Fossils

Stunningly preserved fossils of reptilian footprints and underbellies discovered last year in the Italian Alps have helped researchers unearth a tropical lakeside ecosystem that predates dinosaurs.

The near-complete database reflects a spirit of trust and collaboration among the country’s scientific community — but will it last?

Until now, Antarctica was the only continent on Earth without any known amber fossils. But sediment cores taken from below the seafloor have revealed a tiny piece of fossilized resin holding fragments of an ancient rainforest that covered the South Pole during the Cretaceous period.

Researchers uncovered fossils of multicellular eukaryotes that are over a billion years old.

Enormous for its time period, this newly discovered marine worm likely ruled the seas at the top of the food chain.

A fossilized plant in a museum collection contained the oldest known disease-causing fungus, with microscopic images showing it bursting through the plant's wall.

Researchers mapped out "cake-like" fossil layers belonging to a group of ancient marine creatures from the supercontinent Gondwana that mysteriously died off 390 million years ago.

The earliest pliosaur 'megapredator' helped rule the oceans 170 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs.

The newfound vampyromorph species was equipped with defensive features not previously seen in the fossil record — and it's related to modern-day vampire squid.

The newly discovered species was part of the phylum annelid, which is made up of segmented worms.