We sequenced the cave bear genome using a 360,000-year-old ear bone and had to rewrite their evolutionary history

This is the oldest genome recovered from a non-permafrost environment.

Johanna L.A. Paijmans, Honorary Fellow, Palaeontology, University of Leicester • conversation
Feb. 26, 2021 • ~7 min

Prehistoric pigments reveal how melanin has shaped bird and mammal evolution

The study reveals changes in the functions of melanin over 500 million years.

Valentina Rossi, PhD Researcher, Palaeobiology, University College Cork • conversation
Feb. 9, 2021 • ~8 min

Giant ancient sharks had enormous babies that ate their siblings in the womb

New fossil detective work sheds light on the life of megalodon, the biggest predatory shark ever discovered.

Tom Fletcher, Honorary Research Fellow in Palaeobiology, University of Leicester • conversation
Jan. 11, 2021 • ~5 min

War in the time of Neanderthals: how our species battled for supremacy for over 100,000 years

Did Neanderthal military superiority delay our migration out of Africa?

Nicholas R. Longrich, Senior Lecturer in Evolutionary Biology and Paleontology, University of Bath • conversation
Nov. 2, 2020 • ~9 min

Pterosaurs increased their flight efficiency over time – new evidence for long-term evolution

Fossils reveal that dinosaurs' flying cousins become twice as efficient at flying over 150 million years.

Michael J. Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Bristol • conversation
Oct. 28, 2020 • ~6 min

Fossilised teeth reveal first mammals were far from warm blooded

New study used X-rays of the teeth of early mammals' to show they were more like cold blooded reptiles.

Pam Gill, Senior Research Associate in Palaeontology, University of Bristol • conversation
Oct. 13, 2020 • ~5 min

Ancient sea creatures spent years crossing the ocean on rafts – we've worked out how it was possible

New research show how crinoids could live for so long on floating wood without it breaking up.

Aaron W Hunter, Science Guide & Tutor, Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge • conversation
Aug. 10, 2020 • ~7 min

Why some species thrive after catastrophe – rules for making the most of an apocalypse

When the dinosaurs went extinct, some species took over the world. Adaptability, not survivability, explains why.

Nick Longrich, Senior Lecturer in Evolutionary Biology and Paleontology, University of Bath • conversation
July 20, 2020 • ~9 min

New dinosaur discovery in Switzerland fills a gap in evolutionary history of sauropods

How we identified a new ancestor of the likes of _Diplodocus_ from old bones.

Femke Holwerda, Postdoctoral Researcher in Palaeontology, Utrecht University • conversation
July 16, 2020 • ~6 min

Prehistoric climate change damaged the ozone layer and led to a mass extinction

New research on the Late Devonian extinction suggests the ozone layer could be naturally depleted as the temperature rises.

John Marshall, Professor of Earth Science, University of Southampton • conversation
June 1, 2020 • ~7 min

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