Category: Palaeontology

Ancient worm fossil rolls back origins of animal life

More than half a billion years ago, a strange, worm-like creature died as it crawled across the muddy sea floor. Both the organism and the trail it left lay undisturbed for so long that they fossilized. Now, they are helping to revise our understanding of when and how animals evolved. Image: Dr. Zhe Chen at Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology

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Allosaurus on the auction block

On 4 June, geological hammers will give way to an auctioneer’s gavel as the fossilized skeleton of a gigantic predatory dinosaur goes up for sale in the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to the dismay of one of the world’s largest international paleontological societies. Image: zetgem

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This ancient fish was bigger than a whale shark – and faster than scientists ever imagined

Scientists have long struggled to explain why bony fishes are so small: The heaviest—the ocean sunfish—is just 2.3 metric tons, but cartilaginous fishes like whale sharks can weigh up to 34 metric tons. Now, a new study of an ancient giant suggests this modern difference is merely an evolutionary accident. Image: Maurilio Oliveira

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