The OpenSim software has been expanded to improve its applications in medicine, paleontology, and animal locomotion by adding accurate models of muscle dynamics, joint kinematics, and assistive devices. The new improvements enable researchers to perform powerful simulations, visualize solutions, and communicate ideas more effectively.
A new study reveals the largest dinosaur foot ever found, measuring nearly 1 meter wide, and confirms that brachiosaurs inhabited a huge area in North America. The discovery also sheds light on the range of sauropod dinosaurs during that time.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and other universities have discovered two new species of extinct hoofed mammals known as litopterns from a site in Bolivia. The animals, dating back to the late Miocene epoch, provide insights into South America's rich diversity of living mammals.
A new study challenges the long-held assumption that plant-eating mammals' diets can be determined by analyzing carbon isotopes in fossil teeth. The researchers found that the value of these isotope analyses changes with body size, leading to a more accurate understanding of extinct species and ecosystems.
Researchers have scanned a four-million-year-old fossil cranium and found it shares similarities with that of modern humans. The study revealed the cranium's thick, spongy bone may indicate comparable blood flow to our brains, suggesting an important role in brain protection.
New fossil evidence suggests that ancient primates, including Teilhardina brandti, had specialized grooming claws as well as nails. This finding overturns the prevailing assumption that the earliest primates had nails on all their digits and provides crucial insights into their daily behavior and evolutionary story.
Two new Ediacaran era fossil animals, Obamus coronatus and Attenborites janeae, have been discovered by a UC Riverside-led team. These soft-bodied creatures represent the dawn of animal life and were named after President Barack Obama and Sir David Attenborough, respectively.
A research team in China has established a Chinese Neogene chronostratigraphic sequence with accurate geological ages. The development of a uniform Neogene biostratigraphic framework for China will help to improve the division and correlation of Neogene strata.
A new study revealed that ancient elephant relatives, such as Gomphotherium connexum and G. steinheimense, primarily ate soft foliage and grasses 17 million years ago. The team found phytoliths stuck to their teeth and analyzed wear patterns on fossil tooth surfaces to confirm these results.
Hyneria lindae, a 12-foot ancient fish, had a blunt snout, small eyes, and sensory canals to detect pressure waves. Its well-preserved skeleton provides insights into its ecosystem and the evolution of vertebrates during the Devonian Period.
The Tyler Prize honors the groundbreaking research of Dr. Falkowski, which reveals the critical role of tiny phytoplankton in solving climate change. Dr. McCarthy's leadership in global policy initiatives has informed significant climate change policies.
A 1.5-foot-long fossil slab, misidentified twice, has been reinterpreted as a large cartilaginous fish with characteristics similar to sharks and rays. The study suggests the fish lived between 70-85 million years ago and expands the diversity of the Niobrara fauna.
Scientists have identified the most primitive kangaroo ancestor, Palaeopotorous priscus, which lived around 24 million years ago and was similar to living rat-kangaroos. The discovery sheds light on the evolution of modern kangaroos and their adaptations for hopping gaits.
Researchers used geometric morphometrics to analyze shell shape in eastern box turtles, finding a gradient of variation that carries through to modern box turtles. The study suggests some fossils represent lost subspecies or extinct species, while others show a closer relationship to modern species.
A decade of fossil collecting in Tanzania and Zambia has provided new perspectives on the Triassic period, revealing regional patterns and similarities across different geographic areas. The findings highlight the presence of early dinosaurs, such as Teleocrater, and other animals that co-existed with them.
Researchers have identified a new species of ancient reptile, Colobops noviportensis, with unusually developed jaw muscles, revealing insights into prehistoric environments and animal adaptations. The discovery sheds light on the origins of modern vertebrates in a world already inhabited by diverse physical extremes.
Researchers at John Innes Centre develop innovative LOCO-EFA technique to capture complex cell shapes, allowing for fair and biologically relevant comparisons. This breakthrough enables better phenotyping and understanding of cell shape dynamics, with applications in biology, paleontology, and more.
A new study validates 'phantom' fossil footprints collected in the 1950s showing dicynodonts coexisting with dinosaurs. The discovery sheds light on ancient ecosystems and highlights the importance of trace fossils like footprints.
A new study describes a 5.5-million-year-old fossil turtle species from eastern Tennessee, revealing important differences between this species and others. The discovery provides insight into the evolution of turtles, suggesting that many ancient slider species died out without leaving direct descendants.
Researchers create biomechanical models to test how ecological factors like age at sexual maturity and average precipitation influence skull shape in carnivoran species. The study reveals that nondietary factors significantly impact both skull form and function, surpassing dietary influences.
Oceanographers Paul Falkowski and James J. McCarthy have been awarded the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for their decades-long efforts to understand and communicate the impacts of climate change. Their research, focusing on marine ecosystems and nutrient cycles, has significantly advanced our understanding of hu...
A new species of arachnid resembling a spider with a tail has been discovered in 100-million-year-old amber from Myanmar. The finding provides insight into arachnid evolution and suggests that tailed descendants may still be alive today.
Researchers have discovered that modern cheetahs possess a distinct vestibular system in their inner ear, which enhances sensitivity and rapid responses to head motions. This unique anatomy allows the cheetah to maintain its gaze locked on prey during high-speed hunts.
A slab of sandstone at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center contains over 70 preserved tracks of mammals and dinosaurs, including small theropods and pterosaurs, providing a rare glimpse of their interaction. The discovery sheds light on ancient times on Earth and offers insights into prehistoric life.
The discovery of Mansourasaurus shahinae, a long-necked plant-eater with bony plates, fills gaps in Africa's Late Cretaceous fossil record. The species helps answer questions about Africa's connections to Europe and the degree to which its animals evolved independently.
The geologically oldest fossil of the genus Archaeopteryx, dating back 150 million years, has been found in Northern Bavaria. The new specimen exhibits unique features that differentiate it from other known specimens, providing a reliable diagnosis for distinguishing Archaeopteryx from its closest relatives.
A study covering 300 million years of evolutionary history found that only a few extinct animals developed tail weaponized features. The researchers identified four essential traits: large body size, armor, herbivory, and thoracic stiffness. These conditions are rarely seen in living animals, explaining the rarity of modern tail weaponry.
The newly discovered species of dinosaur, Caihong juji, had rainbow-colored feathers that shimmered and shifted in the light. Its unique feather structure was matched to modern birds with similarly shaped melanosomes, indicating a prehistoric version of a peacock's iridescent tail.
A newly discovered dinosaur fossil from China contains evidence that a tiny bird-like dinosaur may have used its flashy neck feathers and a bony crest on its snout to attract mates. The discovery provides the earliest evidence of iridescence in dinosaurs, which is similar to that found in hummingbird species today.
A new species of turkey-sized herbivorous dinosaur, Diluvicursor pickeringi, has been discovered in 113 million year old rocks in southeastern Australia. The fossilized tail and foot bones provide significant information about the diversity of small, bipedal ornithopods that roamed the Australian-Antarctic rift valley.
A team of researchers from the University of Bonn has discovered a unique type of bony tissue called pneumosteum, which is found in birds and some dinosaurs. This discovery provides new insights into the evolution of their respiratory systems and opens up possibilities for studying extinct species.
Researchers have identified a 3.5-million-year-old bear from the Canadian High Arctic with a sweet tooth, determined by cavities in its teeth. The bear, Protarctos abstrusus, was slightly smaller than a modern black bear and had a flatter head.
The oldest plesiosaur, Rhaeticosaurus mertensi, was a strong swimmer with modified limbs and a short tail. It had a streamlined neck and powerful muscles to propel itself through the water.
Researchers at Yale University have reestimated African deforestation, finding a 21.7% loss of closed-canopy forests since 1900. The study highlights the importance of focusing conservation efforts in areas with actual deforestation rather than incorrectly labelled savannas.
Scientists have filled in key clues on the evolution of animals transitioning to aquatic life using a newly discovered reptile fossil. The study suggests that Vadasaurus, an ancient creature with features well-suited for aquatic life, is linked to modern New Zealand species and ancient sea-dwelling vertebrates.
A reevaluation of the Haarlem specimen reveals it to be a predator anchiornithid rather than Archaeopteryx, shedding new light on the evolutionary transition from reptiles to birds. The fossil's taxonomic analysis suggests that modern birds are direct descendants of carnivorous dinosaurs.
Researchers have found hundreds of well-preserved pterosaur eggs, including 16 with embryonic remains, providing insights into their development and reproductive strategy. The study suggests that these flying reptiles may have needed parental care and engaged in colonial breeding.
An international team of researchers discovered a previously unrecognized genus of extinct horses in North America, diverging from the main trunk of the Equus family tree around 4-6 million years ago. The new species, Haringtonhippus francisci, was a widespread and successful species that survived until roughly 17,000 years ago.
Researchers used fossil records to infer a semidesertic environment in the Iberian Peninsula during the middle Miocene. The study analyzed body sizes of mammalian species to reveal a dry climate with high precipitation seasonality.
Fossilized tree trunks from China suggest early forest trees grew by building a hollow cylindrical skeleton that collapsed under its own weight. This controlled collapse allowed the tree to achieve great size and provide insights into the evolution of tree growth.
A nearly complete skeleton of a 76-million-year-old tyrannosaur was discovered in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The fossil is believed to be an individual of the species Teratophoneus curriei, with a relatively short head and estimated length of 17-20 feet.
A 40,000-year-old man's genome provides insights into human genetic diversity in East Asia. The study reveals a complicated separation for ancient Europeans and Asians, suggesting multiple genetically distinct populations existed in Asia until the present.
A new species of stalked filter feeder has been discovered in the Cambrian Spence Shale in Utah, dating back 500 million years. The ancient creature, named Siphusauctum lloydguntheri, features a unique tulip-shaped body and variations in its digestive tract compared to similar known species.
A 120-million-year-old bird specimen from the Early Cretaceous exhibits high skeletal fusion in manus and pelvis bones, features rare in most known birds from that era. Osteohistological analysis indicates that the bird reached maturity in approximately one year, similar to modern birds.
A new University of Colorado Boulder study found that some large plant-eating dinosaurs in present-day Utah ate crustaceans on purpose, possibly for protein and calcium sources. The evidence comes from fossilized feces samples containing thick bits of fossilized shell, indicating the crustaceans were living in decaying wood.
Exceptionally preserved trilobite fossils reveal that at least two species evolved a stomach structure 20 million years earlier than thought. This discovery contradicts previous assumptions about trilobite digestive systems and evolution, suggesting a more complex evolutionary history.
Researchers discovered that early sauropod dinosaurs like Saturnalia tupiniquim were capable of a bipedal gait and had agile ancestors. The brain structure of S. tupiniquim revealed specific features enabling it to track moving objects with its eyes, execute rapid movements of its head and neck in a coordinated fashion.
A team of paleontologists at the University of Toronto discovered that ancient amphibians had a vast array of tiny teeth, called denticles, on the roofs of their mouths. These toothy plates were ideal for holding onto prey and may have facilitated swallowing prey via eyeball retraction, similar to modern amphibians.
Researchers have identified a new species of prehistoric crocodile, Deltasuchus motherali, from a fossil site in north central Texas. The species, which lived around 95 million years ago, is estimated to have grown up to 20 feet long and ate a wide variety of prey, including turtles and dinosaurs.
A new study reveals a clear relationship between the frontal bones and forebrain as well as parietal bones and midbrain in dinosaurs and birds. The research used CT scanning techniques to analyze embryos of lizards, alligators, and birds, confirming the link found in reptiles.
Polypterids, known as living fossils, are repositioned on the fish evolutionary tree, shifting their origin and that of modern ray-finned fishes. The study uses CT scans to analyze fossil skulls and DNA sequences, revealing ancient cousins and specializations that evolved later.
A 132 million-year-old plesiosaur fossil was discovered in northern Germany and identified as a new species, Lagenanectes richterae. The ancient creature had a long neck, short jaws with specialized teeth, and internal channels for electroreceptors.
A newly discovered dinosaur fossil from Mongolia shows three juvenile oviraptors roosting together, suggesting a unique behavior among bird-line theropods. The specimen provides valuable insights into the origins of communal roosting in birds and sheds light on the social habits of ancient dinosaurs.
A team of divers has discovered a wealth of fossil remains in Mexico's Hoyo Negro cave, shedding light on the region's ecosystem during the end of the last Ice Age. The finds include early human remains, giant ground sloths, and saber-tooth cats.
Researchers studying a 400 million year old bony fish from Estonia believe they have found evidence for the origins of teeth using advanced synchrotron microtomography. This discovery may cast light on the possible origin of teeth from dermal odontodes, and evolutionary relationship between dentitions of all jawed animals.
Researchers shed light on the extinct cave bear's primarily herbivorous diet and small brain relative to its body size. New studies suggest a less energy-rich diet and highly seasonal environment contributed to its unusually small brain, with findings also indicating longer gestation periods and slower sexual maturity.
A new study found that Solenodon, a venomous shrew-like mammal, has survived human arrival in the Caribbean by adapting to a flexible diet. The research suggests that this flexibility allowed Solenodon to thrive despite human-induced climate change and invasive species on the islands.
A new study compares the recovery of land-dwelling vertebrates from different localities in southern Pangaea, finding stark differences in ecological diversity levels. The research suggests that carnivores and archosaurs were diverse and abundant in Zambia and Tanzania but relatively uncommon or absent in South Africa.
Researchers used synchrotron microtomography to analyze fossilized feces, providing clues on ancient food webs and ecosystems. The study reveals delicate remains of beetles and fish in coprolites from the Upper Triassic bone beds in Poland.
The Institute for the Study of Mongolian Dinosaurs' Moveable Museum travels across rural Mongolia, offering engaging exhibits and workshops to promote paleontology and protect local fossils. The museum aims to inspire local kids to become paleontologists and support conservation efforts.