A study reveals that the Sigillaria brardii species, a fossil plant typical of peatlands, colonized new areas in the riverbeds of the Variscan mountains. The discovery expands knowledge about forest ecosystems in the late Carboniferous period and sheds light on the impact of global climate change on plant distribution.
A recent study found that insect herbivores have caused more damage to plant matter from leaves in recent history than millions of years ago. The frequency of leaf damage by insects among forest plants in recent history is more than twice that of vegetation from the Pleistocene and Late Cretaceous periods.
The study reveals that calcium oxalate crystals are responsible for the formation of microscopic cavities in fossilized leaves. The researchers found clear parallels in closely related species, suggesting a biological function for the crystals.
A new genus and species of algae called Protocodium sinense has been discovered in China, providing new insight into the early diversification of the plant kingdom. The fossils are remarkably modern-looking and suggest that green algae were already established in shallow waters as carbon dioxide recyclers and oxygen producers before th...
Scientists discovered that an early bird species called Jeholornis ate fruits and seeds, helping plants dominate the world today. The bird's skull shape and stomach contents showed evidence of a seasonal diet with whole fruits during fruit season.
A rare fossil flower of the Euphorbiaceae family has been discovered in 30-million-year-old amber, along with a parasitic wasp. The flower, named Plukenetia minima, is notable for its small size and lengthy stalk. The wasp, Hambletonia dominicana, was found to have an egg that hatches into a fly larva within the flower's seed pods.
Researchers have discovered exceptionally rich assemblages of plant spine fossils in central Tibet, confirming an early diversification of spiny plants around 39 million years ago. The findings suggest that a drying and cooling climate may have driven the evolution of physical defense mechanisms against large herbivores.
Researchers studied fossil plants to understand life on earth in a warmer, wetter climate. They found that the Eocene epoch required a steady supply of precipitation and high CO2 levels to sustain lush green landscapes.
A study published in PeerJ has discovered that the dominant tree group in Brunei's rainforest, dipterocarps, has remained unchanged for at least four million years. The research suggests that the current ecosystem is similar to what was present during the Pliocene Epoch, providing additional justification for conservation efforts.
A 60-million-year-old fossil of a coconut reveals insect tunneling signs, pinpointing the culprit as palm bruchines beetles. This finding sheds new light on Neotropical rainforests and their interactions with insects, highlighting the importance of specialized plant-insect relationships in maintaining plant diversity.
A new visual leaf library, developed by a Penn State-led team, provides a resource to help scientists recognize and classify plant leaves. The library contains 30,252 high-resolution images of cleared and fossilized leaves, allowing for rapid searching and comparison.
A new plant species was discovered based on the presence of distinctive fruit capsules that likely exploded to disperse their seeds. The fossils were found in India's Deccan Traps, a complex mosaic of basalt rocks leftover from volcanic eruptions that lasted up to 1 million years.
Researchers found ancient Ceratopetalum suciensis fossils on Sucia Island in Washington, prompting questions about how plants spread across the globe. The discovery suggests a biotic exchange between North America and South America-Antarctica during the Late Cretaceous.
A team of Australian and international scientists has discovered a valuable new fossil site in New South Wales, containing exceptional examples of fossils from the Miocene epoch. The site, named McGraths Flat, provides insights into the history of the Australian continent and its ecosystems.
Researchers have uncovered the first fossil evidence of a rare botanical condition known as precocious germination, where seeds sprout before leaving the fruit. A 40-million-year-old pine cone encased in Baltic amber shows embryonic stems emerging from the seeds, providing insight into plant biology and ecology.
Researchers reconstructed the oldest known form of roots in a 407-million-year-old plant fossil, revealing a complex branching system that differed from modern plants. This discovery provides insight into the evolution of early land plants and their impact on the environment.
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.
Paleobotanists describe two new genera of ancient conifers based on beautifully preserved fossil seed cones from the Upper Cretaceous of Hokkaido, Japan. The discovery sheds light on the diversity and decline of cunninghamioid conifers during the Cretaceous period.
A new study reveals that the domestication of plants and construction of settlements based on agriculture in ancient Japan coincided with periods of relatively warm and stable climate. This challenges the conventional theory that a climatic cooling event drove humans to adopt agriculture.
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.
Two new articles explore the spatially variable exhumation of the central Appalachian Mountains and constraints on the paleoelevation history of Colombia's Eastern Cordillera. The studies use thermochronology and palynological records to reconstruct ancient tectonic events.
A new fossil analysis published in Biology Letters reveals that woodlice cousins, Oxyuropoda, existed on Irish land 360 million years ago. The study uses modern imaging technology to recreate the image of this ancient creature, providing insight into the evolution of crustaceans and their colonization of land.
The discovery of ancient plant fossils in South Africa provides insights into the greening of continents. The fossils, dated to 420-410 million years ago, include 15 species, three of which are new to science.
Researchers analyzed pollen and leaf waxes to reconstruct vegetation cover and rainfall in the past. Mediterranean plants tolerate arid conditions with winter rain, suggesting a southward shift of westerlies during the African Humid Period. This climate scenario produced a Green Sahara with two seasonal rains.
Fossil seed-bearing structures from China's Early Cretaceous period show a recurved cupule with two seeds, suggesting a link to extinct non-angiosperm plants. The discovery supports an earlier idea about the origin of flowering plants' distinctive outer seed covering.
A new angiosperm, Gansufructus saligna, has been discovered in Northwest China, providing valuable insights into the evolution of flowering plants. The fossil specimens show characteristics of a small, terrestrial herbaceous eudicot with paniculate infructescences.
Fossilised footprints from 58 million-year-old rocks in Wyoming reveal that early mammals used marine habitats, pushing back an estimated 9.4 million years of previous assumptions. The prints showed diverse tracks, including those of semiaquatic mammals and artiodactyls.
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.
A new water plant species, Mesochara dobrogeica, has been discovered in the ancient Tethys Ocean islands. The study reveals a defined biogeographical identity among the charophytes flora of these paleo-islands.
A new research discovery reveals an exceptionally diverse tropical seasonal rainforest biota from the Miocene era, with over 250 arthropod families and 78 broadleaf tree species. This find provides insights into the evolution of rainforests and their potential adaptability to a warmer world.
A Cretaceous beetle fossil, named Pelretes vivificus, has been found to have fed on pollen from early flowering plants, providing conclusive evidence of the intimate association between ancient pollinators and angiosperms. The discovery sheds light on the origin of this mutualistic relationship.
A recent fossil discovery of four new snakefly species has deepened the mystery surrounding their evolutionary history and distribution. The ancient insects, dating back 50 million years, were found in British Columbia and Washington state, where scientists had previously believed they required cold winters to thrive.
Asteroid impact led to 45% plant extinction and paved the way for modern tropical rainforests. Plant diversity took over 10 million years to recover after the impact, with flowering plants dominating ecosystems.
The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated financing challenges and hampered investment in renewable energy infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries. Despite this, frontrunners in the global energy transition will continue to expand their renewable energy capacities.
A 47-million-year-old fly fossil found in Vienna revealed that flies played a significant role in ancient pollination. The fly's stomach contents showed pollen from various plant species, suggesting its importance in pollen dispersal and biotic interactions.
Researchers have confirmed Noeggerathiales had fern-like spore propagation and seed plant vascular tissue, revealing a closer relationship to seed plants than previously thought. The study also shows that the ancestral lineage of seed plants diversified during the Devonian-Carboniferous-Permian periods.
A fossil plant with complete anatomical preservation from a 298-million-year-old ash deposit has enabled evolutionary classification of the Noeggerathiales order. Paratingia wuhaia, a small woody tree, belongs to the progymnosperm lineage and produces spores.
A new study has uncovered a pivotal moment in the evolution of seed-bearing plants, revealing they outcompeted other fern groups 300 million years ago. The fossils found in China have provided crucial evidence that Noeggerathiales, an ancient plant lineage, were more closely related to seed plants than previously thought.
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.
A joint research team revealed that the growth of northern Tibet drastically altered climate and vegetation patterns in East Asia. The study found that increased rainfall allowed unique plants and animal species to evolve in vast numbers, creating a biodiversity hotspot.
The ETH researchers conclude that continuing to power aircraft with fossil fuels and removing CO2 emissions using Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a cost-effective option for achieving carbon neutrality. Indirectly capturing CO2 from waste incineration gases also shows promise, costing significantly less than direct air capture.
A team of researchers studied over 3,500 leaf fossils from Patagonia, Argentina, and found a surprising 92% species-level extinction rate in the region. The study suggests that despite high extinction rates, South American plant families largely survived and grew more diverse during the Paleogene period.
The California Academy of Sciences has added 213 new species to the tree of life, including 101 ants, 15 fishes, and 11 flowering plants. These discoveries provide valuable insights into Earth's biodiversity and help inform global conservation efforts.
A paleobotanist is leading a team to Antarctica to collect and analyze fossilized flowering plants, providing insight into the early evolution of modern plants. The project aims to fill gaps in the fossil record and better understand the role of Antarctica in plant diversification.
Fossil discovery provides insights into ancient Tibetan biota and land surface height in the middle Eocene. The study reveals a diverse and humid subtropical forest ecosystem at an elevation of 1,500 meters under a monsoonal climate.
Researchers analyzed fossils of 70 plant taxa from central Tibet to understand the region's ancient environment. The study found that Tibet's landscape persisted in a similar form for at least 25 million years before giving way to its present-day plateau.
A team of scientists developed machine-learning models to differentiate among several existing Amherstieae legume genera and classified existing pollen accurately over 80% of the time. The results support previous hypotheses suggesting that Amherstieae originated in Africa and later dispersed to South America.
Researchers developed a new method to identify fossil pollen using super-resolution microscopy and machine learning, allowing for the classification of previously unknown legume groups. The trained models achieved 90.3% accuracy in identifying samples from ancient Africa and South America.
Researchers discovered fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau, revealing a more humid ecosystem than predicted by climate models. The findings support the hypothesis that tectonic uplift occurred in rapid pulses, shaping the region's climate and vegetation.
The study of Jurassic fossils from northeastern China provides evidence that ancient catkin-yew species existed during the Middle-Late Jurassic period. The fossils, which bear a striking resemblance to modern catkin-yews, demonstrate morphological stasis and are among the most completely known fossil Taxaceae.
Researchers discovered well-preserved conifer fossils in Patagonia that show the Araucaria genus has roots in the ancient supercontinent Gondwana. The findings suggest that relatives of Norfolk Island pines were part of a rainforest stretching across Australasia and Antarctica.
A new plant species, Keraphyton mawsoniae, has been discovered in a 372-359 million year old Australian fossil. The fern-like plant shares similarities with modern ferns and horsetails, providing valuable information on plant evolution during the Devonian-Carboniferous period.
A 425-million-year-old millipede fossil discovered in Scotland is the oldest known bug, challenging previous estimates of insect evolution. The find suggests that bugs evolved rapidly, going from simple lake communities to complex forest ecosystems within 40 million years.
Researchers have discovered a new ancient plant species that provides a unique glimpse into the evolutionary process of reproductive biology in seed plants. The 400 million-year-old fossilized specimen reveals a spectrum of spore sizes, a precursor to specialized strategies in land plants.
Researchers found a 110-million-year-old fossilized plant gum, which defies previous assumptions that it couldn't be preserved due to its water-soluble properties. The discovery sheds new light on the survival of plant chemicals in fossils and has significant implications for understanding ancient ecosystems.
Virginia Tech paleontologists have discovered 1 billion-year-old micro-fossils of green seaweeds that could be the ancestor of early land plants and trees. The fossils, found in rock near Dalian in northern China, are barely visible to the naked eye and display complex multicellularity.
Scientists have uncovered fossils of trees from the world's oldest forest, dating back 386 million years, in a sandstone quarry in Cairo, New York. The discovery provides new insights into the evolution of trees and their role in shaping the world we live in today.
Researchers have discovered fossils in the Catskill region that suggest the transition to modern forests began earlier than believed, with primitive trees showing extensive root systems dating back 386 million years. The findings point to a complex evolution of forest ecosystems during the Devonian Period.
Researchers found evidence of three unique root systems, including a palm tree-like tree and a tree called Archaeopteris, which shares characteristics with modern seed plants. This discovery suggests that the transition toward modern forests began earlier than previously thought, around 385 million years ago.
Researchers have discovered that the Canadian tundra was once home to a vibrant, temperate forest, featuring plants such as birch, alder, and elms. The ancient plant fossil record provides valuable insights into how ecosystems responded to greenhouse climates in the past.