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Image of a woolly mammoth skin from the Siberian permafrost.
Rebuilding the Genome of Woolly Mammoths
A well-preserved 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth skin sample with fossils of ancient chromosomes could offer a glimpse into the history of life.
Rebuilding the Genome of Woolly Mammoths
Rebuilding the Genome of Woolly Mammoths

A well-preserved 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth skin sample with fossils of ancient chromosomes could offer a glimpse into the history of life.

A well-preserved 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth skin sample with fossils of ancient chromosomes could offer a glimpse into the history of life.

ancient animals

A fossilized mammoth tusk sitting in a grassy field during sunset 
Woolly Mammoth Genomes Reveal Genetic Adaptations to Cold
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Dec 12, 2022 | 2 min read
Researchers identified mutations in genes that may be involved in fat regulation, fur growth, and morphology.
A wooded ecosystem with mammoths alongside modern species such as arctic hares
2.4 Million-Year-Old DNA Is Oldest Ever Recovered
Katherine Irving | Dec 7, 2022 | 2 min read
The DNA fragments collected from permafrost in northern Greenland unlock insights into an ancient ecosystem.
A scientific illustration of a Christmas Island rat
Genome Spotlight: Christmas Island Rat (Rattus macleari)
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Mar 24, 2022 | 4 min read
The near-complete genome of a recently extinct rodent elucidates the potential—and difficulties—of resurrecting species.
stone panel depicting a horselike animal led by ropes around the neck
Ancient Mesopotamians Bred Horselike Hybrids
Chris Baraniuk | Jan 14, 2022 | 4 min read
A genomics study reveals the parentage of a long-mysterious creature called a kunga, the earliest-known hybrid animal bred by humans.
Megalodon from prehistoric times scene 3D illustration
Classroom Science Leads to Revision of Megalodon’s Size
Connor Lynch | Sep 1, 2021 | 5 min read
A handful of high schoolers prompt scientists to develop a new approach for calculating the size of the ancient behemoth.
a micrograph of putative sponge fossils with small tunnel-like structures in white on a black background
890-Million-Year-Old Fossils Are Sponges, Oldest Animals: Study
Abby Olena, PhD | Jul 28, 2021 | 4 min read
If confirmed, the findings indicate that animals appeared on Earth millions of years earlier than previously believed.
New Mammal Fossil May Show How Ear Bones Evolved from Jaw Bones
Emily Makowski | Dec 6, 2019 | 1 min read
An ancient animal’s hammer, anvil, and stirrup bones are at the base of the jaw but completely detached from it.
ancient DNA puma parasite roundworm oldest maximum age feces coprolite faeces
Oldest Known Parasites Found in Ancient Puma Feces
Chia-Yi Hou | Aug 28, 2019 | 2 min read
Researchers isolate roundworm DNA from animal excrement that is about 17,000 years old.
Paleoart
The Scientist | Dec 31, 2018 | 1 min read
See an update from Chicago's Field Museum about the works of Charles R. Knight and other paleoartists who pioneered the depiction of ancient life.
Warming Water and Lack of Oxygen Caused Massive Extinction
Abby Olena, PhD | Dec 6, 2018 | 4 min read
Simulations of Earth’s climate 252 million years ago reveal that the same symptoms of modern climate change likely account for the time period’s extensive loss of marine life.
Original North American Dogs Descended From Siberian Populations
Catherine Offord | Jul 5, 2018 | 2 min read
European settlers likely wiped out these ancient dogs, but the animals seem to have left a lasting legacy in a transmissible canine cancer.
Infographic: Resurrecting Ancient Proteins
Amber Dance | Jul 1, 2018 | 2 min read

Learn the basic steps researchers take when reconstructing proteins from the past and how these biomolecules can inform engineering projects.

Scientists Bring Ancient Proteins Back to Life
Amber Dance | Jul 1, 2018 | 10+ min read
Researchers are resurrecting proteins from millions of years ago to understand evolution and lay the groundwork for bioengineering custom molecules.
“Carolina Butcher” Prowled Triassic North America
Bob Grant | Mar 20, 2015 | 1 min read
Researchers find the oldest and largest crocodile relative yet discovered.
Genome Digest
Jenny Rood | Jan 12, 2015 | 5 min read
What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes
Early Animals Oxygenated Oceans
Bob Grant | Mar 11, 2014 | 2 min read
Researchers suggest that ancient animal species helped oxygenate Earth’s oceans, paving the way for complex life forms to evolve.
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