The Ocean Through Time

Life began in the ocean around 3.5 billion years ago and as evolution progressed, many species went extinct -- and some left behind fossils -- as others appeared. And even now, the ocean hasn't stopped changing as evolution continues and humans leave their mark.

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New Archaeocetes from Peru Are the Oldest Fossil Whales from South America

The evolution of whales represents one of the great stories in macroevolution. It's a narrative that has mostly benefitted from an extraordinary series of fossils recovered from rocks around the world, including challenging field...

Long Before Coral, Mollusks Built the Ocean's Reefs

About 100 million years ago , during the heyday of the dinosaurs, reefs were...
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4,000 Years of Marine History through the Eyes of a Seabird

Most people have never heard of the Hawaiian petrel , an endangered, crow-sized...
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Top Predators Timeline

What makes a top predator? Razor-sharp teeth? Speed? Strength? Size? Who is the...

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The Whale Graveyard Whodunit

Mar 1, 2014
Often it's the tiniest organisms that do the most harm. One example is microscopic algae, which can grow rapidly to form harmful algal blooms . Such...

The Design of a Beautiful Weapon

Sep 3, 2013
This summer, many of you have likely enjoyed feasting on crabs, be they blue...

Whale fossils on the mainland, and into...

May 21, 2012
After a few long days of hard work on the island, we were finally able to...

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Did Whale Evolution Go Backwards?

Whales swim, but their ancestors walked. Whales are mammals (like us) whose ancestors lived on land. Life probably began in...

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