Paleontology News - SciTechDaily

Unveiling Europe’s Oldest Hippo: A Middle Pleistocene Mystery Solved

PLOS — Sat, 02 Dec 2023 11:52:43 +0000

New analysis settles long-standing confusion about the age of a key fossil. Modern hippos first dispersed in Europe during the Middle Pleistocene, a geological epoch...

“Mummified” Bees From the Time of the Pharaohs Discovered in Portugal

University of Seville — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 17:33:22 +0000

Fernando Muñiz, a research academic from the University of Seville, participates in a discovery that represents a unique opportunity in the fight against climate change....

Ancient Time Capsule: Scientists Discover DNA in 6-Million-Year-Old Turtle Shell

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 14:54:39 +0000

There are seven existing species of sea turtles, with the genus Lepidochelys comprising two of them: the olive ridley and the Kemp’s ridley. Despite being...

Volcanoes or Asteroid? AI Ends Debate Over Dinosaur Extinction Event

Dartmouth College — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 02:28:29 +0000

Free-thinking computers reverse-engineered the fossil record to identify the causes of a cataclysm. To address the long-standing debate about whether a massive asteroid impact or...

Revolutionizing Paleontology: The First Dinosaur Eggs Were Not What We Expected

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 04:15:24 +0000

A recent study on the newly discovered Qianlong shouhu, an early Jurassic sauropodomorph, suggests that the earliest dinosaur eggs had leathery shells. This finding, derived...

Thailand’s Hidden Treasure: New Trilobite Species Reveal Secrets of Ancient Supercontinent Gondwanaland

University of California - Riverside — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 01:11:24 +0000

Extinct marine creatures discovered hidden in Thai sanctuary. Ten newly discovered species of trilobites, which have been hidden for 490 million years in a little-studied...

An Unexpected Way To Time Travel – Citizen Scientist’s Tip Unlocks 3,000 Years of Mammal Evolution

University of Utah — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 22:49:07 +0000

New study by NHMU utilizes cave data to set standards for understanding modern climate effects on mammal populations. Scientists from the Natural History Museum of...

The Primordial Brew: How Ancient Seas Molded Life on Earth

University of Oxford — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 11:05:09 +0000

Scientists know very little about conditions in the ocean when life first evolved, but new research published in the journal Nature Geoscience has revealed how...

Prehistoric Predators Reborn: Australia’s Giant Birds of Prey Rise Again From Limestone Caves

Flinders University — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 18:52:16 +0000

A new eagle and vulture have been discovered in fossil deposits. Australia’s only vulture, and a fearsome extinct eagle, are among the earliest recorded birds...

Ancient Cycads: The Dinosaur-Era Plants That “Breathed” Nitrogen To Survive Extinction

Duke University — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 16:00:02 +0000

Cycads, ancient plants once prevalent during the Mesozoic Era, have mostly gone extinct, with a few species surviving in tropical and subtropical areas. Researchers have...

Prehistoric Puzzle Solved: “Dino” Detective Techniques Reveal Mosasaur Dining Secrets

Utrecht University — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 23:30:47 +0000

Researchers from Utrecht University and the Natural History Museum Maastricht discovered dietary preferences among mosasaur species by examining tooth wear marks, using 3D scanning techniques....

Reviving History: 450-Million-Year-Old Organism Finds New Life in Softbotics

Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 23:42:53 +0000

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, along with paleontologists from Spain and Poland, have utilized fossil records to create a soft robotic...

Lone Survivor of a Forgotten Era: The Enigmatic Tale of Ekgmowechashala

University of Kansas — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 17:49:03 +0000

The story of Ekgmowechashala, the last primate in North America before Homo sapiens or Clovis people, reads like a spaghetti western: A grizzled and mysterious...

Revolutionary Find – “Yanliao Sucker Killer” Fossil Challenges Lamprey Evolution Timeline

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 14:03:42 +0000

Researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, alongside their collaborators, have uncovered two exceptionally rare fossil...

Scientists Uncover Mysterious Cosmic Gift That Sparked Agricultural Revolution in Ancient Syria

University of California - Santa Barbara — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 13:42:16 +0000

Agriculture in Syria started with a bang 12,800 years ago following a comet fragment’s explosive entry into Earth’s atmosphere. This cataclysmic event, coupled with ensuing...

Feasting on Titans: Giant Dinosaur Carcasses Might Have Been Important Food Sources for Jurassic Predators

PLOS — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:53:16 +0000

Simulation suggests that traits for exploiting carrion might have been crucial for survival. Carnivorous dinosaurs might have evolved to capitalize on the abundance of giant...

“Once-in-a-Lifetime Find” – Scientists Discover Fossil Treasure Trove Under Wastewater Pipe

Taylor & Francis Group — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 20:20:38 +0000

Fossils of the world’s oldest known flax snails, an extinct sawshark spine, and great white shark teeth were all unearthed in a pile of sand...

Real Life Sea Monster – Scientists Discover Colossal New Species of Mosasaur

American Museum of Natural History — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 01:32:23 +0000

Jormungandr, a colossal 24-foot-long marine lizard that lived 80 million years ago, is found to be a transitional species between two well-known mosasaurs. Scientists have...

Gondwana’s Secret: 390-Million-Year-Old Marine Mystery Unraveled

University of the Witwatersrand — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 08:16:48 +0000

During the Early-Middle Devonian period, a large landmass called Gondwana—which included parts of today’s Africa, South America, and Antarctica—was located near the South Pole. Contrary...

Sea Monster Surprise: Ancient Pliosaur Remains Challenge What We Knew

Uppsala University — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 19:30:24 +0000

The fossils of a 170-million-year-old ancient marine reptile from the Age of Dinosaurs have been identified as the oldest-known mega-predatory pliosaur. This group of ocean-dwelling...

A Glimpse of Extinction: Scientists Uncover Extraordinary Fossils From the End of the Age of the Dinosaurs

Geological Society of America — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 13:46:46 +0000

The discovery of a spectacular fossil site in Argentina is helping shed new light on life at the end of the Cretaceous, the time period...

Like Nothing Seen Before – New Type of Wasp Discovered With Mysterious, Cloud-Like Structures at Ends of Antennae

Oregon State University — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 02:35:19 +0000

A Unique Discovery in Amber Fossil researchers have discovered a novel genus and species of tiny wasp with a mysterious, bulbous structure at the end...

Survival Secrets: Surprising Traits of Mammals That Survive Mass Extinctions

Field Museum — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 17:13:24 +0000

Contrary to previous beliefs, mammals that survived past mass extinctions weren’t always generalists; many had unique traits that aided their survival, prompting a...

Paleontologists Unearth Ginger Pigment Secrets From 10-Million-Year-Old Frogs

University College Cork — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 09:00:09 +0000

Paleontologists discovered molecular evidence of phaeomelanin, the pigment that produces ginger coloration. “This will paint a more accurate picture of ancient animal color.” Phaeomelanin is...