Articles tagged with Fossils
Researchers found that animals living on convoluted coastlines were more likely to go extinct than those living on north-south orientated coastlines. This study provides new insight into patterns of biodiversity distribution throughout Earth history and highlights the importance of coastline geometry for survival during climate change.
A new study at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities investigates how floodwaters transport and bury animal bones to understand fossil formation. The research provides clues for understanding animal extinction and environmental changes.
The study of new hominin fossils from Thomas Quarry I in Morocco reveals an African population near the base of the Homo sapiens lineage. The 773,000-year-old fossils provide insights into the shared ancestry of H. sapiens, Neandertals, and Denisovans.
A study has identified fossilized vertebrate footprints from the Quaternary period in fossil dune deposits in Murcia, attributed to the straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus. The trackway found at Torre de Cope suggests an adult elephant about 2.3 meters tall and weighing around 2.6 tonnes.
A new study has found that frogs have preserved their skin and eye structure over millions of years, with melanosomes showing similar shapes in fossil and modern specimens. This suggests that some species are maintaining ancestral traits instead of evolving new ones.
Researchers discovered metabolites in fossilized bones of animals that lived 1.3 to 3 million years ago, providing insights into their health, diets, and environments. The findings revealed warmer and wetter conditions compared to today.
Researchers discovered fossilized bee nests in a Dominican Republic cave, containing pollen and matching modern bee nest structures. The nests, dated to around 20,000 years ago, were likely built by solitary bee species using saliva-dirt mixtures.
A new species of ancient sea cow has been discovered in Qatar, revealing that sea cows have shaped the Arabian Gulf's seagrass ecosystems for over 20 million years. The fossil site, Al Maszhabiya, yielded more than 170 different locations containing sea cow fossils.
Most museum staff support behind-the-scenes tours to educate the public about their work and promote biodiversity. The tours can help improve teaching and public speaking skills, while also fostering a sense of reciprocity and responsibility among staff.
A tiny fossil bird named Chromeornis funkyi has been discovered with a massive cluster of stones in its throat, suggesting it likely choked to death. The unusual find provides new insights into the evolution of dinosaurs and birds, revealing that this species may have died due to regurgitation of swallowed rocks.
A new study using hyoid bone analysis has confirmed that Nanotyrannus was a distinct species from T. rex, with the fossil standing at 18 feet tall compared to the massive 40-foot long T. rex. The findings provide conclusive evidence for the existence of Nanotyrannus and shed light on its growth patterns and ecosystem dynamics.
Dinosaurs operated with a 'latchkey kid' approach, with young offspring independent and foraging alone after just a few months. This led to an increased number of functional species in dinosaur fossil communities compared to modern mammals.
A new paper published in Science reveals that Nanotyrannus is nearly fully grown and not an immature T. rex, while also providing insights into how giant predators achieved terrifying sizes quickly.
Researchers used CT scans to study brain cavities in ancient reptiles and found that pterosaurs had relatively small brains compared to birds. The study suggests that flight evolved independently in these groups without requiring significant brain changes.
A University of Cambridge-led team analyzed giant anaconda fossils to determine their maximum size occurred 12.4 million years ago. The study found that ancient anacondas were four to five metres long, matching the size of modern anacondas, suggesting they have remained giants due to a suitable environment.
Researchers assign a hominin foot fossil from Lucy's time to a different species, providing evidence that two ancient human ancestors coexisted in the same region. The Burtele foot belongs to A. deyiremeda, which retained an opposable big toe for climbing but likely pushed off with its second digit on two legs.
Researchers discovered a new 233-million-year-old nonflying relative of pterosaurs that provided breakthrough insights into the evolution of flight in these animals. The study found that pterosaurs evolved their own 'flight computers' from scratch, with unique brain structures and smaller brain sizes compared to birds.
A team of international scientists reconstructed size evolution in ancient sharks using interdisciplinary analysis. The study revealed that modern sharks experimented with enormous body sizes much earlier in their evolutionary history than previously suspected.
A new study reveals that Dunkleosteus was an oddball among ancient armored fishes, with a cartilage-heavy skull and unexpected feeding behavior. The research places Dunkleosteus in proper evolutionary context, highlighting the diversity of arthrodire groups.
Researchers have identified a tiny 'GPS' system in ancient magnetic fossils, suggesting that animals may have used the Earth's magnetic field to navigate long distances for at least 97 million years. The discovery provides direct evidence of magnetoreception and sheds light on how animals evolved this ability.
Researchers have identified a new species of ancient symbiotic fungus preserved within a 407-million-year-old plant fossil from Scotland. The discovery provides unprecedented three-dimensional insight into one of the earliest known plant–fungus partnerships, known as mycorrhiza.
A newly discovered carnivorous lizard, Tainrakuasuchus bellator, lived 240 million years ago and resembled a dinosaur due to its armour-plated body. The species was among the top predators of its time in Brazil during the Triassic Period.
Chameleons have two long, coiled optic nerves that enable their remarkable ability to look in two different directions at once. Researchers used CT scanning technology to visualize the hidden structure, revealing a unique trait not seen in any other lizard.
Researchers analyzed sediment cores from three sites in the Arctic, finding that year-round ice coverage corresponded with less cosmic dust. This study suggests that tracking cosmic dust can help predict changes to sea ice coverage and understand warming trends.
Researchers discovered a common parasite of modern oysters has been infecting bivalves for hundreds of millions of years. The parasite, belonging to the spionid group, has remained largely unchanged despite multiple mass extinction events.
Researchers used electron microscopy to investigate ammolite's structural properties, finding that the colors are caused by light reflecting off narrow gaps between aragonite plates. The findings could inform the development of non-fading colored paints.
A new fossil discovery confirms Nanotyrannus as a distinct species from Tyrannosaurus rex, challenging decades of research on T. rex growth. The fossil reveals that Nanotyrannus was physically mature at age 20 and had distinct skeletal features incompatible with T. rex.
Researchers uncovered the oldest known complex three-dimensional burrow systems in Hubei's Shibantan Biota, dating back approximately 550 million years. These trace fossils show that complex animal behaviors emerged nearly 10 million years earlier than previously thought.
The discovery of Wadisuchus kassabi in the Campanian period (80 million years ago) sheds light on the origin and biogeography of Dyrosauridae, a group of ancient crocodiles that thrived in coastal and marine environments. The species highlights Egypt's Western Desert as a cradle of marine croc evolution.
A new study suggests that Indigenous Australians may have been fossil collectors, rather than hunters, of Australia's megafauna. The researchers re-analyzed a fossilized tibia bone with an incision and found that it was likely already fossilized when the cut occurred.
A new study analyzing fossil teeth from Vietnam and Laos reveals that animals with varied diets and habitats were more likely to endure, while narrow specialists largely disappeared. The research highlights the importance of conserving ecological conditions to protect species resilience.
Salterella, a tiny Cambrian creature, has been reclassified with cnidarians due to its unique shell structure and mineral composition. The research team suggests that Salterella's shell served a distinct purpose, possibly related to feeding or stability.
A new study revises the origin story of freshwater fish, suggesting that oceanic fish invaded fresh water multiple times to develop improved hearing systems. The discovery was made using a newly discovered fossil fish with a Weberian apparatus, which allows it to hear sounds at high frequencies.
A 430-million-year-old fossil found in Wisconsin reveals that ancient leeches feasted on smaller marine creatures, challenging the assumption that they are bloodsuckers. The absence of a forward sucker in the fossil suggests a different early lifestyle for the group known as Hirudinida.
A new ichthyosaur species, Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis, has been described from the Mistelgau fossil site in Bavaria, Germany. The species shares striking similarities with dolphins and tuna, featuring a pronounced overbite similar to modern swordfish.
A reanalysis of the one-million-year-old Yunxian 2 skull from China suggests a new branch in the human family tree and a possible link to Denisovans. The study proposes that the split between modern humans, Neanderthals, and this Asian clade occurred much earlier than previously thought.
The study proposes a clear, four-stage sequence showing how chewing and hearing functions were gradually split between jaw and ear. The discoveries of unique jaw joints in fossil specimens reveal multiple independent origins for jaw joint types and expand our understanding of mammalian evolution.
A 2023 MSU graduate's undergraduate research project uncovered a new, 95-million-year-old crocodyliform named Thikarisuchus xenodentes. This tiny creature lived on land, feasting on plants and insects, with unique teeth that shed light on ancient ecosystems and evolutionary patterns.
A newly discovered pachycephalosaur fossil from Mongolia's Gobi Desert provides crucial insights into the dinosaur group's growth and development. The 15-million-year-old specimen, called Zavacephale rinpoche, is the oldest and most complete skeleton of this iconic dinosaur group found to date.
Researchers in China have dated dinosaur eggs from the Qinglongshan site to be around 85 million years old, shedding light on the Late Cretaceous climate. The new dating method, called atomic clock for fossils, allows for precise measurement of uranium and lead atoms in eggshell samples.
A 242-million-year-old fossil from Devon has provided new insights into the origins of lizards, snakes, and their tuatara relatives. The discovery shows that early lepidosaurs had surprisingly large triangular-shaped teeth, unlike modern lizards and snakes.
A tiny fossil of a sea creature from over half a billion years ago sheds light on the evolution of arthropods, revealing a brain similar to that of living crustaceans. The discovery suggests that the split between the two largest groups of arthropods was more nuanced and complicated than previously thought.
Fossilized marine invertebrates accurately reflect past ecosystems' functional diversity, offering a powerful tool for understanding long-term ecological change and informing modern conservation efforts. The study supports the growing field of conservation paleobiology by validating the use of functional diversity metrics in fossil data.
New research reveals that ancient ocean oxygenation drove diversification among jawed vertebrates. The study found two oxygenation events occurred in deeper waters, one lasting from the Middle Devonian period to present, and suggests oxygen played a key role in shaping evolutionary patterns.
UNLV anthropologist Brian Villmoare and an international team discovered new fossils in Ethiopia that indicate Australopithecus and Homo species coexisted between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago. The findings suggest a more complex tree-like pattern of human evolution, challenging the traditional linear model.
Scientists have discovered new fossils of Australopithecus and Homo coexisting between 2.6 to 2.8 million years ago, shedding light on human evolution. The new species of Australopithecus has been identified as a distinct lineage, challenging traditional views of human origins.
Scientists reconstructed the brain, heart, and fins of a 400-million-year-old fish called Norselaspis glacialis. The study found that its acute senses and powerful heart evolved well before jaws and teeth, suggesting a fast-swimming lifestyle was key to evading predators.
Fossilized dinosaur teeth contain oxygen isotopes that indicate high carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere during the Mesozoic Era, which was four to three times higher than today. This data suggests dynamic climates with double primary plant production, contributing to their extinction.
A study of fossil teeth from a 56-million-year-old extinct predator reveals how animals adapted to extreme climate change. The findings suggest that limited food played a bigger role in the dietary shift than just hotter temperatures.
Researchers mapped the range of movement in Olenoides serratus trilobite limbs, shedding light on their behavior and function. The study revealed a simpler, functional limb design with limited extension range, allowing them to walk, burrow, and forage.
The discovery of Palaeocampa anthrax, an armored freshwater lobopodian, reveals new insights into early animal evolution and the diversity of ancient ecosystems. The fossil's analysis confirms its status as a nonmarine species, predating previously known marine lobopodians by nearly fifty years.
The discovery of exceptionally preserved early animals in the Grand Canyon sheds new light on the evolution of life during the Cambrian period. The fossils, dating back 507-502 million years, reveal complex feeding styles and unique adaptations, including hair-like extensions on crustacean bodies.
Researchers discovered that approximately 436-million-year-old brachiopods formed a non-random, checkerboard-like pattern due to their tiny setae, which allowed them to maintain optimal spacing. This study provides rare evidence of ancient communities being shaped by biological interactions.
A new analysis of a 500 million-year-old fossil suggests that arachnids, including spiders and scorpions, evolved in the ocean before adapting to land. The discovery was made by studying the brain and nervous system of an ancient marine arthropod called Mollisonia symmetrica.
Researchers at the University of Missouri have confirmed a more nuanced view of the Mazon Creek fossil site, using modern data analysis techniques to assess paleoenvironmental and taphonomic nature. The study reveals three identifiable paleoenvironments, including transitional habitats between nearshore and offshore zones.
A previously unknown genus and species of Pliocene mole, Vulcanoscaptor ninoti, has been identified in southern Europe. The fossil provides valuable insights into the evolutionary history of talpids and suggests past transcontinental migrations of moles.
A University of Portsmouth student has discovered a new species of prehistoric mammal, Novaculadon mirabilis, dating back 145 million years. The fossilized jaw features distinctive teeth and provides insights into early mammals that lived alongside dinosaurs.
Recent advances in molecular clock models and paleontological discoveries suggest many bird lineages originated during Late Cretaceous period. This early diversification coincided with the Cretaceous Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution, a pivotal phase of terrestrial ecosystem restructuring.
Researchers from Harvard University have discovered ancient proteins in the enamel of 18-million-year-old fossilized mammals from Kenya's Rift Valley. The study uses a new proteomics technique to reveal a diversity of proteins in different biological tissues, providing insights into the lives and evolution of these ancient animals.
A Smithsonian-led team has discovered North America's oldest known pterosaur, dating back to the late Triassic period around 209 million years ago. The fossilized jawbone of the new species was found alongside hundreds of other fossils, including a turtle with spike-like armor and an ancient frog relative.