Céreste, southern France – Scientists recently unveiled a stunning fossil that captures the delicate beauty of an emperor butterfly from 34 million years ago. Discovered in early Oligocene lake deposits, the specimen known as Apaturoides monikae offers the first definitive evidence of the Apaturinae subfamily fluttering amid ancient woodlands and waterways. This well-preserved find, housed ...
Florida – A 16-year-old visitor from Wyoming turned a routine fossil-hunting dive into a remarkable discovery last week. Aiden Andrews unearthed a rare 6-inch tooth from the megalodon, the largest shark to ever roam the oceans, in shallow waters off Manasota Key. His father, Brian, joined him on the guided expedition, which underscored the Gulf ...
Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa recently detailed 10 previously unknown moth species and seven new genera among the archipelago’s leaf-roller moths. The findings, drawn from museum specimens and remote field surveys, underscore the islands’ status as a global hub for evolutionary study. These tiny insects, often overlooked, reveal a history of repeated ...
Conservation efforts yielded remarkable results in 2025 when five bird species, absent from verified records for more than a decade, reappeared in the wild. These rediscoveries, confirmed through photographs and sound recordings, came as part of the annual update to the Search for Lost Birds List, a global tally maintained by a partnership of organizations ...
During the Carboniferous period, some insects achieved sizes unimaginable today, with wingspans stretching nearly three feet. Researchers have long puzzled over their disappearance, often pointing to shifts in atmospheric oxygen. A recent study in Nature challenges that view, showing these ancient giants could have thrived in modern air. The findings redirect attention to competition and ...
Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky – Deep within the world’s longest known cave system, paleontologists identified fossils belonging to two new species of prehistoric sharks that prowled ancient seas over 325 million years ago. These discoveries emerged from limestone formations that once lay beneath a vast shallow ocean, preserving delicate teeth and even rare cartilage ...
In the lush rainforests of British Guiana – now Guyana – early 20th-century explorers uncovered ecosystems driven by creatures far smaller than the charismatic megafauna often celebrated. William Beebe, a visionary curator at the New York Zoological Society, led expeditions that shifted focus from elusive birds to the dominant insects shaping jungle life. Recent digitization ...
Southern Florida – Intense summer heat poses a severe threat to the state’s most endangered bat species. Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign tested innovative artificial roosts to combat this challenge. Their findings highlight designs that maintain safe temperatures and successfully attract bats, offering hope for conservation efforts. A Rare Success in Sweltering Conditions ...
Three hundred million years ago, dragonfly-like griffinflies with wingspans reaching 70 centimeters dominated the skies over vast coal swamps on the supercontinent Pangaea. These colossal insects, far larger than any flying bugs today, sparked a enduring scientific debate about what allowed their immense size. A recent study led by researchers from the University of Pretoria ...
Maryland – Lawmakers took a decisive step toward honoring a prehistoric giant by unanimously passing a bill in the House of Delegates to designate the megalodon as the state’s official shark. This measure positions Maryland to pioneer the first such state symbol in the U.S., drawing on the creature’s ancient presence in the Chesapeake Bay ...
