Five mass extinctions – and what we can learn from them about the planet today
Of all the species that have ever lived, more than 99% are now extinct. Most of them quietly disappeared during periods of “background extinction”, whereby a
Category : Natural History
HeritageDaily – Natural history news and press releases from across the globe
The ‘Star dust’ wasp is a new extinct species named after David Bowie’s alter ego
During her study on fossil insects of the order Hymenoptera at China's Capitol Normal University, student Longfeng Li visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural
Radiocarbon dating of phytolith traces rice domestication to 10,000 years ago
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the world's most important staple foods, as it sustains more than half the global population. Rice farming has
Groundwater ‘pit stops’ enabled survival and migration of our ancient ancestors
An international team led by a researcher at Cardiff University believe that the movement of our ancestors across East Africa was shaped by the locations
Evolution on the fast lane — 1 flounder species became 2
A research group at the University of Helsinki discovered the fastest event of "speciation" in any marine vertebrate when studying flounders in an international research
New insights into the ancestors of all complex life
A team of scientists led by the University of Bristol has provided new insights into the origins of the Archaea, the group of simple cellular
How do blind cavefish find their way? The answer could be in their bones.
Imagine living in perpetual darkness in an alien world where you have to find food quickly by touch or starve for months at a time.
Why did hunter-gatherers first begin farming?
The beginnings of agriculture changed human history and has fascinated scientists for centuries.
Jurassic drop in ocean oxygen lasted a million years
Dramatic drops in oceanic oxygen, which cause mass extinctions of sea life, come to a natural end - but it takes about a million years.
African lions face same threats as extinct Ice Age ancestors
Newly published in the journal Ecography, the study shows that the wildlife that went extinct during the period, including the sabre-toothed cat, cave and American
Long Lost Monitor Lizard “Re-discovered” on Papua New Guinean Island
Scientists have recently found and re-described a monitor lizard species from the island of New Ireland in northern Papua New Guinea. It is the only
Researchers map the evolution of dog breeds
When people migrate, Canis familiaris travels with them. Piecing together the details of those migrations has proved difficult because the clues are scattered across the
Discovery in northern lakes may be key to understanding early life on Earth
A team of researchers has discovered that many Canadian lakes can provide new insights into ancient oceans, and their findings could advance research about greenhouse
The Giant Sloth was a Vegetarian – The diet of the fossil Megatherium has been decoded
Together with an international team, Senckenberg scientists examined the diet of the extinct Giant Sloth Megatherium. Based on analyses of the collagen in the fossil
Megafaunal extinctions driven by too much moisture
Studies of bones from Ice Age megafaunal animals across Eurasia and the Americas have revealed that major increases in environmental moisture occurred just before many
Successful Dig Reveals an Almost Complete Skull of a Saber-toothed Cat – A third individual saber-toothed cat was discovered in Schöningen
Led by scientists of the Senckenberg Research Institute and the University of Tübingen, the excavation team found the remains of a saber-toothed cat at the
Archaeologists identify skull of sabre-toothed cat
Leiden archaeologists have identified a number of bone fragments that were excavated in Germany two years ago. The fragments are from a sabre-toothed cat and
Antarctic penguin colony repeatedly decimated by volcanic eruptions
One of the largest colonies of gentoo penguins in Antarctica was decimated by volcanic eruptions several times during the last 7,000 years according to a
Legends of the lost reservoirs
Tucked away in a laboratory in University of Cincinnati's Braunstein Hall are tubes of rock and dirt that quietly tell a story -- a story
Courtship behavior trapped in 100-million-year-old amber
Courtship behaviours, frequent among modern insects, have left extremely rare fossil traces. In odonates, the male must persuade the female to mate in tandem and
Hawaiian biodiversity has been declining for millions of years
Hawaii's unique animal and plant diversity has been declining on all but the Big Island for millions of years, long before humans arrived, according to
New species of parasitic wasp named after ancient god of evil Set shows wicked behavior
Being able to manipulate its host's behavior while growing inside of it, a new species of parasitic wasp seems to have deservedly received the name