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Paleontology & Fossils news
Giant sloths and mastodons coexisted with humans for millennia in Americas, new discoveries suggest
Sloths weren't always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were huge—up to 4 tons (3.6 metric tons)—and when startled, they brandished immense claws.
Paleontology & Fossils
19 minutes ago
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Extended chart of life shows ancient species may have evolved slower and lasted longer
If all the world's a stage and all the species merely players, then their exits and entrances can be found in the rock record. Fossilized skeletons and shells clearly show how evolution and extinction unfolded over the past ...
Evolution
14 hours ago
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A family reunion 150 million years in making: Paleontologists identify nearly 50 hidden relatives of Pterodactylus
Christmas is the time for families to come together, and in the midst of the festive season, University of Leicester paleontologists have announced that they have reunited a family that has been separated for 150 million ...
Paleontology & Fossils
17 hours ago
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New York man finds mastodon jaw while gardening in his backyard
Scholars are hailing the discovery of a fossilized mastodon jaw discovered by a man who spotted two giant teeth while gardening at his upstate New York home this year.
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 18, 2024
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How a giant prehistoric elephant skull helped untangle an evolutionary mystery
About 400,000 years ago, early humans in Europe, Asia and Africa lived alongside giant straight-tusked elephants, far bigger than their modern-day cousins. Their evolution has long been a mystery to paleontologists, but an ...
Evolution
Dec 18, 2024
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Mysterious plant fossil belongs to a family that no longer exists
In 1969, fossilized leaves of the species Othniophyton elongatum—which translates to "alien plant"—were identified in eastern Utah. Initially, scientists theorized the extinct species may have belonged to the ginseng ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 17, 2024
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Were Neanderthals cold-adapted or were they just ready for anything? Ribcage reconstruction may hold the answer
Researchers at the Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid report that analysis of a Neanderthal ribcage from a cave in Iraq exhibits a "bell-shaped" thorax configuration typical of Neanderthals ...
World's oldest mammalian ancestor discovered in Mallorca
An international research team led by the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP) and the Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals (MUCBO | MBCN) have described a fossil animal that lived between 270 and 280 million ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 17, 2024
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Paleoenvironmental study at Waterfall Bluff reveals leopard seal far from Antarctic waters
Waterfall Bluff Rock Shelter (WB) (Eastern Cape Province (ECP), South Africa) contains archaeological deposits demonstrating persistent and continuous human occupation spanning from Late Marine Isotope Stage 3 (~39ka–29ka) ...
New insights into the evolution and paleoecology of mosasaurs
Mosasaurs are extinct marine lizards, spectacular examples of which were first discovered in 1766 near Maastricht in the Netherlands, fueling the rise of the field of vertebrate paleontology. Paleontologist Michael Polcyn ...
Evolution
Dec 12, 2024
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What bone scans reveal about a tiny crocodilian from the Jurassic era
Journeying back to the Jurassic era, scientists used cutting-edge tech to uncover the secrets about Orthosuchus stormbergi, a small, early crocodile ancestor. Their results are published in the Journal of Anatomy.
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 12, 2024
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New species of ancient fish may be smallest known vertebrate fossil in Queensland's history
Queensland Museum scientists have described a 400-million-year-old fossil, which is possibly the smallest vertebrate fossil animal known from Queensland—Palaeospondylus australis. Details about this ancient fish, found ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 11, 2024
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A new species of flying reptile reshuffles the timeline of pterosaur evolution
About 230 million years ago, almost 80 million years before the first bird appeared, their distantly related cousins, the pterosaurs took to the sky, as the first group of active fliers among the vertebrates. Pterosaurs developed ...
Evolution
Dec 11, 2024
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Thylacoleo the fossil lion makes a roaring comeback
A new model of Thylacoleo, Australia's once-fearsome carnivorous marsupial lion, will be on show at the Victoria Cave visitor complex at the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves.
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 11, 2024
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Triassic reptile with unusual jaws named as a new species
A new species of ancient reptile has been named after spending more than 200 million years buried in the ground. Threordatoth chasmatos was one of the last survivors of the procolophonids, a group of lizard-like animals that ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 6, 2024
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Apex the $45M stegosaurus is on display in New York. Here's what scientists hope to learn about it
The most expensive dinosaur fossil ever discovered will be on view in New York starting this weekend, American Museum of Natural History officials announced Wednesday.
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 6, 2024
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Neanderthals and modern humans must be classed as separate species to best track our origins, study claims
A new study published by researchers at London's Natural History Museum and Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven has reinforced the claim that Neanderthals and modern-day humans (Homo sapiens) must be classed as separate species ...
Evolution
Dec 5, 2024
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Tyrannosaur teeth discovered in Bexhill-on-Sea with help of retired quarryman
Research led by the University of Southampton has revealed that several groups of meat-eating dinosaurs stalked the Bexhill-on-Sea region of coastal East Sussex 135 million years ago.
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 5, 2024
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Q&A: What fossils reveal about ancient Australian forests and fire
Australia's forest ecosystems, renowned for their extraordinary diversity of rare plants and animals, also play a vital role in mitigating climate change by absorbing and storing carbon. However, fossils from these ancient ...
Ecology
Dec 3, 2024
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Mid-Pleistocene climate change may have shaped hominin development and dispersal
A multi-institutional team of evolutionary specialists, climatologists and sociologists has found evidence that climate change during and after the Mid-Pleistocene likely shaped hominin development in parts of what is now ...
More news
Rare whitefly fossils found in New Zealand shed light on ancient forest life
Fishy fossil find points to possible polar bear ancestry for Scottish bears
Peru scientists unveil crocodile fossil up to 12 million years old
Fossil discovery reveals giant worm lizard with snail-cracking jaws
Parasaurolophus pipes: Modeling the dinosaur's crest to study its sound
Human ancestor Lucy still has secrets 50 years after discovery
Ankylosaurid dinosaur, unearthed in China in 1986, identified as a new species
Paleontologists discover Saskatchewan's first Centrosaurus and Citipes elegans fossils
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Study reveals flies more vulnerable than bees to climate change
New synthesis technique cuts drug development time and cost
Sugar solution matches antibiotics in treating cow infections
Discovery of egg's immune-like attack on sperm mitochondria may aid fertility
Colliding top quarks reveal hidden quantum 'magic'
New 'molecular flipbook' gives researchers the best look yet at ribosomal motion
The megafauna mystery: Australia's 40,000-year-old cold case
Saber-toothed kitten preserved in ice for 35,000 years
Fossil finds: Footprints on South Africa's coast offer a glimpse into our ancestors' lives
A 150-million-year journey from the Jurassic to Exposition Park
Dinosaur skeleton fetches 6 million euros in Paris sale
Cellular RNA plays key role in antiviral defense, study finds
Purple diamond maser could one day amplify signals from deep space
