Figure 1: SMU paleontology researchers led a team that found that Louisiana marine reptile fossils, coupled with seismic images and a remarkable find in an oil well, tell the story of the intervals leading up to, during and after the dinosaur-killing asteroid hit Earth roughly 66 million years ago.

Figure 2: New research on fire-scarred trees reveals Western Apache communities had far greater control over landscape fire patterns than scientists previously thought possible. Credit: Tyson Swetnam