Fossils

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to geneticist Svante Pääbo for tracing human evolution by constructing the genomes of extinct hominins. Pääbo sequenced the Neanderthal genome and discovered a brand new human relative.

Some 180 million years ago, there lived an early mammal – built a lot like the guilty looking fella above – that became the earliest-known ancestor to all mammals on Earth, from the blue whale, to the camel, the rhino, the koala, and your good self.

Soft tissues don’t fossilize well, so scientists have to infer organ anatomy from bones. But an unexpected treasure trove of new information has been discovered in Australia, with a 380-million-year-old fish fossil preserving the oldest heart ever found.

Scientists have identified the earliest known mammal – a small shrew-like animal that lived 225 million years ago. The species, Brasilodon, had previously been categorized differently, but new research reveals a distinctly mammalian tooth structure.

Archeologists have discovered the oldest evidence of a surgical procedure in humans. A Stone Age hunter-gatherer, who lived more than 30,000 years ago, had a carefully amputated leg, making it the earliest known surgery by tens of thousands of years.

Armored dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Ankylosaurus were mostly big, bulky animals that walked on four legs, but paleontologists have now discovered a bizarre relative the size of a dog that strutted around on two legs.

While prehistoric insects encased in amber certainly are fascinating, they usually don't look all that different from today's insects. A newly discovered one, however, is so bizarre that it has been placed in its own unique family.

Scientists analyzing fossilized teeth unearthed in Bulgaria around 40 years ago have traced them to their original owner, which they believe to be Europe's last giant panda, a close relative of the giant pandas found in China today.

Cold sores are for life – but how long has the virus itself been with humanity? Cambridge scientists have now sequenced the genome of the facial herpes virus, including samples taken from several ancient human remains, and traced it back 5,000 years.

While many people have long hoped that the Loch Ness monster is a plesiosaur, skeptics have pointed out that plesiosaurs lived in the ocean. New research, however, now suggests that some of the creatures may have inhabited freshwater rivers.

The dinosaur king may yet retain its crown. Earlier this year a study proposed that the iconic Tyrannosaurus rex should be split into three distinct species, but a new analysis says there isn’t enough evidence for such a drastic shake-up.

It’s hard to find a cooler collectible than the skeleton of a long-dead predator. The latest to hit the auction block is a Gorgosaurus, a distant relative of T-rex, which will be offered for sale by Sotheby’s New York in its Natural History sale.