[eartharchives]

Scientists unearth a ‘petrified aquarium’ of 62-million-year-old fish fossils

An unexpected haul of nearly 500 fossilized fish in Egypt provides an unprecedented picture of how sea life rebounded from the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. Image credit: Ian Baylatry

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/fish-fossil-cretaceous-extinction-egypt

[eartharchives]

World's largest scorpion revealed by 415-million-year-old fossils

Fossil fragments found in the U.K. have been identified as remains of the largest scorpions ever. Measuring more than a meter in length, Praearcturus gigas was among the first large predators to ever stalk the land. Image credit: Franz Anthony

https://phys.org/news/2026-06-world-largest-scorpion-revealed-million.html

[eartharchives]

Tiny-armed alvarezsauroid dinosaurs might have been insect eaters, fossil scans suggest

CT scans suggest the tiny but powerful arms of alvarezsauroid dinosaurs evolved for digging, supporting the idea that they fed on insects. Image credit: Zhixin Han.

https://phys.org/news/2026-06-tiny-armed-alvarezsauroid-dinosaurs-insect.html

[eartharchives]

New Species of Fossil Axolotl Unearthed in Mexico | Sci.News

Paleontologists have identified a new species of the axolotl genus Ambystoma from several fossilized specimens found deep in the rocky outcrops of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. Image credit: Diana Guzmán-Madrid

https://www.sci.news/paleontology/ambystoma-quetzalcoatli-14811.html

[eartharchives]

For 100 years, scientists thought these red markings were natural—now researchers say they’re ancient art

A new analysis of red lines inside a cave in Wales suggests they were made deliberately by ancient humans some 17,000 years ago. Image credit: George H. Nash et al.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/oldest-cave-art-in-the-u-k-discovered-inside-wales-cave/

[eartharchives]

DNA solves 250-year-old mystery of the Seychelles’ lost crocodiles

DNA from museum specimens shows the Seychelles’ vanished crocodiles were not a unique species, but an isolated population of saltwater crocodiles that likely drifted across the Indian Ocean. Image credit: Shutterstock

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260528082503.htm

[eartharchives]

Scientists used a method from ecology to identify whether icy moons could hold conditions for life

New observatories and spacecraft missions are probing environments in our solar system that could potentially host life but have long remained hidden. Image credit: Jason Major, Cassini spacecraft/Flickr

https://theconversation.com/scientists-used-a-method-from-ecology-to-identify-whether-icy-moons-could-hold-conditions-for-life-283855

[eartharchives]

A Single Jawbone From Egypt Is Changing How Scientists Think About Ape Origins

For much of the past century, fossils from East Africa have shaped our understanding of ape evolution. Now, a jawbone found in the Egyptian desert adds a new dimension to that story. Image Credit: Professor Hesham Sallam

https://thedebrief.org/a-single-jawbone-from-egypt-is-changing-how-scientists-think-about-ape-origins/

[eartharchives]

Fossils of the Oldest Giant Crane in Europe and the Oldest Raven in the Iberian Peninsula Found in Granada

Scientists have identified fossils of a giant crane, raven, and duck that offer a rare glimpse into southern Iberia 1.2 million years ago. Image credit: O. Sanisidro

https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/05/fossils-of-the-oldest-giant-crane-in-europe-and-the-oldest-raven-in-the-iberian-peninsula-found-in-granada/

[eartharchives]

What was the biggest dinosaur? Fragmentary fossils make it hard to tell

Pinning down the largest sauropod dinosaur is no easy task, as these giants are often known only from fragmentary fossils that make their true size difficult to estimate. Image credit: dottedhippo via Getty Images

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-was-the-biggest-dinosaur-fragmentary-fossils-make-it-hard-to-tell-180988840/

[eartharchives]

Ancient altercations between musk turtles and alligator gar recorded in Florida’s fossil record

A newly described species of musk turtle from Florida appears to have led a rough life, with fossils bearing scars, bite marks, and even embedded predator teeth from encounters more than 5 million years ago.

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/ancient-altercations-between-musk-turtles-and-alligator-gars-recorded-in-floridas-fossil-record/

[eartharchives]

This 260-million-year-old reptile fossil is reshaping the story of turtle evolution

Learn how a 260-million-year-old Permian reptile, once thought to explain turtle evolution, turned out to belong to a different lineage, reshaping the story of turtle origins in the Triassic Period. Image credit: Gabriel Ugueto

https://www.discovermagazine.com/this-260-million-year-old-reptile-fossil-is-reshaping-the-story-of-turtle-evolution-49172

[eartharchives]

Paleontologists Identify New Hyaenodont Species in Pakistan

Paleontologists have recovered the fossilized remains of three hyaenodont species, including one previously unknown to science, from Miocene sediments in Pakistan. Image credit: Steven Jasinski / SergeyAtrox1

https://www.sci.news/paleontology/pakistan-hyaenodonts-14806.html

[eartharchives]

This newly discovered raptor may have hunted like a giant heron

A newly discovered raptor-like dinosaur from Patagonia is changing how scientists think about ancient predators. Credit: Gabriel Díaz Yantén

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260529043636.htm

[eartharchives]

Dinosaur mummy found with hooves and a hidden crest

In case you missed it: the new Edmontosaurus fossils reveal unexpected details—right down to its first-in-history hooves.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251129044518.htm

[eartharchives]

Turtles finally have a place in the tree of life: X-ray study of South African fossils was a decider

Palaeontologists have got a clearer picture of where turtles fit in the animal kingdom, thanks to analysis of a southern African fossil. Image credit: Gabriel Ugueto

https://theconversation.com/turtles-finally-have-a-place-in-the-tree-of-life-x-ray-study-of-south-african-fossils-was-a-decider-282871

[eartharchives]

500-million-year-old fossil helps fill a strange gap in our record of life on Earth

A newly described 500-million-year-old fossil suggests the mysterious Cambrian “Furongian gap” may reflect missing discoveries rather than a true collapse in life on Earth. Image credit: Thomas Turner

https://theconversation.com/500-million-year-old-fossil-helps-fill-a-strange-gap-in-our-record-of-life-on-earth-282730