As terrestrial creatures, humans are largely unaware that much of life's history has taken place in the ocean. Indeed, life had been evolving and changing for more than 3 billion years—the …

The record reveals bursts of evolution and expansion interrupted by massive extinctions. Big changes happen through small steps over geologic time. We can trace the path of evolution in …

The ocean has gone through some dramatic transformations over time. This overview dives into our globe's ocean past.

They tell not only an evolutionary story — the family tree of life — but also how these creatures used to live. Fossils can be found throughout the geologic history of earth, going back billions …

Unearthing History: Mary Anning's Hunt for Prehistoric Ocean Giants Through Time Articles Slideshow

As the largest predator of the time, it ate a diverse array of prey including toothed and baleen whales, seals, sea cows, and sea turtles. As an opportunist, it also likely ate fish and other …

With its many life stages, its biology is truly vexing. But perhaps the biggest mystery has been tied to just where all eels set out for when they head toward the ocean via coastal streams and …

Projecto PaleoAngola scientists have unearthed fossils of the ancient reptiles embedded in the desert sea cliffs of Angola—a location once covered by sea water, then by up to 6,000 feet of …

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As new research continues, the key evolutionary placement of the coelacanth in the tree of life means that discoveries about them have implications for our understanding of what the first …