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A black-colored, fossilized trilobite (an extinct marine arthropod) embedded into a caramel-colored sedimentary rock.
Background extinction

There exists an ongoing, lower level of species extinction intensity that occurs routinely over geologically long intervals between mass extinctions.

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The jaw of a Great White Shark on display in a wooden and glass case.
Do Mega Sharks Still Exist?

Best-selling author Sam Kean debunks the myth of the Megalodon, the 50-foot super shark that is long extinct.

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A hand holding the skull of the Asteriornis maastrichtensis, a fossil bird that lived about 66.7 million years ago, between his or her index and thumb.
Oldest common ancestor of chickens and ducks

Because of the anatomical resemblance of this fossil bird to various fowl, particularly chickens, investigators have assigned the nickname of Wonderchicken to this species.

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An illustration of three, black Microraptors, nonbird feathered dinosaurs that lived about 120 million years ago. One Microraptor is standing on the dirt ground between two trees, while another one is hovering slightly above the ground about to land next to the first Microraptor. The third Microraptor is flying through the air in the distance.
This dinosaur may have shed its feathers like modern songbirds

A patch of three oddly short feathers spotted among the fossilized plumage of Microraptor may be the first evidence of a nonbird dinosaur molting.

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