palaeontology

Cambrian explosion: First burst of animal evolution altered chemical makeup of Earth’s mantle

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The Cambrian explosion 500 million years ago saw a huge variety of animals evolve – and also led to carbon being buried in the seabed and ultimately carried into the planet’s mantle Earth 4 March 2022 By Michael Marshall The explosion of new species in the Cambrian period saw the emergence of many familiar groups … Read more

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

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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

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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