At first glance, the simple sea sponge is no creature of mystery. No brain. No gut. No problem dating it back 700 million years. Yet convincing sponge fossils only go back about 540 million years, leaving a 160 million-year ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 5, 2024
0
102
One of the wildest wonders of nature is the ability of some animals to reproduce by splitting in half. There is still so much we don't know about this process. So the discovery of a 155-million-year-old starfish fossil frozen ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 16, 2024
0
11
An international team led by scientists from the University of Liège has investigated the evolutionary patterns behind the development of saber teeth, with some unexpected results along the way. Their study has been published ...
Evolution
May 16, 2024
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163
New research shows human activity is significantly altering the ways in which marine organisms are preserved, with lasting effects that can both improve and impair the fossil record. The findings are published in the journal ...
Ecology
May 8, 2024
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73
An unusual reduction in the strength of Earth's magnetic field between 591 and 565 million years ago coincided with a significant increase in the oxygen levels in the atmosphere and oceans, according to a paper published ...
Earth Sciences
May 2, 2024
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1373
Current concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in Earth's atmosphere are unprecedented in human history. But CO₂ levels today, and those that might occur in coming decades, did occur millions of years ago.
Earth Sciences
May 1, 2024
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4
Biomineralized columns, stacked in layers like a sandwich gave Cambrian brachiopod shells their strength and flexibility 520 million years ago.
Evolution
Apr 18, 2024
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33
Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes L.), also known as Nile cabbage, is a free-floating aquatic plant from the family Araceae, the same family as the arum lily.
Plants & Animals
Apr 10, 2024
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1
When you throw dinosaurs into the mix, sometimes you find that a rule simply isn't.
Paleontology & Fossils
Apr 6, 2024
4
361
For almost 15 years, scientists have debated whether the Anthropocene should be an official geological epoch marking the profound influence of humans on the planet. Then in March, an international panel of scientists formally ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 4, 2024
0
28
