A fossil jumping spider’s 15-million-year journey
Jumping spiders (Salticidae) are a recently evolved family of spiders. They are known for their distinctive large eyes and ability to jump long distances...
Dinosaur feathers reveal traces of ancient proteins
Palaeontologists at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland have discovered X-ray evidence of proteins in fossil feathers that sheds new light on feather evolution.
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Two new species of ancient primates resembling lemurs identified
Fossil evidence from the Tornillo Basin in West Texas and the Uinta Basin in Utah reveals two new species of omomyids—a family of small-bodied...
Proboscideans of the Hammerschmiede, contemporaries of the first upright ape
Today, there exist only three elephant species, in Africa and Asia. Yet the diversity of proboscidean species and their distribution was significantly greater in...
Prehistoric fish fills 100 million year gap in evolution of the skull
A 455-million-year-old fossil fish provides a new perspective on how vertebrates evolved to protect their brains, a study has found.
In a paper published in...
Slow growth in crocodile ancestors pre-dated their semi-aquatic lifestyle
Today's crocodilians (including crocodiles and alligators) all grow slowly, taking years to reach maximum size. In contrast, birds are crocodilian's closest living relatives, and...
