Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 2026.
Flora
Plants
Fungi
Newly named fungi
Mycological research Rea, Simpson & Wizevich (2026) study a sample of the ichnofossil Eopolis ekdalei from the Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation (Utah, United States) preserved with plant, insect and fungal remains interpreted as suggesting that Eopolis ekdalei was produced by termite, as well as suggestive of fungal farming by termites during the Late Jurassic. Baker & Casadevall (2026) report evidence from the study the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary section from the Denver Basin in Colorado (United States) indicative of elevated fungal abundance approximately 30,000 to 10,000 years before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event and coinciding with the Poladpur phase of the Deccan Traps volcanism, as well as evidence of a fungal bloom in North America immediately after the Chicxulub impact.
Cnidarians
Cnidarian research Bernad, Echevarría & Ros-Franch (2026) study the diversity dynamics of Conulariida throughout their evolutionary history, reporting evidence of decline of origination rates by the Late Ordovician. The oldest post-Ordovician coral reef in South China known to date is reported from the Silurian (Aeronian) strata of the Xiangshuyuan Formation by Yu et al. (2026). Wei et al. (2026) compare the diversification dynamics of photosymbiotic and nonphotosymbiotic corals throughout their evolutionary history, and find that photosymbiotic corals did not have a consistent evolutionary advantage over other corals throughout the Phanerozoic. Specimens of Montlivaltia with regular growth bands, interpreted as likely evidence of growth periodicities corresponding to lunar cycles nested within annual growth rhythms, are described from the Middle Jurassic strata from Lorraine (France) by Lathuilière (2026). Löser (2026) studies the composition of the assemblage of Hauterivian corals from the Yokonuma Formation (Japan), extending known temporal range of the genera Calamophylliopsis, ?Eohydnophora, Siderohelia and Palaeosiderofungia. Evidence of rejuvenescence in a Miocene coral Acanthastrea cf. polygonalis from the Band-e-Chakar Formation (Iran), interpreted as possible effect of thermal stress related to the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, is presented by Reuter et al. (2026). Moclán et al. (2026) study the biometric parameters and orientations of specimens of Cordubia gigantea from the Cambrian strata from the Constantina site (Torreárboles Formation; Spain), identify additional specimens at the studied site, and interpret the specimens from the studied aggregation as likely to have died during a mass mortality event. New fossil material of Octapyrgites elongatus, including the first known embryos of the species, is described from the Cambrian strata of the Yanjiahe Formation (Hubei, China) by Peng et al. (2026). Moreau et al. (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of Medusina atava from the strata of the Cham-el-Houa Siltstone Formation (Morocco), extending known geographical range of Permian freshwater medusoids into the equatorial zone.
Arthropods
Brachiopods
Brachiopod research Esteve, González-Cloquells & Arriola (2026) compare the columnar microstructure of Iberotreta sampelayoi and Genetreta trilix from the Láncara Formation (Spain), providing evidence of differences interpreted as related to distinct biomechanical characteristics, and link the diversification of Cambrian brachiopods to the variation of their skeletal architecture. A study on the diversification patterns of members of the genera Hesperorthis, Mimella and Oepikina across the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event is published by Stigall, Wright & Censullo (2026). A study on the composition of the brachiopod assemblage from the Ordovician Cabrières Biota (Landeyran Formation, France) is published by Harper et al. (2026). Zhang et al. (2026) publish a revision of the species "Salairella" latecostellata and a systematic revision of the genus "Salairella", providing evidence of distinctiveness of late Ordovician brachiopods assemblages from the Altai Mountains, Siberia and Mongolia compared to the ones from China and Kazakhstan. A new brachiopod assemblage, providing evidence of recovery of brachiopod communities in the aftermath of the Late Ordovician mass extinction, is described from the Wulipo Bed (Guizhou, China) by Shi et al. (2026). Huang et al. (2026) study changes of composition of Telychian brachiopod assemblages from the Ningqiang Formation (Sichuan, China), providing evidence of a shift from a deep-water fauna to one from shallower environment, interpreted as a response to regional uplift. Naamdhew, Penn-Clarke & Harper (2026) reconstruct changes of composition of Devonian brachiopod communities from Gondwana and their biogeography, finding evidence of reduced faunal exchange to high-latitude parts of Gondwana compared to assemblages from lower latitudes. A study on changes of diversity and distribution of Productida throughout the evolutionary history of the group is published by Chen et al. (2026). Fu et al. (2026) describe fossil material of Pseudolingula quadrata from the Ordovician Pingliang Formation (China), preserved with impressions of the musculature and the vascular system, and representing the first record of Pseudolingulidae from the North China Platform. Popov et al. (2026) report the discovery of a specimen of Mergliella aff. bechei from the Ludfordian Cae'r mynach Formation (Wales, United Kingdom) with a well-preserved pedicle, representing the first case of soft tissue preservation in a Silurian linguliform brachiopod. Müller et al. (2026) report a mass occurrence of specimens of Halorella amphitoma in the Upper Triassic strata of the Dachstein Formation (Hungary), interpreted as preserved in a palaeokarst cavity filled by seawater as a result of sea-level rise, and expanding known range of habitats of the studied species. Halamski & Baliński (2026) identify Cadomella quenstedti as a junior synonym of Cadomella moorei, and reevaluate the nomenclature and distribution of the genus Cadomella. New records of fossils of brachiopods from the orders Athyridida, Rhynchonellida and Spiriferinida from the Triassic and Jurassic strata in New Zealand and New Caledonia are reported by MacFarlan (2026).
Bryozoans
Bryozoan research Song et al. (2026) report the discovery of new fossil material of Protomelission gatehousei from the Cambrian Xiannüdong Formation (China), and interpret its anatomy as supporting its classification as an early bryozoan.
Molluscs
Echinoderms
Echinoderm research Nohejlová, Dupichaud & Lefebvre (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of Dehmicystis aff. ariasi from the strata of the Nantglyn Flags Formation (Wales, United Kingdom), representing the second record of Silurian Soluta worldwide reported to date. Sheffield et al. (2026) compare rates of evolution of traits of members of Diploporita, Eublastoidea and Paracrinoidea and study their phylogenetic relationships, reporting evidence of overall similar rates among the three groups, but also evidence of elevated rates of evolution of the attachment, thecal, reproductive and respiratory characters in paracrinoids. Paul (2026) revises the ambulacral structure of members of accepted genera within the diploporite family Gomphocystitidae, and tentatively assigns the species "Protocrinus" sparsiporus from the Ordovician of Myanmar to the genus Gomphocystites. Waters & Macurda (2026) reevaluate the affinities of blastoids and propose a new classification of members of the group, reorganizing them into three superorders on the basis of differences in their respiratory structures. The oldest known crinoid specimen comparable in size and developmental stage to an early pentacrinoid larva of living crinoids is described from the Ordovician (Katian) Verulam Formation (Ontario, Canada) by Ausich, Hetrick & Leslie (2026). The oldest evidence of crinoid tube feet preservation known to date is reported in specimens of Dendrocrinus simcoensis from the Ordovician (Katian) Neuville Formation (Trenton Group; Quebec, Canada) by Cole et al. (2026). Accumulation of crinoid fossils representing the first confirmed crinoid Konzentrat-Lagerstätte from the Middle Jurassic of Africa reported to date, dominated by Phyllocrinus stellaris, is described from the Bathonian strata of the Djara Formation (Algeria) by Salamon et al. (2026). Salamon et al. (2026) describe new cyrtocrinid crinoid fossil material from the Jurassic (Callovian and Oxfordian) strata of the Argiles de Saïda Formation (Algeria), including fossils of members of the genera Apsidocrinus and Tetracrinus older than the oldest reported European occurrences, and review the fossil record of cyrtocrinids from Gondwana, interpreted as indicative of diversification of members of this group in areas other than the European part of the Tethys Ocean, as well as indicative of complex dispersal patterns along northern and southern Tethyan margins. New information on the internal structures of Sergipecrinus reticulatus, including the first record of presence of sub-basal balls in the cup of members of this species (previously reported in other roveacrinids), is provided by Poatskievick-Pierezan et al. (2026). Poatskievick-Pierezan et al. (2026) report the first discovery of confirmed stalked crinoid remains from the Maastrichtian López de Bertodano Formation, providing evidence of presence of stalked crinoids in predator-dominated continental shelf ecosystems of Antarctica until the latest Cretaceous, filling the gap between Antarctic crinoid fossil record from the Early Cretaceous and from the Paleogene. Salamon et al. (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of stalked crinoids living in a nearshore setting from the Eocene Popiele Beds (Poland), interpreted as possible evidence of local persistence of shallow-water refugia for stalked crinoids after the ecological restructuring associated with the Mesozoic marine revolution. Stöhr, Jagt & Thuy (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of "Ophiolepis" falsa from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) strata in the Münsterland Basin (Germany), and transfer this species to the extant brittle star genus Actinozonella.
Hemichordates
Hemichordate research A study on the composition of the graptolite assemblage from the Ordovician Cabrières Biota (France) is published by Harper et al. (2026). Fossil material of Acanthograptus sp. and Dendrograptus sp., providing new information on the anatomy of callograptid graptolites, is described from a glacial erratic boulder of Ordovician (Sandbian) age from Germany by Maletz & Klafack (2026). Qiu et al. (2026) link the decline of graptolites belonging to the group Diplograptina during the Late Ordovician mass extinction and subsequent diversification of Neograptina to dynamic marine euxinia and enhanced sedimentary phosphorus recycling during the Ordovician-Silurian transition. A study on the morphology of members the graptolite genus Pseudoretiolites, on the composition of the genus and on the evolution of this lineage is published by Maletz et al. (2026). Crampton et al. (2026) reconstruct extinction dynamics throughout the evolutionary history of graptoloids, and find that the majority of graptoloid extinctions happened outside periods of significant extinction events, which were distinguished from time intervals of background extinction mainly by more frequent and prolonged pulses of high extinction rate.
Conodonts
Conodont research Goudemez et al. (2026) report evidence of covariation between the increase of sharpness of the blade and the reduction of the platform in the P1 element of the feeding apparatus of members of the genus Palmatolepis throughout the Famennian, likely related to increase in food processing abilities, and report possible evidence of trophic partitioning between juvenile and adult individuals of P. gracilis. Świś et al. (2026) report evidence of different strontium isotopic composition of bioapatite of conodonts from the Famennian strata from the Kowala Quarry (Poland) belonging to different genera, interpreted as likely resulting from trophic niche differentiation and/or different digestive physiology. Casas-Peña, Gutiérrez-Reyes & Navas-Parejo (2026) study the conodont biostratigraphy of the Rancho Nuevo Formation (Mexico), interpreted as indicative of late Moscovian–Kasimovian age of the studied formation. León-Caffroni et al. (2026) describe fossil material of Idioprioniodus conjunctus from the Carboniferous strata of the Itaituba Formation (Brazil) indicating that the species was not strictly confined to deep waters but also present in shallow epicontinental sea environment, and link its abundance in the studied area to the maximum flooding interval of the Amazonas Basin during the Bashkirian-Moscovian interval. Rojas Mantilla et al. (2026) report evidence of affinities of Carboniferous conodont assemblages from the Río Nevado Formation (Colombia) with conodonts from the North American Midcontinent. Xu et al. (2026) reconstruct the architecture of the multielement apparatus of Triassospathodus symmetricus. Qin et al. (2026) provide a biostratigraphic framework for the Middle Triassic strata of the Nanpenghe and the Xuanlai sections of the Baoshan Block (Yunnan, China) on the basis of the study of the local conodont fauna.
Fish
Amphibians
Amphibian research Molnar, Hutchinson & Pierce (2026) compare limb functions of musculoskeletal models of Acanthostega and Pederpes and an extant salamander and lizard, and report that hip and shoulder mobility of the studied early tetrapods was not compatible with movement patterns of the studied extant tetrapods, but find no evidence that limbs of Acanthostega and Pederpes were less adapted for weight support or hindlimb-based propulsion compared to the studied salamander and lizard. Pardo & Mann (2026) report evidence from the study of fossils of stem-tetrapod (megalichthyid, aistopod and embolomere) hatchlings from the Mazon Creek fossil beds (Illinois, United States) indicative of direct development of the studied animals, with no evidence of a larval stage similar to those seen in extant amphibians. Evidence from the study of skull bones of temnospondyls, indicative of higher measures of morphological disparity and rates of evolution of bones that were lost in lissamphibians compared to bones that were retained, is presented by Kean et al. (2026). A new temnospondyl specimen, preserving anatomical characters seen in dvinosaurs and in dissorophoids and possibly representing a paedomorphic adult, is described from the Carboniferous (Gzhelian) strata of the Graissessac Basin (France) by Logghe et al. (2026). Evidence of variability in number and sequence of growth marks between different bones of a single individual of Sclerocephalus nobilis is presented by Klein & Konietzko-Meier (2026). Description of the morphology of the postcranial skeleton of Gerrothorax pulcherrimus and its changes during the ontogeny of the animal is published by Witzmann & Schoch (2026). Kear et al. (2026) revise the fossil material attributed to Erythrobatrachus noonkanbahensis, interpreting it as a valid species on the basis of the study of the holotype, and interpreting the referred material as belonging to cf. Aphaneramma sp. Revision of the fossil record and skeletal anatomy of Apateon caducus is published by Schoch, Proust & Mujal (2026). Spinal cord supports, previously known only in extant and extinct salamanders, are identified in the vertebrae of caecilians by Santos, Wilkinson & Zaher (2026), who also identify shallow grooves on the inner walls of the neural canals as homologues of spinal cord supports, and identify such grooves in Wesserpeton evansae. Jansen et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new assemblage of amphibian fossils from the Campanian strata of the Villeveyrac-Mèze basin (France), including the oldest European members of the families Albanerpetontidae and Batrachosauroididae reported to date. Description of the skull anatomy of Eoscapherpeton asiaticum is published by Kolchanov & Skutschas (2026). Syromyatnikova (2026) describes the anatomy of the skull of Mioproteus wezei on the basis of new fossil material from the Pliocene strata from North Caucasus (Russia). Isolated salamandrid (including Koalliella sp.) vertebrae are described from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian and Maastrichtian) localities in France by Macaluso et al. (2026), representing the oldest record of the group reported to date. Lemierre, Heinrich & Blackburn (2026) describe fossil material of members of Salientia from the Upper Jurassic Tendaguru Formation (Tanzania), including two humeri representing the oldest fossil record of members of frog crown group from Jurassic outcrops of Gondwana reported to date. A study on the composition of the Late Cretaceous (Coniacian or Santonian) frog assemblage from the In Becetèn locality (Niger), including the oldest known member of Ranoidea and a large indeterminate neobatrachian known from ornamented cranial material, is published by Lemierre et al. (2026). New fossil material of Gobiates sp. (the first confirmed record of a member of this genus from the Maastrichtian of Asia) and a large discoglossid-like anuran is reported from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) strata of the Nemegt Formation (Mongolia) by Syromyatnikova, Skutschas & Kolchanov (2026). The first fossil material of tree frogs from the Pleistocene of the Urals is reported from the Makhnevskaya Ledyanaya Cave (Russia) by Tarasova et al. (2026). A skeleton of a member of the genus Pelophylax, most closely resembling extant marsh frogs in limb bone proportions and sacral angulation, is described from the Oligocene strata of the Apt-Manosque-Forcalquier Basin (France) by Ponstein et al. (2026). Hiotis, Reed & Sherratt (2026) identify Late Pleistocene frog fossils from the Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Area (Australia) on the basis of the study of their ilial morphology. Ikeda, Takahashi & Hasegawa (2026) study the composition of the Pleistocene frog assemblage from the Minatogawa man site (Okinawa, Japan), reporting evidence of presence of taxa that are presently endemic to Okinawa, and evidence of presence of Fejervarya kawamurai, interpreted as indicative of natural dispersal of the species to Okinawa and refuting the possibility of its introduction by humans in the Holocene. A study on the composition of the Pleistocene frog assemblage from the Room 2 excavation at Cathedral Cave (Nevada, United States) is published by Salinas et al. (2026). A study on anuran fossils in the vertebrate assemblage from the Ravina das Araras (Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil), interpreted as consistent with presence of temporary bodies of water in a landscape dominated by open habitats during the late Quaternary, is published by Costa et al. (2026). Yu, Xu & Benson (2026) compare body size, cranial proportions, neck length and respiratory traits of Devonian to Permian land vertebrates, and find evidence of stronger constraints on body size evolution in the stem group of Lissamphibia compared to the stem group of Amniota, interpreted as likely linked to divergence of respiratory adaptations of the two groups.
Reptiles
Synapsids
Non-mammalian synapsids
Synapsid research A study on the diversity and evolution of the parietal foramen in Paleozoic and Triassic synapsids and reptiles is published by Jenkins et al. (2026). Warshaw, Singh & Benton (2026) evaluate possible factors influencing cranial shape evolution in carnivorous Permian synapsids, and identify adaptation for trophic functions as the primary driver influencing the cranial shape. Benoit et al. (2026) study endocasts of Permian and Triassic synapsids, and report evidence of a steady increase in encephalization that stalled after the Capitanian mass extinction event and did not resume until the Triassic, with no evidence of changes coinciding with environmental upheavals of the Permian–Triassic extinction event. A synapsid (likely caseid) tail impression preserving probable traces of epidermal scales and cloacal opening is reported from the Permian (Asselian) strata of the Tambach Formation (Germany) by Marchetti et al. (2026). Probable ophiacodontid tracks assigned to the ichnospecies Dimetropus osageorum, preserving imprints of epidermal scales from the pes, are described from the Permian (Artinskian) Rabéjac Formation (Lodève Basin; France) by Logghe, Buffa & Marchetti (2026). Angielczyk et al. (2026) describe a natural mold of a vertebra of a synapsid and a natural mold of a partial maxilla of a synapsid with sphenacodont affinities from the Permian (Cisuralian) Pedra de Fogo Formation (Brazil), representing the first definitive pelycosaur-grade synapsids reported from South America. A study on the dynamics of diversification and extinction of ophiacodontids, edaphosaurids and sphenacodontids, based on an updated dataset from the study of Didier & Laurin (2024), is published by Laurin et al. (2026), who find evidence that the slowdown in diversification of the studied synapsids began at the Carboniferous/Permian transition (earlier than indicated by the 2024 study), coinciding with a moderate extinction event, as well as evidence of a more severe extinction event in the mid-Kungurian. Snyder, Snively & Brink (2026) study the biomechanical properties of teeth of Dimetrodon, interpreted as consistent with adaptations of teeth of the studied synapsid to processing of large prey. Evidence from the study of bone histology, indicative of different growth strategies of Dimetrodon teutonis and diminutive North American members of the genus Dimetrodon, is provided by Canoville et al. (2026). Bishop & Pierce (2026) reconstruct the musculature of the forelimbs of Dimetrodon milleri, Oudenodon bainii, Lycaenops ornatus, Massetognathus pascuali and Vincelestes neuquenianus. A study on the phylogenetic relationships of therapsids is published by Duhamel et al. (2026). Evidence of stable morphospace occupation by dicynodont beaks throughout the Permian-Triassic transition, as well as evidence of different function of beaks of contemporary dicynodonts, turtles and archosauromorphs that were likely linked to different feeding behaviors, is presented by Landi et al. (2026). Benoit, Fernandez & Botha (2026) identify a curled perinate specimen of Lystrosaurus from the Lower Triassic strata of the Balfour or Katberg Formation (South Africa) as likely to be an embryo originally preserved within an egg, and interpret Lystrosaurus as a precocial animal unlikely to feed on milk. Suchkova, Bulanov & Masyutin (2026) report evidence of preservation of remains of a specimen of Emeroleter levis within the abdominal cavity of a specimen of Viatkosuchus sumini from the Permian (Capitanian) strata from the Kotel'nich locality (Kirov Oblast, Russia). Redescription and a study on the affinities of Cistecynodon parvus is published by Lund et al. (2026). Description of the maxillary canal system in Cynognathus and Diademodon is published by Benoit, Buffa & Day (2026). Description of the anatomy of the pectoral girdle and forelimb of Siriusgnathus niemeyerorum is published by Martins & Kerber (2026). Gaetano et al. (2026) identify a probable neonatal line in a large specimen of Chiniquodon theotonicus from the Carnian Chañares Formation (Argentina), determine that the size of the studied individual at birth was comparable with those seen in extant placental mammals, and interpret C. theotonicus as likely to be viviparous. Michelotti et al. (2026) describe new fossil material of Prozostrodon brasiliensis from the Triassic strata of the Santa Maria Supersequence (Brazil), providing new information on the postcranial anatomy and bone histology of members of this species. Guo, Zhou & Zhao (2026) study the histology of a fibula of an indeterminate docodontan from the Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation (China), reporting evidence of a cyclical growth during early life and possible adapations to fossoriality. Averianov & Sues (2026) report the discovery of an isolated ulna of Docodon from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation (Wyoming, United States), and find no evidence of fossorial or aquatic adaptations.
Mammals
Other animals
Other animal research Boan & Droser (2026) interpret cases of contant of margins of specimens of Aspidella from the Ediacara Member of the Rawnsley Quartzite (Australia) as more likely representing competitive interactions (overgrowth) than reproductive process. A study on the biogeography and changes of diversity of Cambrian chancelloriids throughout the evolutionary history of the group is published by Yun & Zhang (2026). Rossi et al. (2026) reconstruct the evolutionary history of sponges on the basis of a phylogeny recovered from phylogenomic analyses and molecular clock analyses constraining the age of 12 major sponge clades on the basis of the fossil record, and interpret their findings as indicative of an Ediacaran origin of sponges, as well as indicating that the ancestral sponges were not biomineralized and lacked spicules, and that biosilicification and biocalcification evolved independently in multiple sponge lineages. Qureshi et al. (2026) study probable functions of the thorny corolla and T-shaped ridges in the spines of Yukonensis yukonensis, interpreting the latter structures as unlikely to improve structural reinforcement. A study on the composition of the assemblage of hexactinellid sponges from the Ordovician Cabrières Biota (France), identifying features of the studied biota shared with and distinct from sponges from the Fezouata and Klabava biotas, is published by Li & Reitner (2026). Lee (2026) interprets the emergence of high-relief reef construction in the Silurian as linked to the diversification of stromatoporoids with rigid skeletal framework rather than to environmental factors. Evidence of motility and behavioral handedness of specimens of Spriggina floundersi is reported by Evans et al. (2026). Wu et al. (2026) describe fossil material of Kimberella from the Ediacaran Shibantan Member of the Dengying Formation (China), representing one of the youngest known records of this genus and extending its known spatial distribution. A study on the composition of the assemblage of worm-like animals from the Cabrières Biota is published by Vannier et al. (2026), who report evidence of presence of both scalidophorans and possible lophotrochozoan worms. Possible evidence of systematic, rhythmic behavioral changes in a population of Silurian worm-like animals is reported on the basis of study of trace fossils from the Llandovery Qingshui Formation (Hubei, China) by Liu et al. (2026). Evidence of reduction in body size of scolecodonts across the Frasnian/Famennian Kellwasser Events, possibly linked to oxygen stress, is presented by Chilcoat & Cohen (2026). Vinn et al. (2026) report the discovery of possible remains of a lophophore in specimens of Cornulites from the Silurian Kaochiapien Formation (Hubei, China), supporting the classification of cornulitids as lophophorates. A study on the structure of sclerites of early Cambrian eccentrothecimorph tommotiids from Australia, including description of the newly discovered scleritome of Kulparina rostrata, is published by Fjeld et al. (2026). New information on the anatomy of "Pelagiella" subangulata, based on the study of new, well-preserved fossil material from the Cambrian strata from Flinders Ranges (Australia), is presented by Richter Stretton et al. (2026). Xiao et al. (2026) report the discovery of a probable specimen of Wronascolex sp. from the Cambrian (Wuliuan) Tianpeng Formation (Yunnan, China), preserved with taphonomical features interpreted as broadly consistent with Burgess Shale-type preservation. The youngest fossil material of a selkirkiid scalidophoran reported to date is described from the Devonian (Pragian) strata of the La Roche Formation (Belgium) by Van Roy et al. (2026). The first fossils of members of the genus Quadratapora found outside of South China and Siberia are reported from the Cambrian strata from South Australia and Kazakhstan by Beidatsch et al. (2026). Evidence supporting the interpretation of luolishaniid lobopodians as epibenthic suspension feeders is presented by Richards & Ortega-Hernández (2026). Tian et al. (2026) identify vessels with protein and iron signatures in yunnanozoans specimens from the Cambrian strata of the Maotianshan Shale Member of the Yu'anshan Formation (China), interpreted as ventral and dorsal aortae.
Foraminifera
Foraminiferal research Cózar, Somerville & Hounslow (2026) revise the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of earliest members of Fusulinida, and consider fusulinids to be more likely a polyphyletic group than a monophyletic one. Evidence of gradual changes of composition of the foraminiferal assemblage from the Pieniny Klippen Belt (Ukraine) in response to environmental changes during the Sinemurian-Pliensbachian transition is presented by Józsa et al. (2026). Golfinopoulos et al. (2026) report the first discovery of benthic foraminifera from the Lower Jurassic strata exposed in Greece. Evidence linking foraminiferal extinctions during the Oceanic Anoxic Event 1b to ocean acidification is presented by Chen et al. (2026). Lowery et al. (2026) constrain the duration of the interval between the extinction of the Cretaceous species and the first appearance of Parvularugoglobigerina eugubina to between 3,500 and 11,100 years, and report evidence of appearance of as many as 10 new species of planktic foraminifera in this interval, with the first appearing less than 2,000 years after the Chicxulub impact initiating the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. A study on the phylogenetic relationships of Cenozoic planktonic foraminiferal taxa is published by Lamyman et al. (2026). Lu et al. (2026) study changes of foraminiferal species richness during the Eocene-Oligocene transition, reporting evidence of distinct evolutionary histories of marine foraminifera living in different habitats.
Other organisms
Research on other organisms Carbonaceous microfossils interpreted as remains of organic-walled microorganisms are described from the 2.7-billion-years-old strata of the Tumbiana Formation (Australia) by Ouyang et al. (2026). Hagen et al. (2026) determine the processes responsible for silicification of organic tissues of Cambrian cyanobacteria from the Harkless Formation (Nevada, United States). Liu et al. (2026) study the cellular structure of branches of Kordephyton from the Cambrian (Miaolingian) Mantou Formation (China), interpreted as iron-mineralized coccoid cyanobacterial colonies. Cyanobacteria with morphological similarities to Chroococcidiopsis and Gloeocapsopsis, colonized by parasitic chytrid fungi or chytrid-like organisms or associated with fungal hyphae and mycelia of uncertain affinities, are described from the Devonian strata of the Rhynie chert (United Kingdom) by Krings & Kaštovský (2026). Lechte et al. (2026) reconstruct the habitats of the oldest known (approximately 1.75–1.4 billion years old) eukaryotes, find them to be almost entirely restricted to settings with oxygenated bottom waters, interpret early eukaryotes as aerobic organisms that likely had mitochondria, and argue that eukaryotes might have expanded from oxygenated benthic habitats into planktonic habitats later in their evolutionary history, possibly during the Neoproterozoic. Vase-shaped microfossils of possible testate amoebae are reported from the 1.56-billion-years-old strata of the Gaoyuzhuang Formation (China) by Liu et al. (2026). Evidence from the study of spatial distribution of minerals and organic matter in embryo-like microfossils from the Ediacaran Weng'an phosphorite (Doushantuo Formation, South China), interpreted as consistent with a microbial origin of the studied microfossils, is presented by Lu et al. (2026). Phosphatized microfossils with morphological similarities to radiolarians and foraminifera are reported from the Ediacaran Dengying Formation and Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation (Shaanxi, China) by Luo et al. (2026). Evidence from the study of the fossil record of Tawuia, indicative of its growth from a discoidal Chuaria-like form and supporting its eukaryotic affinities, is presented by Lang et al. (2026). Flett et al. (2026) study the developmental biology of Megaclonophycus from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation, support the interpretation of Megaclonophycus, Parapandorina and Megasphaera as likely to be the same organism, find no evidence supporting animal affinities of the studied organism, and interpret it as a possible non-choanozoan holozoan. Shang, Liu & Zhang (2026) report the discovery of a new acritarch assemblage from the Ediacaran strata of the Kheseen Formation (Mongolia), providing evidence of presence of Doushantuo-Pertatataka–type acritarchs (otherwise predominantly known from pre-Shuram strata) in the horizon recording the Shuram excursion. Yang et al. (2026) study the composition of large acanthomorphic acritarchs from the Ediacaran strata of the Shuurgat Formation (Mongolia), reporting evidence of affinities of the studied assemblage with acritarchs from the Yangtze block (China) and Lesser Himalaya (India). Qiu et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new assemblage of compression fossils from the Tonian Changlingzi Formation (Liaoning, China), including fossils of members of the genera Chuaria, Tawuia and Protoarenicola. Loron et al. (2026) report evidence indicating that fossils of Prototaxites from the Rhynie chert were chemically and structurally distinct from contemporaneous and extant fungi, and interpret Prototaxites as a representative of an extinct eukaryotic lineage distinct from fungi. Evidence from the study of Eocene dinoflagellate cyst assemblages from the Ivory Coast–Ghana marginal ridge (equatorial Atlantic Ocean), indicating that the studied assemblages did not undergo significant changes of composition during those early Eocene hyperthermals that did not result in sea surface temperatures rising more than approximately 1.5 °C, is presented by Fokkema et al. (2026) . Zhao et al. (2026) link the displacement of green eukaryotic algae by phytoplankton groups whose plastids are derived from rhodophytes as the dominant marine phytoplankton in the early Mesozoic to structural characteristics of red lineage phytoplankton that enhanced their resistance to environmental reactive oxygen species. Ying et al. (2026) reconstruct extinction patterns in plankton communities during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, and interpret the reconstructed extinction patterns as primarily driven by darkness after the Chicxulub impact and by extinction thresholds influenced by body size. Smith et al. (2026) study the diversity dynamics of marine plankton during the Cenozoic, and report evidence of reduced extinction risk for autotrophs compared to other trophic groups. The first record of Plumalina sp. (an organism of uncertain affinities, possibly related to hydroids or macroalgae) from eastern Europe known to date is reported from the Devonian (Famennian) strata of the Maf-Khaia Formation in the southern Donets Basin by Dernov & Yefimenko (2026).
History of life in general Zhang (2026) presents a new hypothesis on causes of the rise of organismal complexity that made the Cambrian radiation possible in favorable environmental conditions, linking it to predator–prey interactions among unicellular holozoans that drove genomic novelty, and to motility acting as an evolutionary filter, with high-motility forms retaining unicellularity and low-motility ones ultimately evolving multicellularity. Wang et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new assemblage of late Ediacaran organisms (the Dongpo biota) from the Dongpo Formation (China), expanding known geographic distribution of the Ediacaran macrofossils. Kolesnikov et al. (2026) determine precise minimum age of the Ediacaran biota from the Chernyi Kamen Formation in Central Urals (Russia). Becker-Kerber et al. (2026) describe new filamentous fossils from the Ediacaran strata of the Tamengo Formation (Brazil), compare their structure to those of purported trace fossils produced by animals from the Ediacaran–Cambrian Corumbá Group reported by Parry et al. (2017), and interpret the studied structures as more likely representing microbial consortia composed of filamentous algae and bacteria rather than animal burrows. McIlroy et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new fossil site at Inner Meadow (Newfoundland, Canada) determined to be approximately 550.78-million years old and including most the Avalon assemblage biota, and interpret this finding as indicating that the Avalon assemblage and the White Sea assemblage were contemporaneous, and that both were affected by the first pulse of the End-Ediacaran extinction (the Kotlin Crisis). Mitchell & Manica (2026) interpret stoloniferous reproduction of members of the Avalon assemblage as a likely cause of low levels of within-species competition seen in the studied communities. Evans et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new assemblage of Ediacaran fossils from the Blueflower Formation (Northwest Territories, Canada), representing the first confirmed record of representatives of the White Sea assemblage in Laurentia. Li et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new assemblage of late Ediacaran organisms from the strata of the Dengying Formation from the Qingshuigou and Shanglijiao localities (Yunnan, China), preserving remains of Ediacaran macrobionts as well as vermiform animals and the oldest deuterostomes (stem-group ambulacrarians) reported to date. Evidence from the study of Ediacaran–Cambrian trace fossils indicative of exponential expansion of sensory ranges of early motile animals by the terminal Ediacaran is presented by Wang & Shi (2026). Zhuravlev & Wood (2026) report evidence from the study of the fossil record of Cloudina and earliest Cambrian archaeocyaths indicating that early animals were ecological generalists that were not preferentially associated with reefs, and link the distribution of reefs throughout the evolutionary history of reef-building animals to the presence of suitable environmental conditions and availability of substrates. Malanoski et al. (2026) report evidence from the study of the fossil record of shallow-marine taxa, indicating that throughout the Phanerozoic taxa with geographical distribution allowing easier access to north-south dispersal pathways were more resilient compared to taxa living along east-west–oriented coastlines, islands or inland seaways. Evidence of long-term northward shifts in marine biodiversity centers throughout the Phanerozoic, interpreted as linked to northward drift of major continental plates, is presented by Zhang & Shen (2026). Evidence indicating that presence of bioturbators and reef-building animals was associated with increased biodiversity in marine ecosystems throughout the majority of the Phanerozoic is presented by Cribb, Darroch & Gearty (2026). Song et al. (2026) study factors influencing extinction of fusulinoid foraminifera and 11 extinct groups of marine animals, reporting evidence of a slow decline largely independent of environmental factors and of a final, rapid extinction