A tiny bone fragment discovered in a Chinese cave is rewriting the history of a mysterious human lineage, filling a decade-long gap in our understanding. A slender, 4.5-centimeter segment of a forearm bone has provided researchers with a rare and...

The world’s longest cave system held an unexpected secret. Explorers ventured into the darkness and discovered a surprising resident scientists never saw coming. Spanning more than 686 km (426 mi) beneath Kentucky’s landscape, Mammoth Cave stands as...

Scientists are analyzing 1.4-million-year-old footprints to identify the ancient humans who traveled together and why they were never found walking alone. An extraordinary discovery of 1.4-million-year-old fossilized tracks in northern Kenya is forcing...

Scientists have brought the Jurassic forest to life by reconstructing the prehistoric songs of insects using 165-million-year-old fossil wing structures. For more than 165 million years, the soundscapes of the Jurassic period have remained locked in...

A mysterious forearm bone discovered in a Chinese cave suggests the existence of a previously unknown human group that defies current evolutionary models. Researchers have unearthed the first confirmed Denisovan radius, a discovery that offers a rare,...

Deep beneath Earth’s surface, the crust is stretching and thinning at an accelerating rate, according to new research into tectonic processes. The crust beneath Kenya’s Lake Turkana has been measured at a remarkably thin 13 kilometers, roughly 8 miles....

Despite rapid growth in renewable energy, fossil fuel emissions continue to rise, fueling record heatwaves and escalating global climate risks. A decade after the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement established a global framework to limit warming to 1.5...

A bold proposal to combat global warming sounds promising, but a recent experiment reveals the dangerous scientific challenges hidden beneath the surface. The Earth’s climate system is showing signs of rapid destabilization, moving beyond long-standing...

Paleontologists are using rare fossilized footprints to uncover dynamic insights into prehistoric animal behavior that skeletons alone cannot reveal. Paleontologists have identified what appears to be the first complete trackway ever left by an adult...

New stone tool evidence suggests Neanderthals inhabited Saudi Arabia 55,000 years ago, but experts are questioning if the findings truly confirm their presence. A new analysis of lithic artifacts discovered in Saudi Arabia’s Nefud Desert suggests that...

Muddy lakeshore frozen in time yields a rare fossil find—ancient footprints that reveal details bones can’t provide. Footprints preserved in lake‑edge sediments near Lake Turkana, northern Kenya, have provided a rare glimpse into the life of the...

A rare T. rex trackway discovered in Hell Creek reveals unprecedented details about how the apex predator moved 66.5 million years ago. Paleontologists have uncovered an exceptionally rare window into the life of a Tyrannosaurus rex: a...

Scientists find all tested Homo naledi fossils are biologically female, adding mystery to this extinct species’ mix of primitive and modern traits. The first Homo naledi fossils emerged from South Africa’s Rising Star cave system in 2013, when a team...

New Oceania Lancet Countdown report links climate change to surging heatwave exposure, escalating mortality costs, and widespread eco-anxiety among youth. A comprehensive assessment tracking health and environmental indicators across Australia and...

Ancient shark teeth found deep in the Atlantic are turning black, revealing a surprising secret about the metal-rich environments where they fossilize. Roughly 1,000 kilometers off the Brazilian coastline, a vast, submerged plateau hides a wealth of...

Scientists have reconstructed the prehistoric songs of Jurassic insects, revealing a mysterious soundscape preserved in ancient fossilized wings for eons. Scientists have successfully reconstructed the auditory world of the Jurassic period, recovering...