289-million-year-old mummified reptile reveals how breathing began on land

Scientists have mapped how Earth’s deepest mantle is being deformed—and the results point to long-lost tectonic plates buried thousands of kilometers underground. Using a massive global dataset of seismic waves, they found that most deformation happens in regions where these ancient slabs are thought to reside. The findings confirm long-standing theories but, for the first time, show the pattern on a global scale. It’s a major step toward understanding how the planet’s interior slowly churns ove

A bizarre crocodile relative from the age of dinosaurs is rewriting what scientists thought they knew about ancient reptiles. This poodle-sized creature, called Sonselasuchus cedrus, appears to have started life walking on all fours before shifting to a two-legged stance as it matured—an unusual transformation rarely seen in the fossil record.

Seasonal fires have darkened skies over Southeast Asia.

Modern medicine has played a significant role in improving the length and quality of our lives. While many treatments may seem like miracles, they are the result of a lengthy, rigorous research process. Drug discovery is a particularly time-consuming and costly activity that is fraught with complex challenges and labor-intensive bouts of trial and error.