James O'Donoghue

Bird evolution: 150 years of flying feathers

The remarkable period of evolution when dinosaurs became birds is finally coming into focus

Archaeopteryx loses status as earliest bird

A new feathered dinosaur from China is so similar to the iconic first bird that it has dragged Archaeopteryx out of the bird family tree

Found: The first ever animal trails

Tracks left in rocks 565 million years ago are evidence of the oldest mobile organism in Earths history

Found: World's oldest animal fossils

Fossilised sponges dating from 650 million years ago add support to the theory that life kick-started Snowball Earth

Dino-eating snake is killed in action

A rare fossil has been discovered, showing a huge snake as it prepared to feast on a baby dinosaur

Feathered dinosaurs show their true colours

A microscopic technique devised to reveal the colour of fossilised feathers has been applied to a dinosaur for the first time

Primeval forest: the evolution of trees

The leap from ankle-high plants to mighty trees was one of evolutions greatest moves, but how did it happen? New discoveries are changing our view of the first forests