Articles tagged with Fossil Records
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Scientists have identified a previously unknown species of ground sloth, Parocnus dominicanus, from fossils found in the Dominican Republic. The species was smaller than its tree-dwelling cousins and had anatomical differences that may have allowed it to occupy lowland areas.
Scientists at Stanford University have discovered a pattern in how life reemerges after mass extinctions. In the past half-billion years, smaller marine genera were substantially more likely to be wiped out during mass extinction events, but during recovery intervals, originators tended to be tiny compared to holdover species.
Researchers have discovered a 1 million-year-old hippo tooth at Westbury Cave in Somerset, which reveals that the animal roamed Britain much earlier than thought. The fossil belongs to an extinct species of hippo called Hippopotamus antiquus, which was larger and more reliant on aquatic habitats than its living relative.
Researchers discovered fossilized footprint tracks of straight-tusked elephants, indicating a Late Pleistocene nursery site in Huelva, Spain. The tracks suggest that young elephants, possibly up to two years old, were raised in this area, which may have provided a food source and reproductive habitat for female elephant herds.
A team of researchers has discovered a new species of giant penguin, named Kairuku waewaeroa, in the North Island of New Zealand. The fossil, estimated to be between 27.3 and 34.6 million years old, was found by school children on a fossil hunting field trip in 2006.
Researchers uncover a 500-million-year-old 'worm-like' fossil, expanding the number of worm-like species known from this time period in North America. The discovery provides new clues about prehistoric environments and ecologies, helping scientists better understand the diversity of ancient animals during the Cambrian explosion.
A well-preserved tapejarid skeleton from Brazil provides the first complete look at the entire body of Tupandactylus navigans, a flying reptile with a mix of terrestrial and aerial adaptations. The fossil's exceptional preservation reveals new details about its anatomy and potential flight capabilities.
Researchers describe two new species of fossil ctenophores from Utah with preserved nervous systems and up to 24 comb rows. These findings suggest that Cambrian ctenophores had more complex nervous systems than living species, with specific nerve tracks along the body and a ring around the mouth.
Scientists have discovered three new dinosaur fossils in Northwest China, representing two new species: Silutitan sinensis and Hamititan xinjiangensis. The findings shed light on sauropods in the region and increase the known diversity of Mesozoic reptiles in the area.
A new study reconciles the molecular clock with the fossil record of plants by linking older spore-like microfossils to younger plant spores derived from charophyte algae, revealing the evolutionary assembly of the plant regulatory and developmental genome.
Researchers discovered a rare bird fossil with nearly complete skull, allowing them to compare ancient bird brains to living birds. The study suggests that complex brain structure may have played a key role in the survival of bird ancestors during the mass extinction event.
A new fossil discovery in Panama's Los Boquerones town has revealed an ancient cashew relative with a lineage dating back over 30 million years. The find supports the hypothesis of tropical species migrating from Eurasia to North America during warmer climate periods.
Researchers have discovered two ancient bat fossil teeth in Asia, dating back to the Eocene epoch and pushing the evolutionary record for bats on that continent back by 55 million years. The findings suggest that bats may have originated in Asia before spreading globally, but the exact characteristics of these early bats remain unclear.
A new ancient shark species, Durnonovariaodus maiseyi, has been identified from a 150 million-year-old fossil found in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation of England. The discovery provides valuable insights into the evolution and diversity of hybodontiform sharks, which were closely related to modern sharks.
A 18.5 million year old vine fossil was identified as a new species, providing evidence of the evolution of climbing plants. The fossil's unique features, including two sizes of water-conducting vessels and lobed cross-sections, are characteristic of lianas in the soapberry family.
Research from University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Yale University suggests that temperature explains why tropical waters have a higher biodiversity. However, global warming could reduce this diversity as temperatures rise, potentially leading to extinctions.
A study found that 70 of 134 ancient sea-dwelling invertebrates exhibited 'dead clades walking,' where groups survive an extinction event but never regain their diversity, challenging the sudden disappearance view of mass extinctions.
A research team at Kyoto University investigated the fossil record and evolutionary history of lagomorphs to answer why they don't rival horse sizes. They found that larger herbivore competitors and energetic disadvantage hindered their growth, with body sizes of ungulates being a key predictor.
A new study estimates that nearly 20,000 T. rex lived concurrently, with a total of 2.5 billion individuals over their entire existence. The authors used Darmuth's Law to estimate population-level traits and the rate of fossil preservation, finding that only about 1 in 80 million T. rex survived as fossilized remains.
Researchers have discovered that the modern tiger shark originated 13.8 million years ago, rather than the previously assumed 5.3 million years. The study, published in Paleobiology, used geometric morphometrics to analyze fossil teeth and found only one valid species of tiger shark remaining today.
A new study published in Geology has discovered macroscopic fossils of multiple species of algae that thrived together on the seafloor about 950 million years ago. The discovery provides critical time constraints for eukaryotic evolution and pushes back the time when algae were living in marine environments.
A new study builds a multilayered computer model of marine life's history over the last 500 million years, echoing J. John Sepkoski's work on sudden mass extinctions. The analysis reveals a fourth major evolutionary fauna driven by biological interactions between predators and prey.
An international study has identified a new fossil record of giant predatory worms in marine sediments from Taiwan, revealing they inhabited the seafloor until 5.3 million years ago. The worms, similar to today's Bobbit worm, lived in burrows and had strong jaws to capture prey.
A new study has solved Charles Darwin's long-standing puzzle about the origin of flowering plants, revealing they likely emerged around 100 million years ago. The research team used complex modeling and fossil data to estimate the age of flowering plants, contradicting earlier estimates that suggested a much more recent origin.
Researchers developed a method to account for missing soft-bodied organisms in ancient food webs, revealing differences between hard- and soft-bodied taxa that have existed for at least 48 million years. This work strengthens future research in ancient food web reconstruction and allows for more robust predictions of future ecosystems.
Researchers used high-resolution fossil data to analyze the humerus bone of early tetrapods, finding that they had adaptations indicating some ability to move on land. The study suggests that terrestrial ability coincided with the origin of limbs, providing new insights into the water-to-land transition in vertebrate evolution.
The discovery of a new fossil specimen at Drimolen cave system reveals subtle anatomical changes in Paranthropus robustus, challenging the long-held assumption that males were larger than females. The findings suggest that environmental conditions drove rapid evolutionary changes in the species.
The study reveals increased extinction rates for conifers since the Cretaceous, attributing their decline to competition between flowering plants and conifers. The rise of angiosperms is seen as a major factor in this process, according to the authors.
Researchers used fossil records to estimate extinction risk in marine bivalves, finding that many harvested species are widespread and tolerant of environmental changes. However, the study highlights the need for more complete data on human impact to inform conservation efforts.
A 13-million-year-old fossil unearthed in northern India belongs to a previously unknown genus and species, providing new evidence about the migration of great apes and lesser apes from Africa to Asia. The discovery pushes back the oldest known fossil record of gibbons by at least five million years.
A rock core from Petrified Forest National Park has provided a continuous timeline of Earth's history from 225 million to 209 million years ago, shedding light on the Triassic dark ages. The analysis suggests two possible scenarios for the changes in the fossil record: gradual evolution or a powerful asteroid impact.
A recent study found that tropical biodiversity in the ocean is declining, with a potential decrease in diversity by the end of the century. The research, led by Drs Moriaki Yasuhara and Timothy C Bonebrake, used fossil records to project future marine biodiversity patterns.
Fossilized footprints from Africa's largest human collection suggest a division of labor in ancient human communities. The 408 human footprints, dated between 19,100 and 5,760 years ago, indicate that females foraged together while males accompanied them or visited them.
A new study reveals that marine animal diversity has remained fairly constant over the past 540 million years, with regional-scale patterns dominating geological time. The research challenges previous estimates of increasing biodiversity over the last 200 million years.
Researchers discovered fossils of a group called euthycarcinoids in Scotland, which share similarities with living myriapods. These findings provide an early aquatic ancestor to land-dwelling arthropods, bridging the gap between molecular divergence dates and terrestrial fossil records
A team of palaeontologists has discovered stegosaur fossil footprints on the Isle of Skye, shedding light on dinosaur diversity in the Middle Jurassic period. The findings reveal that stegosaurs roamed the island around 170 million years ago and provide a clearer picture of Scotland's dinosaur evolution during this time.
Researchers at Uppsala University and the University of Leeds present a new mathematical model explaining patterns of diversity in the fossil record. The model shows that ancestral forms are typically few in number and quickly go extinct, while modern groups diversify rapidly.
Fossil record will be unique in Earth's history with many complete hominid skeletons, as human activities alter burial practices and increase animal density. The Anthropocene era will leave an unmistakable signal for paleontologists 100,000 years from now.
Researchers analyzed ancient crocodiles' shapes, modern diets, and fossil records to reconstruct their diets. Slender-snouted groups eat various prey, while broader-snouted groups consume larger prey up to their size.
Researchers have discovered a universal pattern in the fossil record, showing that extreme events of diversification and extinction occur more frequently than expected. The study used superstatistics to describe fluctuations within clades, finding effective adaptive strategies and valleys of uninhabited space.
Researchers discovered an ancient species of Old World monkey, filling a gap in the fossil record. The findings suggest that Alophia may have fed on hard objects like fruits and seeds, leading to the evolution of bilophodonty.
A study found that four mammalian lineages coexisted with the dinosaurs and survived the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Some species were more resilient than others, while others diversified rapidly in response to new environmental conditions.
A new study reveals that ancient fish species originated in shallow ocean waters, not coral reefs. The researchers analyzed fossil records and created a database to reconstruct the early habitats of vertebrates, finding that they diversified in near-shore areas.
Researchers argue that observed patterns in evolution arise from statistical fluctuations rather than underlying causes. This 'push of the past' bias affects many areas of life and can lead to misleading conclusions if not recognized.
Researchers discovered a new fossil that shows large angiosperm trees grew in North America by the Turonian age, dating back nearly 15 million years earlier than previously thought. This find provides more detail to our understanding of the landscape during this period and sheds light on the evolution of flowering plants.
A new study used fossil cores from northeastern Italy to test a thought experiment on mass extinctions. The results showed that the fossil record can produce a misleading picture if not interpreted with care, suggesting smaller bursts of extinctions over a longer timeline rather than a single massive die-off.
Researchers analyzed over 4,000 mosasaur fossil specimens to determine if quality impacts our understanding of past biodiversity. The study found that the rich fossil record provides an accurate picture of mosasaur diversity and evolutionary history despite variable completeness.
Research suggests that uneven fossil sampling patterns, rather than climate dynamics, are the primary driver of fluctuations in early hominin species diversity. Peak taxic diversity was linked to maximal rock exposure and collection effort.
The study reveals that flowering plants diversified suddenly in the Cretaceous period, while molecular-clock dating suggests an older origin. The discrepancy is attributed to false precision on both palaeontological and molecular evolutionary timescales.
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.
A new study of 311 hominin fossils spanning four million years shows that stature and body mass advanced at different speeds. Hominin bodies evolved in 'pulse and stasis' fluctuations, with some lineages even shrinking.
Researchers found that male woolly mammoth specimens were more common in the fossil record due to their tendency to travel alone and fall into natural traps. The discovery highlights the utility of fossil remains for studying extinct animal behavior and social structures.
A GW researcher argues that the human genus may have originated by chance, rather than in response to environmental changes. Computer simulations suggest that clusters of species originations could be caused by random fluctuations, rather than a single broad-scale event.
Conservationists from around the world gather to discuss a critical shift in thinking, recommending a more vigorous application of information from the fossil record. They suggest embracing novelty in ecosystems while preserving natural diversity, highlighting cases where conservation can benefit both humans and nature.
A new study reveals that parrotfish play a vital role in maintaining healthy coral reefs. When parrotfish were more abundant, the reef grew faster and remained healthier due to their algae-eating habits. The research suggests that conserving parrotfish populations is essential for protecting corals.
A new study of fossil records found that the modern latitudinal diversity gradient for North American mammals is an exception to the rule, with more species at the equator than poles. The team analyzed 63 million years of mammalian life and found a strengthening of the gradient between 10 million and 4 million years ago.
A recent study by three paleontologists reveals that over 85% of mammal species at high risk of extinction lack a fossil record. The researchers found that body size and geographical range are key factors in determining whether a species will leave behind a fossil legacy.
A newly discovered dinosaur, Timurlengia euotica, lived about 90 million years ago and fills a 20 million-year gap in the fossil record of tyrannosaurs. The species had developed keen senses and cognitive abilities, including low-frequency hearing, which positioned it to take advantage of opportunities to reach the top of its food chain.
Researchers found that more fossil bones have been lost in regions like the continental US and South America compared to Alaska and areas near the Bering Strait. This variation complicates population size estimates of extinct species across the Americas.
Researchers propose astrophysical explanation for discrepancies between molecular clock and fossil record, suggesting increased cosmic radiation accelerated mutation rates. The hypothesis predicts that organisms in deeper ocean layers will show less disparity between the two methods.