Ancient Yellowstone

Microbes found in Yellowstone National Park's thermal pools have structures so ancient that scientists now believe that they could be close to the root in the universal tree of life.

There are places in Greater Yellowstone where the snow never melts, or at least, it never used to. Climate change is causing Yellowstone's ice patches to recede, so many archaeological treasures-if not rescued-will disintegrate within days.

Greater Yellowstone sits on top of a volcanic hot spot where devastating geological events unfolded. The result? A bizarre cemetery of fossilized forests that contain the remains of trees that died from molten lava, ash, and mud around 50 million years ago.

The Greater Yellowstone Area was once a rich grazing ground for huge Columbian mammoths; now, it's a prime hunting ground for paleontologists and archaeologists to study the remains of these beasts.

Montana's Hell Creek Formation is home to a trove of late Cretaceous fossils, revealing the last days of the dinosaurs; researchers have found a complete Triceratops skull that may reveal one of the last prehistoric battles before dinosaurs vanished.

Craters of the Moon National Monument is desolate, but 2,200 years ago, it was the site of today's Yellowstone Hotspot, known for violent eruptions and huge craters.