Paleontology

Researchers from Australia and New Zealand have discovered fossils from 16 species, including a new ancestor of the kākāpō parrot, in a cave near Waitomo on the North Island. The remains, dating back about one million years, reveal waves of extinction driven by volcanic eruptions and climate shifts long before human arrival. The find fills a major gap in the country's fossil record.

March 21, 2026 Reported by AI

Scientists have identified a new species of land-dwelling crocodylomorph from 215 million years ago in Gloucester, UK. Named Galahadosuchus jonesi, the reptile had a slender, greyhound-like build for fast movement on land. The discovery honors a schoolteacher who inspired the lead researcher.

Researchers at MIT have discovered chemical evidence in rocks over 541 million years old suggesting that ancient sea sponges were among Earth's first animals. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, identify molecular fingerprints matching compounds from modern demosponges. This builds on earlier work and confirms the signals originate from biological sources rather than geological processes.

February 25, 2026 Reported by AI

A cache of 250-million-year-old fossils rediscovered in Australia has shown a diverse community of early ocean predators following Earth's worst mass extinction. These marine amphibians, including species from the trematosaurid group, indicate a rapid global spread in the early Mesozoic era. The findings challenge previous views that limited such creatures to a single species in the southern hemisphere.