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Extinct creatures discovered trapped in solid amber nearly 40 MILLION years after becoming stuck
2+ hour, 21+ min ago (439+ words) Modern technology has allowed scientists to uncover new details about the ancient critters Researchers have uncovered three long-extinct creatures preserved within fossilised tree resin that once belonged to the celebrated German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The amber, dating back…...
5,000-Year-Old Whale-Bone Harpoons Found in Brazil Reveal Early Indigenous Whaling
4+ hour, 33+ min ago (429+ words) Archaeologists have identified whale-bone harpoons dating back 5,000 years in southern Brazil, offering new evidence that Indigenous communities hunted massive marine animals long before the invention of metal tools or advanced boats. The findings suggest these early populations crafted harpoons from…...
Which animal came first? A two-decade debate pits sponges against comb jellies.
7+ hour, 22+ min ago (317+ words) On the 27th (local time), the international scientific journal 'Nature' featured the ongoing debate among scientists over which animal group was the first. Between 600 and 800 million years ago, multicellular organisms composed of many interacting cells appeared. Within the following tens of…...
New animal species that survived mass extinction event half a billion years ago found in a quarry in China
8+ hour, 14+ min ago (677+ words) January 28, 2026 / 3:21 PM EST / CBS/AFP Almost a hundred new animal species that survived a mass extinction event half a billion years ago have been discovered in a small quarry in China, scientists revealed Wednesday. The treasure trove of fossils offers…...
Meet local paleontologist Dr. Emily Lessner at her “Reading the Landscape” presentation on Wednesday, Jan. 28
8+ hour, 35+ min ago (819+ words) News, events and culture from Moab, Utah Emily Lessner didn't always know she wanted to study fossils for a living. In fact, she didn't even know paleontology was a real career until college. As a child, Lessner developed a deep…...
Cambrian “Huayuan biota” fossils in China reveal a thriving deep-sea world after Earth’s first animal die-off
9+ hour, 7+ min ago (475+ words) WASHINGTON, Jan 28, 2026, 14:15 EST This discovery is significant because scientists have struggled to understand how the earliest mass extinction impacted marine life during the Cambrian, a period when animal groups rapidly diversified. The newly found site dates just after that crisis,…...
14 Wild Animals That Navigate Using the Stars
12+ hour, 22+ min ago (1240+ words) The vast expanse of the night sky has served as a celestial roadmap for human travelers for thousands of years. Yet, long before humans learned to chart courses by the stars, many species in the animal kingdom had already mastered…...
A Cambrian soft-bodied biota after the first Phanerozoic mass extinction
12+ hour, 29+ min ago (1718+ words) Nature (2026)Cite this article Erwin, D. H. & Valentine, J. W. The Cambrian Explosion: The Construction of Animal Biodiversity (Roberts & Company, 2013). Briggs, D. E. G. The Cambrian explosion. Curr. Biol. 25, R864R868 (2015). Conway Morris, S. Burgess Shale faunas and the Cambrian explosion. Science 246, 339346 (1989). Butterfield, N. J. Exceptional fossil preservation and the Cambrian explosion....
Ancient Marine Fossils Reveal Resilient Ecosystem Post-Mass Extinction
12+ hour, 33+ min ago (219+ words) Ancient Marine Fossils Reveal Resilient Ecosystem Post-Mass Extinction'Devdiscourse Ancient Marine Fossils Reveal Resilient Ecosystem Post-Mass Extinction Scientists discovered well-preserved marine fossils in southern China, uncovering a thriving deep-water ecosystem after a mass extinction. The Huayuan biota, containing 153 species, showcases diverse…...
Chinese fossils show marine animals thriving half a billion years ago
12+ hour, 33+ min ago (573+ words) Jan 28 (Reuters) - Scientists have unearthed in southern China fossils of a multitude of marine creatures dating to more than a half billion years ago, showing a deep-water ecosystem thriving in the aftermath of the first mass extinction of the animal…...