A New Prehistory

Until recently, paleontologists were dependent on tiny fossil fragments to study prehistoric mammals, but a new fossil discovery in China has scientists thinking that mammals were bigger and more varied than they originally thought. We are now beginning to understand more about what features helped them to coexist and even outlive their reptilian neighbors.

Thanks to new technologies combining genetics, ethology, geology, and even particle physics, paleontologists can now recreate the missing branches of the tree of life. Now, paleontologists can show that there were far more feathered dinosaurs than previously believed.

We all hate dead bugs on the windshield, but we are very lucky that their size pales in comparison to their prehistoric ancestors. Hundreds of millions of years ago, giant insects dominated the sky, some even achieving wingspans of 2 feet. Out of the millions of insects on Earth today, none come even close to the bugs of the past. Why did they disappear?