A social species? Newly discovered fossils show early dinosaurs lived in herds

The complex social behaviour in early dinosaurs observed in a new study lines up with other fossil evidence that dinosaurs were more bird-like than crocodilian-like.

Michael J. Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Bristol • conversation
Oct. 21, 2021 ~7 min

Tree-dwelling mammals survived after asteroid strike destroyed forests

An asteroid strike 66 million years ago wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs and devastated the Earth’s forests, but tree-dwelling ancestors of primates may have

Cambridge University News • cambridge
Oct. 14, 2021 ~4 min


T. rex had a cousin from the East Coast of North America

New research sheds light on two dinosaurs that once roamed what is now the eastern United States, including a cousin of the Tyrannosaurus rex.

Mike Cummings-Yale • futurity
Aug. 31, 2021 ~5 min

Newfound Aussie ‘dragon’ had a nearly 23-foot wingspan

"The new pterosaur, which we named Thapunngaka shawi... was essentially just a skull with a long neck, bolted on a pair of long wings."

U. Queensland • futurity
Aug. 11, 2021 ~5 min

Brain shape may explain how birds survived dinosaur extinction

The unique shape of their brains may help explain why birds are the only dinosaurs left on Earth.

Monica Kortsha-UT Austin • futurity
Aug. 2, 2021 ~5 min

Some Cretaceous dinosaurs lived in extreme heat

The global climate during the late Cretaceous Period, an era when dinosaurs ruled the planet, was warmer and more varied than previously believed.

Ida Eriksen-U. Copenhagen • futurity
July 19, 2021 ~6 min

Cretaceous dinosaurs lived in extreme heat

When dinosaurs were having their heyday in the late Cretaceous 78 million years temperatures were about two degrees warmer—and more volatile than thought.

Ida Eriksen-U. Copenhagen • futurity
July 19, 2021 ~6 min

Young T. rexes had a mighty strong bite

When they bit down, young T. rexes exerted up to 5,641 newtons of force. That's somewhere between the jaw forces exerted by a hyena and a crocodile.

Robert Sanders-UC Berkeley • futurity
June 8, 2021 ~11 min


Inner ear holds clues to how dinosaurs flew

The inner ear may clue paleontologist in on two particular phenomena: how dinosaurs interacted with each other and how they began to fly.

Jim Shelton-Yale • futurity
May 10, 2021 ~7 min

Nocturnal dinosaurs: Night vision and superb hearing in a small theropod suggest it was a moonlight predator

By looking at the eye bones and ear canals of extinct dinosaurs, researchers show that a small ancient predator likely hunted at night and had senses as good as a modern barn owl.

Roger Benson, Professor of Palaeobiology, University of Oxford • conversation
May 6, 2021 ~9 min

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