Earth's first animal was the ocean-drifting comb jelly, not the simple sponge, according to a new find that has shocked scientists who didn't imagine the earliest critter could be so complex. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

Paleontologists from the University of Rennes (France) and the ESRF have found the presence of 356 animal inclusions in completely opaque amber from mid-Cretaceous sites of Charentes (France). The team used the X-rays of the European light source to image two kilogrammes of the fossil tree resin with a technique that allows rapid survey of large amounts of opaque amber. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

Researchers have discovered the first fossil orchid, a 15 to 20-million-year-old pollen specimen encased in amber, in the Dominican Republic. It suggests that the first orchids bloomed about 84 million years ago. picked by misswinkle 12 months ago

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Wednesday announced the discovery of 11 new animal and plant species in a remote area of central Vietnam. Scientists have found a snake, five orchids, two butterflies and three other plants new to science and exclusive to the Annamites Mountain Range. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

The forest is composed of a bizarre mixture of extinct plants: abundant club mosses, more than 40 metres high, towering over a sub-canopy of tree ferns, intermixed with shrubs and tree-sized horsetails. Nowhere elsewhere on the planet is it possible to (literally) walk through such an extensive swathe of Carboniferous rainforest. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Smithsonian National Zoo: Animal Cams

Take a virtual field trip to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park where you can see many animal exhibits streamed live through web cams. In addition to viewing the web cams, you'll find Fact Sheets and Photo Galleries that you can explore to learn more about the animals featured on these web cams. picked by bingo 2 weeks ago

Amusing article, although the page is wayyy too busy. I'm pretty sure witty Plimates could add more to the list. picked by gnikgnok 1 year ago

Beetles first appeared on Earth at the same time as the earliest dinosaurs but turned out to be much better survivors, a new evolutionary study has shown. Today, there are an estimated 350,000 known species of beetle on Earth, and probably several million more yet to be discovered, say scientists. The insects account for about a quarter of all life forms on the planet. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

French fossil hunters have pinned down the age of Toumai, which they contend is the remains of the earliest human ever found, at between 6.8 and 7.2 million years old. The fossil was discovered in the Chadian desert in 2001 and an intense debate ensued over whether the nearly complete cranium, pieces of jawbone and teeth belonged to one of our earliest ancestors. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago

The first fossil tracks belonging to large, carnivorous dinosaurs have been discovered in Victoria, Australia, by paleontologists. The tracks are especially significant for showing that large dinosaurs were living in a polar environment during the Cretaceous Period, when Australia was still joined to Antarctica and close to the South Pole. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

Diamonds more than 4 billion years old -- nearly as old as the Earth itself -- have been discovered in Western Australia, giving scientists vital clues about the early history of our planet. picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago

American scientists who announced one of the most significant fossil finds in the Arctic have set their sights on the North again, in hopes of finding more discoveries that could further bridge the gap between fish and land animal. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Guinness Book of World Records have named this specie the most fearless animal on earth. Just watch this video to see why. This unbelievable animal can take on the deadliest animals on earth without fear. picked by misswinkle 8 months ago

A fossil tree with its roots and leaves still attached has provided a tantalising glimpse of what the Earth’s first forests looked like long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Spanish researchers have reportedly unearthed a human tooth more than one million years old, which they estimated to be the oldest human fossil remain ever discovered in western Europe. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

A newly found species small enough to fit in the palm of a hand is North America's oldest known primate, according to a new study. The fossil is 55 million years old. picked by MandolinOrange 6 months ago

One microscopic organism has thrived despite remaining celibate for tens of millions of years thanks to a neat evolutionary trick. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

Perhaps the first stars in the newborn universe did not shine, but instead were invisible “dark stars” 400 to 200,000 times wider than the sun and powered by the annihilation of mysterious dark matter. The study calculated how the birth of the first stars almost 13 billion years ago might have been influenced by the presence of dark matter – the unseen, yet-unidentified stuff tha... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago

Astronomers have discovered the first known planet to survive its "red-giant" phase, a period when an aging star expands and engulfs bodies orbiting it. The discovery of the gas-giant planet three times the size of Jupiter offers a look at the future of our own solar system and what will happen to the Earth when the sun grows old and collapses. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and public broadcaster NHK have succeeded in capturing their first high-definition video of Earth from the Kaguya lunar explorer. The video isn't available for download yet, but they do have a beautiful preview image. picked by mitzuzake 11 months ago