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Paleontology & Fossils news
How ancient moa survived the ice age, and what can they teach us about modern climate change
One species of iconic moa was almost wiped out during the last ice age, according to recently published research. But a small population survived in a modest patch of forest at the bottom of New Zealand's South Island, and ...
Ecology
10 hours ago
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Hot-blooded T. rex and cold-blooded Stegosaurus: Chemical clues reveal dinosaur metabolism
For decades, paleontologists have debated whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded, like modern mammals and birds, or cold-blooded, like modern reptiles. Knowing whether dinosaurs were warm- or cold-blooded could give us hints ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 25, 2022
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Palaeospondylus: Long-standing mystery of vertebrate evolution solved using powerful X-rays
The Evolutionary Morphology Laboratory led by Shigeru Kuratani at the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research (CPR) in Japan, along with collaborators, has found evidence that the mysterious ancient fish-like vertebrate Palaeospondylus ...
Evolution
May 25, 2022
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New wood fossil record of taxodioxylon reported from Chuxiong, Yunnan
Based on an early geochronological study, the Lvhe coal mine strata were identified as late Miocene and belonging to the Xiaolongtan Formation. Previous research on the Lvhe sediments has led to the discovery of numerous ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 25, 2022
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Yorkicystis, the 500-million-year-old relative of starfish that lost its skeleton
After four years of digging for fossils in a churchyard in York, Pennsylvania, amateur paleontologist Chris Haefner made an intriguing find. "I knew it was worth keeping," he said. He posted his discovery on Facebook.
Evolution
May 24, 2022
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What 40-million-year-old tropical reef corals tell us about climate change
Unusually well-preserved reef corals from the Geological and Paleontological Collection at Leipzig University hold a great secret: They allow us to travel far into the past and reconstruct climatic conditions in our latitudes. ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 23, 2022
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Ancient crocodile found in Peru sheds new light on their origin
A team of researchers at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, working with colleagues from the U.S. and France, has uncovered a prehistoric crocodile fossil in Peru. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society ...
Nearly 8,000-year-old skull found in Minnesota River
A partial skull that was discovered last summer by two kayakers in Minnesota will be returned to Native American officials after investigations determined it was about 8,000 years old.
Archaeology
May 22, 2022
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What the new Jurassic Park movie gets wrong: Aerodynamic analysis causes a rethink of the biggest pterosaur
One of the most exciting moments of the new Jurassic Park sequel, "Jurassic World Dominion," is when the Quetzalcoatlus swoops down from the sky and attacks the heroes' aircraft. With its gigantic wings reaching 10 meters ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 20, 2022
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Paleontologists find the jaws of an extremely rare bear in Taurida cave
Ural paleontologists discovered the lower jaws of an Etruscan bear from the Early Pleistocene (2–1.5 million years ago) in the Taurida Cave (Crimean Peninsula). Scientists reported the finding in the international journal ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 20, 2022
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Discovery of 'ghost' fossils reveals plankton resilience to past global warming events
An international team of scientists from UCL (University College London), the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum (London) and the University of Florence have found a remarkable type of fossilization ...
Evolution
May 19, 2022
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Unexpected differences between males and females in fossil mouse deer
Mouse deer are among the smallest ruminants in the world. Today, they live in the tropics of Africa and Asia and are barely larger than hares. Males and females differ little in appearance. But that was not the case about ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 19, 2022
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Previously unknown crocodile species lived in Asia 39 million years ago
Researchers from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment at the University of Tübingen have identified fossils of a previously unknown crocodile species in Vietnam. The nearly four-meter-long, almost ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 19, 2022
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Study shows how diet has transformed the ancient dog into a family pet
The shape of the mandible (the lower jaw) is influenced by the mechanical action of the jaw muscles that connect it to the skull, and mandible shape therefore reflects the diet of the animal. The lower jaw is also sufficiently ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 18, 2022
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First animals developed complex ecosystems before the Cambrian explosion
Early animals formed complex ecological communities more than 550 million years ago, setting the evolutionary stage for the Cambrian explosion, according to a study by Rebecca Eden, Emily Mitchell, and colleagues at the University ...
Ecology
May 17, 2022
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Previously unknown dolphin species were present in ancient Swiss ocean
Twenty million years ago, the Swiss Plateau region, or Mittelland, was an ocean in which dolphins swam. Researchers at the University of Zurich's Paleontological Institute have now discovered two previously unknown species ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 17, 2022
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Decoding the leaf: Scientists search for features to ID modern, fossil leaves
Machine learning programs that can classify leaves and place them in biological families may unlock new clues about the evolution of plant life, but only if scientists understand what the computers are seeing. A team led ...
Biotechnology
May 13, 2022
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What caused this megatooth shark's massive toothache?
Did the world's largest prehistoric shark need an orthodontist, or did it just have a bad lunch?
Paleontology & Fossils
May 12, 2022
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Eocene ungulates were very selective in their feeding
A study by the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country into the paleodiet of extinct paleotheriidae (or pseudo horses) provides information about their feeding strategy and the environment they inhabited at the end of the ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 10, 2022
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Chile's first complete ichthyosaur recovered from a glacier in Patagonia
The fossilized remains of Chile's first complete ichthyosaur have been unearthed from a melting glacier deep in the Patagonia area of the South American country.
Paleontology & Fossils
May 10, 2022
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More news
First evidence of fossil fruit in Australia uncovers new species
Was this hyena a distant ancestor of today's termite-eating aardwolf?
A new 225-million-year-old reptile from Brazil
Rare fossil of ancient dog species discovered by paleontologists
'Death shadow' dinosaur unearthed in Argentina
How the black rat colonized Europe in the Roman and Medieval periods
The Jurassic rise of squamates as supported by lepidosaur disparity and evolutionary rates
Fossils dating back 66 million years found outside Bangkok mall
Precipitation helped drive distribution of Alaska dinosaurs
Exploring the origins of molecular paleontology
Beetle in the coconut: Fossil find sheds new light on Neotropical rainforests
Fossilized pollen may reveal 'fingerprints' of environmental stress
Other news
New type of extremely reactive substance discovered in the atmosphere
New non-radioactive, neutral reagent reveals viruses in clear detail
Tracking chirality in real time
Dust devils and daytime upslope winds explain Mars's constant haze
New ultra-faint dwarf galaxy discovered
Finding coherence in quantum chaos
Why did Mars dry out? New study points to unusual answers
Desalination study could help engineers produce clean water more efficiently
Pterosaur discovery solves ancient feather mystery
Paleobiology: Rare beetle larva found in amber
Fossil of dinosaur killed in asteroid strike discovered in North Dakota, scientists say
Fish-like marine reptile buried in its own blubber in southern Germany 150 million years ago
Paleontology: 'Big John' provides evidence of triceratops combat injuries
First Pompeiian human genome sequenced
Drug resistance molecule can spread though bacterial 'communities'
Scientists assemble largest-ever family tree for primates
A unique catalyst paves the way for plastic upcycling
