MS-LS4-1
Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.
- Fossils
Analyze This: How big was the biggest T. rex?
Only around 80 fossil Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons have been found. They probably don’t include the biggest T. rex that ever lived.
- Archaeology
An Egyptian mummy’s silent ‘scream’ hints at her violent death
A rare muscle stiffening known as a cadaveric spasm might explain the mummy’s open-mouthed expression.
- Archaeology
Scientists Say: Stone Age
This vast, mysterious stretch of time marks the dawn of human civilizations.
- Animals
Freeze-drying turned a woolly mammoth’s DNA into ‘chromoglass’
The 3-D structure of this now-glassy DNA revealed similarities — and differences — between woolly mammoths and elephants.
- Fossils
This paleontologist studies ancient mammal movement — virtually
Anne Kort uses computers to piece together the fossils of ancient mammals. Studying fossils virtually offers her more ways to study fragile remains.
- Animals
Corals may have been the first life forms to glow in the dark
Ancestors of modern octocorals may have lit up the deep sea as far back as 540 million years ago.
- Fossils
Young fossil hunters discover rare teen T. rex
In public view, scientists at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science will prepare the fossil for display. Their work will take about a year.
- Life
Bacterial fossils exhibit earliest hints of photosynthesis
Microscopic fossils from Australia suggest that some bacteria evolved structures for oxygen-producing photosynthesis by 1.78 billion years ago.
- Animals
Horned lizards and snakes tend to ambush their prey
The reptiles’ horns could help or hinder during foraging, depending on how they hunt. This might be why horns evolved in some species and not others.
- Life
Scientists Say: Ichnology
This field of science looks to understand life — past and present — by studying how organisms altered their surroundings.
- Animals
Let’s learn about why turkeys are dinosaurs
Modern birds are the only dinosaurs that survived an apocalyptic extinction event 66 million years ago.
- Humans
Scientists Say: Prehistoric
Researchers rely on prehistoric tools and other artifacts to study the vast stretches of time before recorded history.
