extinct

We know them in death. We know how they died, some of what they ate, how they grew, where they may have roamed, and even if they suffered from disease or injury. Preserved bones can tell us a lot, but perhaps just as interesting are the stories they left in traces, where their behavior, even for one moment, is captured in stone. Trace fossils—things like preserved footprints, scat, and nests—offer an intimate view to creatures that no longer inhabit this planet, demonstrating that ancient life may have been majestic,…

Scientists have identified prehistoric stone tools found in Poland as some of the oldest ever discovered in that region. Further, the scientists say the tools could be evidence of an extinct human species that is believed to have existed between 450,000 to 550,000 years ago. The tools were first discovered around 50 years ago in the Cave Tunel Wielki near Ojców, Poland. Most of the discoveries were boxed up shortly after being uncovered and then sent to storage. However, in 2018, scientists began working to…

An artist’s imagining of the dodo bird, which went extinct in the 17th century.Illustration: Colossal BiosciencesGenetic engineering company Colossal Biosciences said Tuesday that it will try to resurrect the extinct dodo bird, and it’s received $150 million in new funding to support its “de-extinction” activities.The dodo was already part of Colossal’s plans by September 2022, but now the company has announced it with all the pomp, circumstance, and seed funding that suggests it will actually go after that goal. The $150…

Adult and young of the ichthyosaur species Shonisaurus popularis chase ammonoid prey 230 million years ago, in what is now Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, Nevada, U.S.A. Credit: Gabriel UguetoFor many years, researchers have been studying a state park in Nevada, but despite their efforts, the reason for the high number of ichthyosaur deaths in the area some 230 million years ago remains a mystery.Blue and humpback whales, along with other marine giants of today, regularly undertake long migrations to reach waters where…

The type specimen that George Willett used to originally describe the species. Credit: Valentich-Scott et al.A tiny clam, previously only known from fossil records, has been discovered alive in the tidepools of Santa Barbara by researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.The discovery of a new species is always exciting, but it can be even more so when a species thought to be extinct is found alive. Researchers from the University of California, Santa…

Michigan State University doctoral student Kyle Jaynes shines a light on a harlequin frog rediscoveries in Ecuador. Credit: Alex Achig-VegaThrough literature review and fieldwork, Michigan State University researchers and partners in Ecuador have discovered that up to 32 harlequin frog species that were thought to be possibly extinct are still alive in the wild.This research, funded by the National Geographic Society, offers a “glimmer of hope” against a backdrop of bleak biodiversity narratives, particularly for…

Archaeolemur skull showing a large and robust anterior dentition. Credit: Ian TowleFascinating clues to the evolution of humans have been revealed through the analysis of the teeth of extinct lemurs. This is according to the findings of a new study by the University of Otago in New Zealand.Dr. Ian Towle, lead author of the study, says the “surprisingly large” monkey lemur, Archaeolemur, had novel anatomical features not seen in living lemurs, such as lacking a ‘tooth comb’ in the front of the mouth for grooming. Towle is…

The immune systems of people who are indigenous to the island of New Guinea may be partly shaped by DNA from an extinct human species, a newly published study says. Thousands of years ago, the ancestors of modern humans met and mated with Neandertals—and also with their close cousins and contemporaries, Denisovans. Though both Neandertals and Denisovans later went extinct (with Denisovans possibly sticking around until as recently as 15,000 years ago), billions of people around the world still carry the proof of these…

Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid hit the Earth with the force of 10 billion atomic bombs and changed the course of evolution.The skies darkened and plants stopped photosynthesizing. The plants died, then the animals that fed on them. The food chain collapsed. Over 90 percent of all species vanished. When the dust settled, all dinosaurs except a handful of birds had gone extinct.But this catastrophic event made human evolution possible. The surviving mammals flourished, including little proto-primates that would…

At the end of October, a Mississippi resident made a rare discovery along the drought-stricken Mississippi River – a fossilized jawbone from an American lion that roamed the area roughly 11,000 years ago, according to McClatchy News.It's only the fourth fossil of the ancient American lion found in Mississippi, according to the news outlet.Wiley Prewitt, a local resident, stumbled on what looked like a huge black tooth in the sand and decided to take the find to a Mississippi Fossil & Artifact Symposium and Exhibition…