Paleo in the News

Humpback whale songs have patterns that resemble human language

New Scientist - Thu, 02/06/2025 - 13:00
The sounds that make up humpback whale songs follow some of the same statistical rules seen in human languages, which may be because of how they are learned
Categories: Fossils

London Underground mutant mosquitoes have surprisingly ancient origins

New Scientist - Thu, 02/06/2025 - 10:00
Genetic analysis suggests a form of mosquito found in urban subway systems evolved in the Middle East thousands of years ago
Categories: Fossils

Amazing plesiosaur fossil preserves its skin and scales

New Scientist - Thu, 02/06/2025 - 10:00
A remarkable plesiosaur fossil reveals that the extinct reptiles had scales like modern sea turtles, unlike the ichthyosaurs that lived during the same period
Categories: Fossils

Cuddling koalas show unexpected sociable side in surprising video

New Scientist - Wed, 02/05/2025 - 21:00
A group of male koalas were filmed grooming and playing together, in contrast to their solitary reputation, probably as a result of an unusually dense population in southern Victoria
Categories: Fossils

Cretaceous fossil from Antarctica reveals earliest modern bird

Science Daily - Paleontology - Wed, 02/05/2025 - 12:11
Sixty-six million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous Period, an asteroid impact near the Yucat n Peninsula of Mexico triggered the extinction of all known non-bird dinosaurs. But for the early ancestors of today's waterfowl, surviving that mass extinction event was like ... water off a duck's back. Location matters, as Antarctica may have served as a refuge, protected by its distance from the turmoil taking place elsewhere on the planet. Fossil evidence suggests a temperate climate with lush vegetation, possibly serving as an incubator for the earliest members of the group that now includes ducks and geese.
Categories: Fossils

Cretaceous fossil from Antarctica reveals earliest modern bird

Science Daily - Fossils - Wed, 02/05/2025 - 12:11
Sixty-six million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous Period, an asteroid impact near the Yucat n Peninsula of Mexico triggered the extinction of all known non-bird dinosaurs. But for the early ancestors of today's waterfowl, surviving that mass extinction event was like ... water off a duck's back. Location matters, as Antarctica may have served as a refuge, protected by its distance from the turmoil taking place elsewhere on the planet. Fossil evidence suggests a temperate climate with lush vegetation, possibly serving as an incubator for the earliest members of the group that now includes ducks and geese.
Categories: Fossils

Missing link in Indo-European languages' history found

Science Daily - Fossils - Wed, 02/05/2025 - 12:09
Where lies the origin of the Indo-European language family? Researchers contribute a new piece to this puzzle. They analyzed ancient DNA from 435 individuals from archaeological sites across Eurasia between 6.400--2.000 BCE. They found out that a newly recognized Caucasus-Lower Volga population can be connected to all Indo-European-speaking populations.
Categories: Fossils

Ancient relative of geese is the earliest known modern bird

New Scientist - Wed, 02/05/2025 - 10:00
A newly analysed fossil skull settles a palaeontological debate over Vegavis iaai, confirming it as a relative of ducks and geese that lived 69 million years ago
Categories: Fossils

Spiders can run just as fast after two of their legs drop off

New Scientist - Tue, 02/04/2025 - 09:16
When spiders self-amputate two of their legs, they quickly adjust their running gait so they can return to full speed
Categories: Fossils

Bonobos can tell when they know something you don't

New Scientist - Mon, 02/03/2025 - 14:00
Recognising that someone lacks information you possess is key for effective communication and cooperation, and bonobos seem to share this skill with humans
Categories: Fossils

Ángela Maldonado: Saving monkeys from an illegal Amazon wildlife trade

New Scientist - Sat, 02/01/2025 - 04:00
From narcos to navigating FARC paramilitaries, Angela Maldonado has been spearheading a campaign to protect the Amazon's night monkeys from an illegal wildlife trade
Categories: Fossils

Salamanders fill their toes with blood before each step

New Scientist - Fri, 01/31/2025 - 14:20
Wandering salamanders pump their toes full of blood before lifting their feet, a trick that may help them release their sticky grip while conserving energy
Categories: Fossils

Amazon river dolphins may send messages with aerial streams of urine

New Scientist - Fri, 01/31/2025 - 06:51
Male dolphins have been observed shooting jets of urine into the air and other dolphins seem to follow the stream, perhaps to pick up social cues
Categories: Fossils

Sharks and rays benefit from global warming, but not from CO2 in the Oceans

Science Daily - Paleontology - Thu, 01/30/2025 - 13:05
Sharks and rays have populated the world's oceans for around 450 million years, but more than a third of the species living today are severely threatened by overfishing and the loss of their habitat. Palaeobiologists have now investigated whether and how global warming influences the diversity of sharks based on climate fluctuations between 200 and 66 million years ago. According to the study, higher temperatures and more shallow water areas have a positive effect, while higher CO2 levels have a clearly negative effect.
Categories: Fossils

How polar bears stop ice from freezing on their fur

New Scientist - Wed, 01/29/2025 - 13:00
Indigenous peoples of the Arctic traditionally use polar bear fur for its ice-resistant properties, but the science behind the bears’ natural antifreeze hasn't been studied until now
Categories: Fossils

How humans evolved to think about risk may cost Earth dearly

New Scientist - Wed, 01/29/2025 - 12:00
A provocative new book delves into the way humans – and elephants – evolved to manage risk. We might do better to think more like elephants
Categories: Fossils

A lively history shows that the human neck is full of surprises

New Scientist - Wed, 01/29/2025 - 12:00
The neck is less than 1 per cent of the human body's surface area, but it plays an oversized role in our lives, reveals Kent Dunlap's engaging natural and cultural history
Categories: Fossils

Unveiling Japan's geological history through volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits

Science Daily - Paleontology - Mon, 01/27/2025 - 11:44
Dating key tectonic events in Japan's geological history has long been often challenging due to poor microfossil preservation from intense heat due to metamorphism. Researchers tackled this by using Re--Os isotope geochronology on Besshi-type volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits (Makimine and Shimokawa deposits) associated with sediment-covered mid-ocean ridges. Their findings revealed the timing of ridge subduction -- when one tectonic plate was forced beneath another -- a process that shaped Japan's landscape and provided new insights into its geological evolution.
Categories: Fossils

New evidence pushes back arrival of early hominins in Europe

Science Daily - Paleontology - Fri, 01/24/2025 - 14:12
Research reveals new evidence of early hominin activity in Europe, suggesting that hominins were present on the continent far earlier than previously thought.
Categories: Fossils

New tool enables phylogenomic analyses of entire genomes

Science Daily - Paleontology - Thu, 01/23/2025 - 15:32
Electrical engineers have developed a better way to perform the comparative analysis of entire genomes. This approach can be used to study relationships between different species across geological time scales. This new approach is poised to unlock discoveries regarding how evolution has shaped present-day genomes and also how the tree of life is organized.
Categories: Fossils

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