Microbial mats have been hypothesized to improve the persistence and the preservation of organic remains during fossilization processes. We test this hypothesis with long-term experiments (up to 5.5 ...

Fossils are vital for calibrating rates of molecular and morphological change through geological time and are the only direct source of data documenting macroevolutionary transitions. Many ...

To learn more about decay and fossilization, researchers conduct unorthodox experiments—like dissecting decomposing animals in the lab. Christopher Intagliata reports. The fossil record is far from ...

It takes a long time to make a fossil. The fossilized dinosaur bones you see in museums spent tens of millions of years buried deep underground, transformed by heat, pressure, and chemical reactions.