Feathered dinosaur

Scaly, feathered, toothed, or beaked—long-necked, spike-tailed, tiny, or gargantuan—dinosaurs are a wildly diverse group. But certain dinos stand above the rest, both literally and on the plinth of our imagination. Here’s my definitive ranking of the best dinosaurs; I’ll be mightily impressed if you’ve heard of every…Read more... Scaly, feathered, toothed, or beaked—long-necked, spike-tailed, tiny, or gargantuan—dinosaurs are a wildly diverse group. But certain dinos stand above the rest, both literally and on the…

A spider pouncing on a parasitic wasp, in an ancient scene preserved in amber. Image: OSU College of ScienceAmber fossils are like a time capsule, preserving the three-dimensional structure of animals, plants, and other prehistoric items of interest. Every once in a while, however, paleontologists stumble upon some particularly bizarre specimens and scenes.Conventional fossils, with their faintly outlined pancaked specimens, can teach us plenty about the past, but they lack a certain pizzazz. Amber fossils, on the other…