Researchers have identified six new species of tube-nosed bats in the Philippines, expanding knowledge of biodiversity and ecological functions. The discovery adds to the country's remarkable diversity of habitats and emphasizes the need for conservation efforts to protect these unique species.
Researchers have discovered a remarkable new 506-million-year-old predator called Mosura fentoni from the Burgess Shale of Canada. The species has a unique body region made up of multiple segments at its back end, similar to modern groups like horseshoe crabs and insects. The discovery provides key insight into ancestral traits for art...
Research by the Royal Ontario Museum identifies Great Salt Lake as a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, with 4.1 million tons released in 2020. The study highlights the importance of considering desiccation of lakes and rivers in assessments of global greenhouse gas output.
Researchers reveal Odaraia alata's intricate system of spines that could capture prey, and its pair of large appendages with grasping edges indicative of mandibles. The study provides new insights into the evolution and ecology of early mandibulates in marine ecosystems.
Researchers at the Royal Ontario Museum discovered the oldest known species of swimming jellyfish, Burgessomedusa phasmiformis, in exceptionally well-preserved fossils from the Burgess Shale. This finding highlights the complexity of the Cambrian food chain and challenges previous understanding of predation.
Researchers found evidence that ankylosaurs used their tail clubs for social dominance and territorial battles, suggesting a complex behavior. The fossil of Zuul crurivastator revealed broken and healed spikes, indicating ritualized combat or 'jousting' among the dinosaurs.
Fossilized brains of a 500-million-year-old marine predator, Stanleycaris, have revealed new insights into the evolution of arthropod brain structure. The two-segmented head and brain of Stanleycaris suggest that this trait may be more ancient than previously thought.
Palaeontologists have uncovered a giant new fossil species, Titanokorys gainesi, with an estimated total length of half a meter, belonging to an extinct animal group called radiodonts. The discovery sheds light on the evolution and diversity of these enigmatic animals.
Researchers used flight efficiency estimates from museum specimens to predict bird dispersal distances, revealing that species with elongated wings can disperse farther. This study has applications in biodiversity conservation, as reduced flight capabilities may threaten bird populations.
A new study published in Biological Reviews reviewed dinosaur body mass estimation techniques, finding that most estimates agree despite different approaches. The researchers recommend better-integrating scaling and reconstruction methods to estimate the sizes of Mesozoic dinosaurs more accurately.
A new species of marine animal, Gyaltsenglossus senis, has provided direct fossil evidence connecting the two major groups of hemichordates. The discovery sheds light on the evolutionary relationship between enteropneusta and pterobranchia, two groups that appear to be quite different but are closely related.
Researchers at Royal Ontario Museum and McMaster University diagnosed osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer, in a Centrosaurus apertus dinosaur fossil. The diagnosis was made possible by advanced imaging techniques and microscopic analysis of the fossil bone.
The study provides a comprehensive understanding of the diversity of blood thinners in leech saliva, shedding light on their potential use in hospital settings. The leech genome sequence offers critical insight into the evolution of bloodfeeding in leeches and may revolutionize the treatment of certain medical conditions.
Researchers discovered a unique Apollo 17 sample with high-temperature mineralogical evidence that formed at incredibly hot temperatures, suggesting large-scale meteorite impacts played a critical role in the Moon's surface. The findings suggest these impacts not only destroyed the lunar crust but also helped build it.
Researchers used atom-probe tomography to study minerals from an asteroid over 4.5 billion years ago, discovering water precipitates that suggest the presence of sodium-rich fluids. These conditions are ideal for amino acid synthesis, potentially supporting microbial life formation as early as 4.5 billion years ago.
Scientists discovered a new species, Mollisonia plenovenatrix, in the Burgess Shale fossil site, revealing that scorpions and spiders originated over 500 million years ago. The species had advanced features like 'multi-tool head', chelicerae, and book-like gills, suggesting it was a fierce predator.
A new predatory species, Cambroraster, has been discovered with rake-like claws and a pineapple-slice-shaped mouth, shedding light on early relatives of insects, crabs, and spiders. The species, named after its remarkable claws, was found in half-a-billion-year-old rocks from Kootenay National Park in the Canadian Rockies.
A new 508-million-year-old bristle worm species from the Burgess Shale has provided key insights into the origin of the head in annelids. The fossil discovery reveals that the annelid head evolved from posterior body segments with pair bundles of hair-sized bristles, a hypothesis supported by developmental biology.
A new species of troodontid theropod has been identified and named Albertavenator curriei in honour of renowned Canadian palaeontologist Dr. Philip J. Currie. The discovery was made by ROM scientists who compared the dinosaur's skull bones to those of its close relative Troodon.