ancient animals

The DNA fragments collected from permafrost in northern Greenland unlock insights into an ancient ecosystem.

The near-complete genome of a recently extinct rodent elucidates the potential—and difficulties—of resurrecting species.

A genomics study reveals the parentage of a long-mysterious creature called a kunga, the earliest-known hybrid animal bred by humans.

A handful of high schoolers prompt scientists to develop a new approach for calculating the size of the ancient behemoth.

If confirmed, the findings indicate that animals appeared on Earth millions of years earlier than previously believed.

An ancient animal’s hammer, anvil, and stirrup bones are at the base of the jaw but completely detached from it.

Researchers isolate roundworm DNA from animal excrement that is about 17,000 years old.

See an update from Chicago's Field Museum about the works of Charles R. Knight and other paleoartists who pioneered the depiction of ancient life.

Simulations of Earth’s climate 252 million years ago reveal that the same symptoms of modern climate change likely account for the time period’s extensive loss of marine life.

European settlers likely wiped out these ancient dogs, but the animals seem to have left a lasting legacy in a transmissible canine cancer.

Researchers are resurrecting proteins from millions of years ago to understand evolution and lay the groundwork for bioengineering custom molecules.

Researchers find the oldest and largest crocodile relative yet discovered.

What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes

Researchers suggest that ancient animal species helped oxygenate Earth’s oceans, paving the way for complex life forms to evolve.