Scientists Solve 320-Million-Year Mystery of Reptile Skin Armor

A new study traced 320 million years of reptile evolution using fossils and computational analysis.

It found that lizard skin bones, or osteoderms, evolved independently multiple times rather than from one single ancestor.

Goannas stand out as a rare case of armor being regained after it was lost.

The findings settle a long debate about how reptile skin armor evolved and how vertebrate armor can reappear.