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An international team of researchers has used three-dimensional laser scans to determine that Tyrannosaurus rex were likely 30% more massive that we once thought — and a whole lot hungrier. Be honest, now...how many of you woke up this morning thinking you'd hear the words "three-dimensional laser" and "Tyrannosaurus rex" used in the same sentence? More »
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Heart and brain surgeries are called "hypothermia-dependent" procedures because doctors often have to lower their patients' temperatures during surgery. The thing is, human blood doesn't transport oxygen as well at cold temperatures. Surgeons rely on synthetic blood substitutes to help the patient's body cope. More »
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The term "living fossil" gets bandied about a lot, but this eel found in an underwater cave in the Pacific Ocean is unlike any living relative, and has features that are only found in the fossilized remains of its ancient brethren. More »
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Countless animal and plant species teeter on the brink of extinction, but the DNA of their ancestors may point the way to survival. Paleobiologists are scouring fossil DNA to determine why species once thrived...and how they can do so again. More »
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Ripped straight from King Kong, creatures known as "terror birds" stalked South America millions of years ago, brandishing impressively huge beaks. New research into how they used this appendage shows just how appropriate their name really is. More »
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Using ancient DNA from Siberian specimens, a team of Australian researchers have managed to resurrect the proteins of mammoth blood and figure out precisely how they survived such a hostile environment. More »
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For a brief span of time, about 542 million years ago, the world belonged to the Ediacarans, a group of life forms so physiologically unique that biologists have considered giving them their own taxonomic kingdom. More »
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Humanity has a new older sister. A fossilized skeleton of Ardipithecus ramidus or "Ardi" predates Lucy by over a million years. The discovery has led to new insights about human evolution, suggesting previously unknown relationships to our chimpanzee brethren. More »
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Popular images of the prehistoric world are filled with spiny stegosauri, placid brachiosaurs, and rampaging tyrannosaurus rex. But one image we may need to revise is that of pterodactyls flying overhead. New research suggests the winged lizards were far too massive to stay aloft, although some paleobiologists are inclined to disagree. More »
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