What's happened
A collection of recent paleontology reports shows giant ancient arthropods, cave lions with distinct lineages, and a Cambrian arthropod, highlighting ongoing shifts in our understanding of prehistoric life. New genome work also reframes how oxygen levels rose on Earth. Readers are kept current with discoveries spanning Canada, Russia, and the Americas.
What's behind the headline?
How we got here
Researchers are revisiting gaps and myths in deep time, aided by modern imaging, genomics, and museum collections. From a 3-foot-long Devonian scorpion to cave lions and Cambrian arthropods, these finds reshape how we think about size, evolution, and biodiversity. The Guardian and Independent sources provide context across geology, paleontology, and archaeology.
Our analysis
The Guardian provides context on the La Brea tar pits and Jurassic Oceans exhibit in London; NY Post reports on Praearcturus, a giant Devonian scorpion; The Independent covers the Cambrian Magnicornaspis garwoodi and the Kansas mosasaur; Ars Technica investigates oxygenation and subduction; The Independent includes Corbin Bullard’s mosasaur find; The Guardian discusses T. rex arms in light of new studies; NY Post covers cave lions DNA divergence; additional coverage from Guardian on plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs.
Go deeper
- What does this mean for how we think about size in ancient ecosystems?
- How do these discoveries change our understanding of evolution timelines?
- Which finding most changes your view of prehistoric life?
More on these topics
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Natural History Museum
A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more.