Fossils

Fossils: Prehistoric ichthyosaurs evolved rapidly to be as big as whales

by

A newly discovered fossil shows that within just 3 million years of their first appearance on Earth, ichthyosaurs had evolved into 17-metre-long giants Life 23 December 2021 By Riley Black An artist’s impression of Cymbospondylus youngorum Stephanie Abramowicz Fossil remains of one of the ocean’s earliest giants have been unearthed in Nevada. Named Cymbospondylus youngorum, … Read more

Shocking Fossil Reveals Car-Sized Millipedes Scuttled on Earth 326 Million Years Ago

by

If creepy crawlies make you uncomfortable, be glad you weren’t living in the Carboniferous period (around 100 million years before the dinosaurs arrived) in what is now Northumberland in the UK.   Scientists have made an astonishing discovery along this part of the coast of northeast England: a 326 million-year-old fossil, showing traces of the … Read more

Fossils: Remains of largest millipede that ever lived found on English beach

by

Arthropleura was the largest millipede ever to live, and palaeontologists have just found the fossilised remains of the longest specimen yet on a beach in northern England Life 21 December 2021 By Chen Ly Reconstruction of the giant millipede Arthropleura, which lived 326 million years ago Neil Davies The remains of a 326-million-year-old giant millipede, … Read more

Fossils in amber: Ancient insects preserve dinosaur-era swamp ecosystem

by

Rocks that formed in a swamp in what is now Spain 110 million years ago contain both dinosaur bones and amber rich in invertebrate fossils Life 7 December 2021 By Carissa Wong Part of a feather preserved in amber from the Santa Maria coal mine Sergio Alvarez-Parra An impressive trove of fossil-filled amber has come … Read more