From Healthy to Extinct in 350 Years
New genetic research shows that the great auk population was large and diverse—until hunters swiftly drove it to extinction.
Jan 6, 2020 | 1,100 words, about 5 minutes
Scientific Field/Discipline: Paleontology
Subtopics or categories
Article list
The Ancient Underwater Boneyard That Tells a Dark Story
A snapshot of the sea, 75 million years ago.
Nov 8, 2019 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes
One of Earth’s Oldest Animals May Have Wriggled Around like an Earthworm
With fossils dating to the Ediacaran, Dickinsonia may have been one of the first creatures to ever crawl along the seafloor.
Oct 21, 2019 | 650 words, about 3 minutes
Jurassic Ark
For millions of years, ancient life hitched a ride across the seas on gigantic Jurassic crinoids.
Jul 29, 2019 | 900 words, about 4 minutes
Homo Sapiens Just Got Older—Way, Way Older
Bones found in Morocco place our lineage 100,000 years earlier and nowhere near where we thought.
Jun 7, 2017 | 850 words, about 4 minutes
Finding Our First Fish
Sharks aren’t primitive, and they aren’t the most primitive surviving jawed fish either. New fossils are rattling the fish family tree.
Jan 19, 2016 | 2,600 words, about 13 minutes
Stories from the Seven Seas
A lack of pirates, washed up megalodon teeth, and draining the ocean in this week’s roundup of coastal news.
Nov 6, 2015 | 450 words, about 2 minutes
Dinosaurs of the Lost Coast
Was Utah’s ancient coast a driver of dinosaur evolution?
Jun 10, 2015 | 950 words, about 4 minutes