Dinosaur embryo discovery: rare fossil suggests dinosaurs had similar pre-hatching posture to modern birds

The little dinosaur is curled up inside its shell the same way birds do before hatching, shedding new light on the link between the behaviour of dinosaurs and modern birds.

Fion Waisum Ma, PhD Student, Palaeobiology, University of Birmingham • conversation
Dec. 21, 2021 ~5 min

A new species of early human? Why we should be cautious about new fossil footprint findings

A new study finds more than one early human species lived on the landscape in Northern Tanzania 3.66 million years ago. But there are reasons to be cautious about the findings.

Sally Christine Reynolds, Principal Academic in Hominin Palaeoecology, Bournemouth University • conversation
Dec. 1, 2021 ~6 min


Baby giant pterosaurs may have driven smaller species extinct, fossil discovery shows

We examined pterosaur jaw fragments from the Moroccan desert to understand more about how these creatures evolved.

David Martill, Professor of ​Palaeobiology, University of Portsmouth • conversation
Nov. 11, 2021 ~7 min

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

Prehistoric creatures flocked to different latitudes to survive climate change – the same is taking place today

Today, Earth's biodiversity is highest at the equator – but it hasn't always been this way.

Bethany Allen, PhD Student, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds • conversation
June 28, 2021 ~8 min

Evolution of a smile: 400 million year old spiny fish overturns shark theory of tooth origins

Scientists have long believed that sharks were the first vertebrates to evolve teeth. Our new study reveals a more complex history.

Philip C J Donoghue, Professor of Palaeobiology, University of Bristol • conversation
May 12, 2021 ~6 min

One incredible ocean crossing may have made human evolution possible

Given tens of millions of years, wildly improbable events – like primates crossing oceans – are almost a given.

Nicholas R. Longrich, Senior Lecturer in Evolutionary Biology and Paleontology, University of Bath • conversation
April 29, 2021 ~10 min

Dinosaurs: how our understanding of what they looked like keeps changing

A transcript of episode 11 of The Conversation Weekly podcast, including an interview on Israel's foreign policy options following its recent election.

Daniel Merino, Assistant Editor: Science, Health, Environment; Co-Host: The Conversation Weekly Podcast • conversation
April 16, 2021 ~42 min


Largest ever flying creatures had longer necks than giraffes – we found out how these pterosaurs kept their heads up

Gigantic flying reptiles had impressive wingspans of up to 12 metres – and a special trick in their necks.

Cariad Williams, PhD Candidate, Paleoentomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • conversation
April 14, 2021 ~7 min

Tyrannosaurus rex didn't get its ferocious bite until it was an adult - new research

Our new study has found younger tyrannosaurs would have hunted small prey.

Andre Rowe, PhD Candidate in Geology, University of Bristol • conversation
March 9, 2021 ~5 min

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