This mysterious plant fossil belongs to a family that no longer exists
In 1969, fossilized leaves of the species Othniophyton elongatum — which translates to “alien plant” — were identified in eastern…
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Rare fossils of extinct elephant document the earliest known instance of butchery in India
During the late middle Pleistocene, between 300 and 400 thousand years ago, at least three ancient elephant relatives died near…
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Fossils from the Adriatic Sea show a recent and worrying reversal of fortunes
If you’d stopped monitoring the Adriatic Sea’s marine life in the mid-20th century, the outlook would have been promising. Snails…
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Three new extinct walnut species discovered in high Arctic mummified forest
In a new study, scientists describe three new, but long-extinct, walnut species on an island above the Arctic Circle. The…
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Tiger beetles fight off bat attacks with ultrasonic mimicry
Bats, as the main predator of night-flying insects, create a selective pressure that has led many of their prey to…
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Human activity is making it harder for scientists to interpret oceans’ past
New research shows human activity is significantly altering the ways in which marine organisms are preserved, with lasting effects that…
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Bella moths use poison to attract mates. Scientists are closer to finding out how
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are as bitter and toxic as they are hard to pronounce. They’re produced by several different types of…
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Seeing the forest for the trees: Tree diversity is directly correlated with productivity in eastern U.S. forests
When scientists and policymakers make tough calls on which areas to prioritize for conservation, biodiversity is often their top consideration….
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Scientists CT scanned thousands of natural history specimens, which you can access for free
Natural history museums have entered a new stage of scientific discovery and accessibility with the completion of openVertebrate (oVert), a…
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Panama Canal expansion rewrites history of world’s most ecologically diverse bats
Most bats patrol the night sky in search of insects. New World leaf-nosed bats take a different approach. Among the…
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