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fossil: Quick Facts

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News •

Where are all the males? Ancient human fossils reveal a startling mystery • Nov. 11, 2026, 4:46 AM ET (Science Daily)
Traces of ancient blood found in 115 million-year-old dinosaur fossil, new study claims • Nov. 2, 2026, 4:01 PM ET (Live Science)
Scientists Discover a Terrifying New Dinosaur Hidden for 100 Years • Oct. 16, 2026, 3:00 AM ET (SciTechDaily)

Photos and Videos

fossil
fossil
Lufengosaurus
Dinosaur fossils found in Alberta, Canada.
Dragonfly fossil
fern
Fossilized leaf.
Figure 2: Trackways of a sauropod and a carnivorous theropod at Glen Rose, Texas.Courtesy, Library Services Department, American Museum of Natural History, New York City; photograph, R.T. Bird (Neg. N
Diagram comparing two columns of rock layers, labeled A and B, each containing distinct fossil illustrations at various depths. The matching fossils in corresponding layers show how geologists use fossils to determine the relative ages of rock layers, even when the sections are separated by 200 miles.
World map with red dots marking major dinosaur fossil sites across all continents except Antarctica, with notable concentrations in western North America, Europe, China, and Mongolia, as well as scattered sites in South America, Africa, and Australia.
The video thumbnail image shows an illustration of the bird dinosaur Longipteryx alongside two toy dinosaur figurines.
Dr. Jingmai O'Connor smiles and gestures toward a fossil of Archaeopteryx on display at the Field Museum, with exhibit text visible in the background.
Silhouette of a bird with outstretched wings holding a Hello, my name is ? badge, next to a set of four large, weathered bones on a dark background.
How were dinosaurs discovered?
Side-by-side illustration comparing a modern black-and-white bird on the left with a feathered dinosaur, Archaeopteryx, on the right, both with wings spread.
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Topics
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Key People

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Otto Heinrich Schindewolf
German paleontologist
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
British naturalist
Louis Agassiz
Louis Agassiz
Swiss-born American naturalist, geologist, and teacher
Georges Cuvier
Georges Cuvier
French zoologist
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Earl Douglass
American paleontologist
Alfred Sherwood Romer, 1965
Alfred Sherwood Romer
American biologist
Fossil hunter
Mary Anning
English fossil hunter and anatomist
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George Gaylord Simpson
American paleontologist
Sir Richard Owen
Richard Owen
British anatomist and paleontologist
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Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg
German biologist
Leidy
Joseph Leidy
American zoologist
Edward Drinker Cope, c. 1889
Edward Drinker Cope
American paleontologist
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Adolphe-Théodore Brongniart
French botanist
ameghino, florentino
Florentino Ameghino
Argentine anthropologist
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William Lonsdale
British geologist
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Charles William Peach
English naturalist and geologist
Marsh, Othniel Charles
Othniel Charles Marsh
American paleontologist
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Frank Hall Knowlton
American paleobotanist
Hyatt, Alpheus
Alpheus Hyatt
American zoologist and paleontologist
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Robert Kidston
British paleobotanist

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