a new primate fossil from Saudi Arabia now suggests. Full Story »
Tyrannosaurs Hunted and Scavenged, Fossils Suggest
LiveScience.com – Tue Jul 13, 11:55 am ET

As fearsome as giant tyrannosaurs such as T. rex were, scientists have found what may be the first evidence of these "terrible lizards" being dainty scavengers. Full Story »
Vt. scrap-wood dinosaur posing modern-day problem
AP – Sun Jul 11, 8:22 pm ET

AP

POST MILLS, Vt. - Does a 25-foot-tall, 122-foot-long dinosaur need a permit to avoid extinction? Full Story »
Newly Discovered Dinosaur Dubbed 'Mojoceratops'
LiveScience.com – Thu Jul 8, 6:10 pm ET

A newly-discovered dinosaur with a heart-shaped frill around its head got its name from a combination of its flamboyant noggin and a round of beers. Full Story »
Giant predatory whale named for 'Moby-Dick' author
AP – Thu Jul 1, 6:05 pm ET

AP

LONDON - Scientists have discovered an ancient whale whose bite ripped huge chunks of flesh out of other whales about 12 million years ago — and they've named it after the author of "Moby-Dick." Full Story »
Fossil of mega-toothed killer whale found in Peru
Reuters – Thu Jul 1, 11:57 am ET

Reuters

LIMA (Reuters) - The fossil of a giant whale called Leviathan for having teeth bigger than a grown man's forearms has been found in Peru by paleontologists who on Thursday said it may have been the largest predator to ever roam the seas. Full Story »
Study pushes back dawn of multicellular life on Earth
AFP – Wed Jun 30, 11:20 pm ET

AFP/CNRS

PARIS (AFP) - Scientists unveiled fossils from west Africa Thursday that push back the dawn of multicellular life on Earth by at least 1.5 billion years. Full Story »