About 66 million years ago – perhaps on a downright unlucky day in May – an asteroid smashed into our planet. Even groups that weathered the catastrophe, such as mammals, fishes and flowering plants, ...

A species of clam is back from the dead. Known as Cymatioa cooki, the clam had only ever been found as a fossil, and scientists presumed that the species had been extinct for more than 40,000 years.

Bivalves have pursued an infaunal lifestyle since early in their history. Trace fossils that have been attributed to the infaunal activity of bivalves include Hillichnus, Lockeia (=Pelecypodichnus), ...

The fossil record may not be perfect, but it passed a critical test with flying colors, according to a study by University of Chicago paleontologist Susan M. Kidwell that will be published in the Feb.

Ancient fossils unearthed in Morocco reveal parasitic worms burrowing into mollusc shells approximately 480 million years ago, pushing back the known timeline for parasitism by 60 million years. This ...

Human-harvested shellfish from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History research collections. (Credit: Brittany M. Hance and James D. Tiller, Smithsonian) Photos illustrating this research ...

Fossils are incredible gateways to the past, showing us what life was like many millions of years ago. One such find is Torreites sanchezi, a bivalve shell belonging to a group called ‘rudists,’ ...

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Stewart Edie, Smithsonian Institution (THE CONVERSATION) About 66 million years ago – ...