Fossil Record

🔬 Advanced 3D imaging of ancient radiolarian fossils from Newfoundland has revealed that these microscopic organisms develop their skeletons through asymmetrical growth patterns that ultimately create seemingly symmetrical spherical shapes! Learn more here: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.200748

🦅 A reassessment of ancient bird fossils from Germany reveals that several specimens previously grouped together in reality represent distinct species, with the iconic Archaeopteryx containing more diversity than previously recognised: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.200245 @mfnberlin.bsky.social @lmu.de

🦕New study on Diplodocoidea (long-necked #sauropod #dinosaurs): diversity dropped sharply near the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary (~143 Ma), but overall diversity was actually higher in the Early Cretaceous than the Late Jurassic, peaking in the Aptian: doi.org/10.3897/fr.2...

A new, well-preserved adult male #moth has been described from #Eocene Baltic amber: Glaesopterix jonasdamzeni. Because this specimen exhibits a previously unknown combination of characteristics it has been described in a new #genus - Glaesopterix. Full study: doi.org/10.3897/zitt...

🌲 Bark #beetles have shaped forests for millions of years - but how many? At #BioSyst2026, Jules Ferreira compared multiple dating approaches to pin down when #Scolytinae actually evolved. They've also authored a paper in our journal: doi.org/10.3897/fr.2...

👐Such a great talk from Seraina Klopfstein at #BioSyst2026 in Uppsala: "Morphology is dead - long live morphology!" She's also a co-author in an article published in our journal: doi.org/10.3897/fr.2...

🎉 We're delighted to share that research published in our journal on penguin fossil geochemistry from Seymour Island has been featured in BBC Wildlife Magazine and ECO Magazine! ⬇️ Check out the articles below: www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts... ecomagazine.com/news/researc...

🐢 Advanced 3D scanning has been used to reveal the detailed skull, shell and limb anatomy of an ancient turtle fossil from Germany's Messel Pit, showing it to be a fascinating mix of primitive and more modern features! ➡️ Full study here: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.195537 @denvermuseumns.bsky.social

🐧 Millions of years of Antarctic climate history have been found locked inside the bones of fossilised #penguins! ➡️ Full #openaccess study in our journal: fr.pensoft.net/article/1923... ➡️ @pensoft.net's latest blog: blog.pensoft.net/2026/08/12/a...

🦖 Evidence of a chronic bone infection has been found in the tail of a horned dinosaur called Medusaceratops, showing it survived a traumatic injury for some time afterwards. 👉 Check out the full study: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.193112

🦖 Palaeontologists have uncovered an unusual bowl-shaped structure in Late Cretaceous rocks in Bolivia, bearing scratch marks that suggest a titanosaur dug it out. ➡️ Full #openaccess study: fr.pensoft.net/article/1987... 🐾 Guest blog post at @pensoft.net: blog.pensoft.net/2026/08/05/a...

🦖 An unusual bowl-shaped structure has been discovered in Late Cretaceous rocks in Bolivia, bearing scratch marks and grooves that suggest it was dug out by an animal rather than formed by natural erosion. ➡️ Study: fr.pensoft.net/article/1987... 🐾 Guest blog post: blog.pensoft.net/2026/08/05/a...

🦎 Fossils from 42 Early Miocene sites in Spain's Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin have shed new light on how reptile and amphibian communities evolved around 18 million years ago. Access the full study: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.189879

🐜 Five new fossil ant species in the genus Solenopsis have been described from Dominican amber, with one, S. lamellata, possessing a bizarre spine-like feature never before seen in the genus! Full study: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.181268 @bioone.bsky.social @harvardoeb.bsky.social

Aptian pollen (Gemmatricolpites) from Brazil shares ektexine structure with living Ilex despite differing apertures, hinting at an extinct Aquifoliales lineage. Combined with #Cretaceous Ilexpollenites and Ilex seed records, this suggest origin in North Gondwana: doi.org/10.3897/fr.2...

A tiny thalattosaur skeleton once proposed as a new species is actually a juvenile Xinpusaurus suni, new bone histology and anatomy show. Full #openaccess study: doi.org/10.3897/fr.2...

🪸 The oldest known fossil representative of Naibiomorpha, an extinct group of ancient insects, has been identified from the Middle Triassic of Shaanxi Province, northwestern China. 🔍 Check out the full study to find out more: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.194991

First fossil evidence of anguine lizards (likely Pseudopus) from the Tortonian-age Libros Konservat-Lagerstätte in Teruel, Spain. Learn more here: doi.org/10.3897/fr.2... #anguinelizard

🎉 Fossil Record has received a 2025 Scopus CiteScore of 3.3 and a Journal Impact Factor of 2.0! 📈 Both metrics are ranked Q1 for Palaeontology, with the CiteScore having moved up from Q2 the previous year. 🔗 Find out more by visiting our latest news announcement: fr.pensoft.net/news/1281

📖 We are thrilled to announce the publication of the second updated and revised edition of “The Postglacial Vegetation History in Southwestern Bulgaria: A Paleoecological Approach” by Prof. Spassimir Tonkov. 👉 Access the book here: doi.org/10.3897/ab.e178106

A new look at Middle Miocene plants from Graz-Andritz reveals a snapshot of ancient Europe. The flora tracks a seasonal, drought-free climate and highlights a unique mix of highly localized endemic maples alongside wide-ranging Eurasian relicts. Full study: doi.org/10.3897/fr.2...

🐹 Scientists have described a new species of ancient #gerbil, Debruijnimys primaevus, from the Early Pliocene in central Spain. Find out all the details in the #openaccess study: doi.org/10.3897/fr.2...

🦖 A single, late-stage foetus has been described in detail within the right uterine horn of the early-diverging ichthyosaur Besanosaurus leptorhynchus. 🔍 The orientation of the fossilised remains suggests a tail-first birth took place! ➡️ Find out more: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.183128

🦴 A second, remarkably complete skeleton of a rare Triassic marine reptile has been described. 🔍 Indeed, crucial information regarding previously unknown limb bones and variations within the species has been provided for the first time by this larger specimen: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.189975

🐟 New #cretaceous fossil skulls from Russia & the UK reveal that the swordfish-like Protosphyraena wasn't regionally divided - Northern & Southern Hemisphere species are far more closely related than thought. Read more: fr.pensoft.net/article/1915... #Paleontology

🐸A near-complete male ranid frog skeleton from the early Oligocene of France sheds new light on the deep roots of Pelophylax in Europe and hints that V4 vertebra shape may help tell species apart. Find out more here: doi.org/10.3897/fr.2... #paleontology #herpetology

🦴 A new taphonomic study of ancient Hipparion Red Clay sites in northern China has revealed how large mammal fossils were preserved millions of years ago. 🌍 It was found that these assemblages were formed by natural deaths on open landscapes before being buried by dust: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.189157

🦖 A nearly complete Stenopterygius fossil was identified from the Yorkshire coast, representing the first definitive confirmation of this ichthyosaur species within the UK. 🔍 Read the full study: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.185733 @univlille.bsky.social @smnstuttgart.bsky.social

A new 99-million-year-old beetle species, Mysteriohelota metallicus, was recently discovered preserved in amber from northern Myanmar. Check out the full study to find out more: fr.pensoft.net/article/1857... #beetlespecies #ancientbeetle

An analysis of 15,000-year-old microfossil records from the Norwegian Basin has improved our understanding of how ancient climate shifts, including the Mid-Brunhes Event, have shaped deep-sea life. Find out more here: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.e177205 @awi.de @geomarkiel.bsky.social

🐸 Rare fossils from Tanzania have revealed the oldest known ancestors of modern frogs found in Africa, dating back to the Jurassic period. 🦴 These specimens were discovered in the Tendaguru Formation. Read more here: doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.175525 @mfnberlin.bsky.social