A study of ancient human relatives' fossil footprints reveals that a previously thought smaller species was actually larger, while also showing evidence of group travel. The tracks, preserved over 1.4 million years ago in northern Kenya, offer insights into the behavior and interactions of these early humans.
SourceSmithsonian·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeObservational study·DateJul 27, 2026
A new study documents fossil footprints of eight adult Paranthropus boisei individuals, indicating human-like body sizes and complex social structures. The discovery provides a rare snapshot of 'fossil behavior' from an ancient hominin group in northern Kenya.
SourceMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJul 27, 2026
Researchers found that carbon from land was eroded and transported into the ocean, locking some carbon away for long periods. This process may have acted as a stabilising climate feedback, helping to gradually reduce atmospheric carbon levels over thousands to tens of thousands of years.
SourceUniversity of Southampton·JournalNature Geoscience·DateJun 16, 2026
Garmin GPSMAP 67i with inReach
Garmin GPSMAP 67i with inReach provides rugged GNSS navigation, satellite messaging, and SOS for backcountry geology and climate field teams.
Researchers discovered fossilized bee nests in a Dominican Republic cave, containing pollen and matching modern bee nest structures. The nests, dated to around 20,000 years ago, were likely built by solitary bee species using saliva-dirt mixtures.
SourceField Museum·JournalRoyal Society Open Science·DateDec 16, 2025
Salterella, a tiny Cambrian creature, has been reclassified with cnidarians due to its unique shell structure and mineral composition. The research team suggests that Salterella's shell served a distinct purpose, possibly related to feeding or stability.
SourceVirginia Tech·JournalJournal of Paleontology·DateOct 13, 2025
A study from the University of Lausanne reveals that larger animals and those with higher protein content tend to create reducing conditions more rapidly, which slow down decay and trigger fossilization. This explains why some ancient fossils are dominated by arthropods and others remain lost to time.
SourceUniversity of Lausanne·JournalNature Communications·DateMay 1, 2025
Researchers discovered that tropical riparian ecosystems recovered rapidly within two million years of the end-Permian mass extinction, indicating a faster-than-thought adaptation. This finding contradicts previous theories on ecosystem recovery and suggests that life on land may have been more resilient than previously believed.
Researchers have discovered a remarkably preserved fossil site in Massachusetts that provides a rare glimpse into terrestrial life from over 300 million years ago. The findings reveal a diverse ecosystem of early land-dwelling animals and plants, including some of the oldest known examples of their groups.
SourceHarvard University·JournalNature Communications·TypeObservational study·DateSep 18, 2024
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A discovery of 18 theropod tracks and four ornithopod tracks in the Wonthaggi Formation reveals that large carnivores roamed polar environments, feeding on prey like smaller dinosaurs, fish, and turtles. The finds confirm that a variety of dinosaurs lived and walked on the ground where their bones were found.
SourceEmory University·JournalAlcheringa An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology·TypeObservational study·DateSep 9, 2024
Researchers have discovered a series of bird footprints from the Early Cretaceous period in Victoria, Australia, indicating that diverse birds lived in southern polar environments during this time. The discovery provides new insights into the distribution and dispersal of early birds across landmasses.
SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS ONE·TypeObservational study·DateNov 15, 2023
A 312-million-year-old fossil found in the Carboniferous Rhode Island Formation provides evidence of how internal feeding, known as leaf mining, may have originated. The discovery sheds light on the evolution and behavior of holometabolous insects, including modern-day moths, beetles, flies, and wasps.
SourceHarvard University, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology·JournalNew Phytologist·DateOct 6, 2023
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.
The discovery of rare fossils in 130-million-year-old rocks reveals the earliest evidence of deep-sea fishes, dating back to the Early Cretaceous period. The findings shed light on an obscure chapter in the history of life on Earth, forcing scientists to reconsider factors that triggered vertebrate colonization of the deep sea.
SourceFaculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateSep 12, 2023
A team of researchers from South Africa has discovered exceptional trace fossils that provide insight into the locomotion of ancient giant amphibians. The fossils, found on a rock surface once part of a tidal flat or lagoon, suggest these animals propelled themselves through water with continuous side-to-side tail motions.
SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS ONE·TypeObservational study·DateMar 29, 2023
Researchers use advanced techniques to examine the middle Cambrian star-shaped fossil Brooksella, finding it lacks characteristics of sponges and glass sponges. Its internal structure and composition are similar to co-occurring silica concretions, leading to a reclassification as an unusual type of fossil.
SourcePeerJ·JournalPeerJ·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateFeb 24, 2023
A study published in Scientific Reports reveals fossilized tracks from the brown bear-sized Coryphodon, showing that large-bodied mammals regularly used marine environments after non-avian dinosaurs went extinct. The discovery is significant as it provides evidence of early mammal behavior and evolution.
SourceUniversity of Utah·JournalScientific Reports·DateMay 13, 2021
AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope
AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope supports teaching labs and QA checks with LED illumination, mechanical stage, and included 5MP camera.
A new trace fossil, Glossifungites gingrasi, has been named after University of Alberta paleontologist Murray Gingras. The discovery provides insight into ancient water salinity levels and helps narrow down the type of organism that created the burrow.
SourceUniversity of Alberta·JournalJournal of Paleontology·DateJan 26, 2021
Fossil burrows from northeast Taiwan reveal that giant ambush-predator worms, possibly ancestors of the 'bobbit worm', colonized the seafloor around 20 million years ago. The L-shaped burrows, reconstructed by Ludvig Löwemark and colleagues, provide a rare glimpse into these creatures' behavior beneath the seafloor.
SourceScientific Reports·JournalScientific Reports·DateJan 21, 2021
Researchers have discovered a 2-meter-long burrow attributed to ancient giant worms, providing insights into their behavior and habitat.
SourceSimon Fraser University·JournalScientific Reports·DateJan 21, 2021
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Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm) tracks health metrics and safety alerts during long observing sessions, fieldwork, and remote expeditions.
Scientists from Emory University discovered the first known fossil iguana nesting burrow in the Bahamas, dating back to 115,000 years ago. The finding provides new clues to the geologic and natural history of the islands, revealing that iguanas were present on San Salvador before European colonization.
SourceEmory Health Sciences·JournalPLOS ONE·DateDec 9, 2020
A graduate student has identified a new marine wood-boring trace fossil, Apectoichnus lignummasticans, found in the University of Alberta's Drill Core Collection. The discovery provides evidence that the shallow sea covering Western Canada extended into Saskatchewan roughly 100 million years ago.
SourceUniversity of Alberta·JournalJournal of Paleontology·DateSep 1, 2020
Research published in Science Advances by a University of Saskatchewan-led team reveals an explosion of ancient life on the ocean floor nearly 540 million years ago. The study found evidence of animals actively engineering their ecosystem, constructing diverse burrows that may have laid the foundation for greater diversity in marine life.
SourceUniversity of Saskatchewan·JournalScience Advances·DateAug 14, 2020
Researchers discovered large well-preserved footprints of a new species of crocodylomorph, which are ancestors of modern-day crocodiles. The tracks are more than twice as large as previously found batrachopodid tracks and indicate that the animals walked on two legs.
SourceScientific Reports·JournalScientific Reports·DateJun 11, 2020
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Fossils of Ikaria wariootia represent one of the oldest examples of bilateral symmetry and anterior-posterior differentiation. The discovery provides a critical link between Ediacaran and Cambrian animals.
SourceProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMar 23, 2020
A 550-million-year-old fossil found in China reveals that mobile and segmented animals evolved by the terminal Ediacaran Period, providing crucial evidence for the origin of segmentation. The discovery also helps scientists understand the producers of Ediacaran trace fossils.
SourceChinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters·JournalNature·DateSep 4, 2019
Researchers found 121 new millipede trackways in Ordovician sedimentary rocks, contradicting the current understanding of animal life on land. The discovery sheds light on a key evolutionary event and highlights the importance of ancient rock records in understanding global change.
SourceGeological Society of America·JournalGeology·DateDec 13, 2018
Researchers discovered fossil footprints for animal appendages in the Ediacaran Period in South China, revealing evidence of early animal life. The trackways indicate that bilaterian animals with paired appendages existed during this period, raising questions about their evolutionary origins.
SourceChinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters·JournalScience Advances·DateJun 6, 2018
Fossilized burrows from the late Ediacaran period show earlier origins of animal behavior, challenging previous theories. The discovery of large-sized, penetrative trace fossils indicates a radical transformation in marine ecosystems during this time.
SourceNagoya University·JournalRoyal Society Open Science·DateMar 12, 2018
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Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation, USB-C) provide clear calls and strong noise reduction for interviews, conferences, and noisy field environments.
A team of scientists discovered half-a-billion-year-old fossils in Brazil that reveal the existence of complex animals with muscle control approximately 550 million years ago. These findings challenge current fossil records and provide new insights into animal evolution.
SourceUniversity of Manchester·JournalNature Ecology & Evolution·DateSep 11, 2017
International scientists have discovered a short-lived community of organisms that may hold clues to forces shaping our planet today. The community, which included microbial mats, trace fossils, bivalves, and echinoids, was found in a moderately deep-water setting near Shangsi in China's Sichuan Province.
SourceChinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters·JournalGeology·DateMay 1, 2017
Researchers discovered a new fossil organism, Plexus ricei, resembling a tapeworm or modern flatworm, with bilateral symmetry unlike any other Precambrian fossils. The discovery sheds light on the earliest origins of bilaterian animals and their evolutionary history.
SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalJournal of Paleontology·DateMay 9, 2014
A new international study reveals that humans have left an unprecedented legacy of technofossils, including built environments and consumer products, which will be preserved for millions of years. These technofossils are expected to become the defining characteristic of the Anthropocene epoch.
SourceUniversity of Leicester·JournalThe Anthropocene Review·DateMar 25, 2014
A new study has discovered well-preserved fossil insect ears from 50 million year-old crickets and katydids, shedding light on the evolution of insect hearing. The findings suggest that these insects evolved their supersensitive hearing long before bat predators came to be.
SourceNational Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent)·JournalJournal of Paleontology·DateJan 2, 2012
Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor
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Paleontologists have found over 20 polar dinosaur tracks in Victoria, Australia, offering insights into the animals' behavior during a period of pronounced global warming. The tracks belong to three different sizes of small theropods and may have been made by three species.
SourceEmory Health Sciences·JournalAlcheringa An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology·DateAug 9, 2011
Researchers have discovered prehistoric fish trails, made by the ancient species Notogoneus osculus, in Wyoming's former Fossil Lake. The study provides evidence that fish were able to survive on the lake bottom despite low oxygen levels.
SourceEmory Health Sciences·JournalPLOS ONE·DateMay 6, 2010
A team of scientists from the University of Granada compared the Aznalcóllar spillage to the Cretaceous mass extinction event, finding similarities in sudden impact and high levels of toxic compounds. The study suggests that ecosystems can recover rapidly following such disasters, with evidence of life re-emerging within years.
SourceSpanish Foundation for Science and Technology·JournalGeobiology·DateFeb 2, 2010
Paleontologist Anthony Martin's discovery of dinosaur burrows in Victoria, Australia, suggests that burrowing behaviors were shared by different species across hemispheres and spanned millions of years. The findings indicate that small ornithopod dinosaurs may have dug into river banks to survive extreme environments.
SourceEmory Health Sciences·JournalCretaceous Research·DateJul 10, 2009
Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C)
Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C) keeps Macs, tablets, and meters powered during extended observing runs and remote surveys.
A 390-million-year-old sea scorpion fossil found in Germany shows that ancient arthropods like spiders and insects were much larger than their modern-day equivalents. The fossil claw is over a foot-and-a-half long, indicating these creatures were among the largest extinct arthropods.
A UC Riverside study sheds light on the emergence of bilaterian animals, suggesting they did not appear until 555 million years ago. The research analyzed trace fossils from the Proterozoic-Cambrian transition, providing evidence for the gradual increase in diversity and complexity of these ancient structures.
SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateSep 26, 2002
Scientists confirm British Columbia was once nearly 2,000 miles south of its current location based on fossil evidence and magnetism. The discovery supports the theory of massive Earth movements along a gigantic faultline.
SourceUniversity of Washington·JournalScience·DateSep 11, 1997
Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter
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