Fossils are rare - fossils with traces of food even more so. However, only these can tell us something about an extinct species' diet. Knowledge of predator-prey relationships is necessary to better understand ancient ecosystems, like the 131-120 million-year-old Jehol Biota in northeastern China. Through... click to read more

In his novel Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton envisioned dinosaurs being cloned using DNA from the blood inside ancient mosquitoes preserved within amber. Amber is a fossilized tree resin (not sap) that often contains plant and animal remains and protects them from many forms of decay.... click to read more

Ediacaran life is represented by a group of bizarre-looking fossils that are the remnants of the first complex life in Earth's oceans from over half a billion years ago. During this time, life was sessile and tranquil, with few traces of large-scale predation and movement.... click to read more

The coordinated movements of bird flocks, fish schools, and insect swarms are among the most impressive collective behaviors in the animal world. Such coordination can be achieved by simple behavioral rules for social interactions, like avoiding a collision from close neighbors and attraction towards distant... click to read more

The brain is a specialized organ that interprets information about the surroundings and translates it into behavior, allowing animals to cope with their dynamic environments. Ever since antiquity, thinkers (and helpless parents) have suggested that the activity of one's brain could somehow impact the fate... click to read more