Prehistoric turtle was size and shape of a big car tire
The most peculiar feature of this new turtle is its extremely circular shell, about the size and shape of a big car tire.
Science Spotlight
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Walrus whale 3-D skull scan
This image shows a 3-D scan of the type specimen of Odobenocetops, the walrus whale, in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The skull of this fossil dolphin relative was collected in 2011 in...
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Report paints a new picture of early human impact on the Amazon River Basin
The newly reported reconstruction of Amazonian prehistory by a Smithsonian scientist, Dolores R. Piperno, and her colleagues suggests that large areas of western Amazonia were sparsely inhabited.
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Giant prehistoric turtle from Colombia chomped everything in sight–including crocodiles!
The specimen’s skull measures 24 centimeters, roughly the size of a regulation NFL football. The shell which was recovered nearby – and is believed to belong to the same species – measures 172 centimeters, or about 5 feet 7 inches, long.
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First ever record of insect pollination captured in 100 million-year-old amber
Scientists have discovered several specimens of tiny insects covered with pollen grains in two pieces of amber, revealing the first record of pollen transport and social behavior in this group of animals.
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$35-million donation will build new dinosaur hall at National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History will construct a new dinosaur exhibition hall made possible by a $35 million donation from David H. Koch, executive vice president of Koch Industries and philanthropist.
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Meet the 125-million-year-old pollinator “Jeholopsyche liaoningensis”
Jeholopsyche liaoningensis is a new genus and species of flying insect from northeastern China, recently revealed in two new fossil specimens.
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New fossil whale species raises mystery regarding why narwhals and belugas live only in cold water
A newly described species of toothed whale that lived some 3-4 million years ago during the Pliocene, is causing scientists to reconsider what is known about its living cold-water relatives: narwhals and belugas.
