View a directory of more than 300 dinosaurs

Explore an interactive timeline and map of dinosaurs across the globe

This tool maps dinosaur habitats based on fossil sites around the world. It includes short articles and additional information—including size, diet, and weight—about each dinosaur. A timeline and data table also allow users to compare dinosaur emergence and extinction dates.

Uncovering the evolution of history's largest dinosaurs

This article details how sauropods—the dinosaurs that Little Foot would call longnecks—repeatedly evolved to attain such colossal sizes, towering over other land critters, including tyrannosaurs and mammoths. Sauropods were giant, long-necked...

Watch animations of the creation and excavation of dinosaur tracks

The discovery of a dinosaur trackway in the UK emerged from a controlled explosion that removed limestone from an Oxfordshire quarry. The footprints provide unique insights into dinosaur behavior and movement, with marine fossils suggesting a lagoon-like environment.

Dinosaurs ranged from the size of chickens to multistory buildings

The largest known dinosaur, Argentinosaurus, was about 39 meters long and outweighed a Boeing 737. Species like Parvicursor and Epidexipteryx were less than 45 centimeters long, though the actual smallest dinosaur is likely lost to history.

Richard Owen coined the term ‘Dinosauria’ to group three giant reptiles

Identifying similarities in the fossils of Megalosaurus, Iguanodon, and Hylaeosaurus, Owen surmised that they were all part of a broader group of large terrestrial reptile species. The name “Dinosauria” came from combining the Greek words for “fearfully great” (deinos) and “lizard” (sauros).

T. rex needed the same amount of calories as 80 people every day

Tyrannosaurus rex is the most extensively studied fossil creature ever known. Every year, new research is added to the towering list of papers that try to draw …

Dinosaurs suffered from cancer, arthritis, and infections seen in modern animals

Using CT scans and advanced pathology techniques, paleopathologists have identified respiratory illnesses, malignant osteosarcoma, and other diseases in dinosaurs. The research has helped show how many of these ailments are not exclusively modern phenomena.

Millions of years of evolution produced dinosaurs with bizarre features

This list of the 17 weirdest dinosaurs includes a cross between a parrot and a porcupine, a dinosaur whose arms each ended with one finger, a vampire dinosaur, a dinosaur with wings on its legs instead of its arms, and a Harry Potter-inspired “dragon king of Hogwarts.”

Some dinosaurs evolved night vision and acute hearing for nocturnal hunting

Paleontologists analyzed the fossilized eye and ear structures of 16 theropods, finding that some had owl-like hearing and huge pupils. These characteristics are consistent with modern-day nocturnal species, including nightjars and geckos.

Dinosaur portrayals in film mistakenly limit them to only living in tropical climates

The ancient creatures have been brought to life in cinema by combining animatronics and CGI. However, creative liberties have created misconceptions about dinosaurs for audiences, including that the Tyrannosaurus rex could not see stationary prey.

Explore over 46,000 pages of Charles Darwin's manuscripts

The American Museum of Natural History hosts almost 35,000 digitized folios related to evolution within the fields of botany and zoology from Darwin's Beagle voyage. High-resolution color images, geological findings, and annotated books from Darwin's personal library are also viewable.

Browse the prehistoric salad bar with these ancient plants

In this video, Benjamin Burger, associate professor of geology at Utah State University’s Uintah Basin Campus talks about the different types of plants present during the Mesozoic Era. Professor Burger explores how these plants changed over time, served as food sources for the dinosaurs, and co-evolved with them during this period.

Herd behavior has been seen in 193-million-year-old dinosaur fossils

Scientists excavated eggs, juveniles, and adult remains in Patagonia, all arranged by age group. The organization into structured groups may have contributed to evolutionary success by consolidating eggs in one location to make defending them easier.

The booming fossil industry on the Jurassic Coast

Ever since the Jurassic Coast was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001, professional and amateur fossil-finders have increasingly set out for its craggly cliffs to discover ammonites, icthyosaurs, and even new discoveries. This photo essay takes a human look at the growing interest and industry in fossil discoveries along the famed 95-mile strip of England.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

Flip through centuries-old artifacts in this 3D library

Archaeology is hands-on work, giving researchers the ability to analyze artifacts from as many sides as possible to find marks left by those that came before us. While looking at pictures of artifacts gives you some insight, you're limited to...

An encyclopedia of anthropology

This online database offers articles and additional resources for all things anthropology. This free resource is filled with peer-reviewed entries that cover topics ranging from addiction to writing, and offers anthropological insight into more...

Learn about 100+ species of tardigrades found for the NC Biodiversity Project

North Carolina species can be searched for by their scientific name at the top left. Or just type in any letter to see a dropdown list of tardigrades that include it in their name. Clicking “Find” then displays the species’ image, description, distribution, and habitat details.

Exploring bird skulls

Birds inspire us to fly—but what about bird skulls? This collection of various birds' preserved skulls offers a peculiar "bird's-eye" view. See the many surprising shapes of beaks and eyeholes, from mockingbirds to turkeys, in this fascinating visual collection.

A collection of the world's best live animal cams

What are the animals up to? If you're too busy to get to the zoo today, you can take a quick glance at this site, which aggregates dozens of live feeds of animals from around the world. See elephants, bald eagles, and puppies all in one place—but...

Explore the animals that populate the depths of the ocean, from fish and coral in the first few hundred feet, all the way down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

View a gallery of diagrams for each volcano type with glossaries

The three major types of volcanoes—cinder cone, composite, and shield—each exhibit unique, lesser-known subterranean and surface features, including lava bombs, lahars, and spatter. Other types of volcanoes include lava domes, calderas, fissure volcanoes, and Maars and tuff rings.

View a gallery of images and videos of over 200 types of cells

Funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, the Cell Image Library houses over 60,000 pieces of media, including microscopic photographs, time-lapse videos of cellular activity, and 3D reconstructions of organic processes.

Desert wildlife: diverse, threatened, and misunderstood

This article sheds light on the surprisingly diverse wildlife that thrive in deserts, while also highlighting the gaps in human understanding of these ecosystems. Deserts are home to one-quarter of terrestrial vertebrate species—three percent of...

View some of the species named after David Attenborough

Acisoma attenboroughi is a dragonfly from Madagascar named in honor of Attenborough's 90th birthday. Stating they liked watching Attenborough's documentaries with their family, the discoverer of a flightless weevil from Indonesia named it Trigonopterus attenboroughi in 2014. A Peruvian frog was named Prisimantis attenboroughi in 2014 to honor Attenborough for raising awareness of wildlife conservation.

The Aztecs worshipped a vast pantheon of more than 200 gods

This detailed visualization breaks down how Aztec deities were identified through symbolic cues—colors, garments, poses, and objects—each reflecting specific powers and mythologies. It highlights fearsome figures like Tlaltecuhtli, the earth monster depicted with a gaping maw, said to devour the sun each night.

Explore the history, structure, and species of Australia's Great Barrier Reef with this interactive journey narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Some Pokémon have been named after real and fictional organisms, while some real-world species have been named after Pokémon, such as Chilicola charizard and Binburrum zapdos.

Explore the known asteroids, comets, and spacecraft involved in asteroid studies within our solar system with 'Eyes on Asteroids,' a 3D visualization from NASA.

See these 16 pieces of art evoking phobias of snakes, flying, spiders, and more. 

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Explore the archaeological treasures of Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

A century of Billboard issues documenting the evolution of popular music.

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement

Learn how to read a prospectus, the juicy document that any company must file with the SEC before going public.

In 1963, a basement renovation in Turkey revealed a passageway to a hidden, multilevel underground city that once housed as many as 20,000 people

The animatronic shark from Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' the first modern blockbuster, was a complex underwater apparatus called 'Bruce.'

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

Scientists can determine Earth's past climate conditions by analyzing air trapped in microscopic bubbles within ice cores—columns of compressed snow layers that build up over hundreds of thousands of years.

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

See the 25 of the best photos of auroras from around the world.

This poison ivy knowledge quiz—accompanied by photos of the plant's varied forms—may help you identify this common rash-inducing growth.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

See how Budweiser's famous Clydesdales spend their days at Warm Springs Ranch, where roughly 70 to 80 of the beer brand's giant horses can be found at any given time.

'Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,' a work by American painter Thomas Moran, inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park.

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.

The syncytiotrophoblast is the outer layer of the placenta and the largest human cell, spanning an area about twice that of a king-sized bedsheet.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.