Paleo in the News

The ancestor of all modern birds probably had iridescent feathers

Science Daily - Paleontology - Fri, 07/26/2024 - 10:33
Birds tend to be more colorful in the tropics, and scientists wanted to find out how they got there: if colorful feathers evolved in the tropics, or if tropical birds have brightly-colored ancestors that came to the region from somwhere else. Scientists built a database of 9,409 birds to explore the spread of color across the globe. They found that iridescent, colorful feathers originated 415 times across the bird tree of life, and in most cases, arose outside of the tropics -- and that the ancestor of all modern birds likely had iridescent feathers, too.
Categories: Fossils

Early humans began wiping out elephant relatives 1.8 million years ago

New Scientist - Wed, 07/24/2024 - 14:00
Elephant-like species started going extinct faster when early humans evolved, and the rate of extinction rose even higher when modern humans appeared
Categories: Fossils

Ants are incredible navigators - let's celebrate their brilliance

New Scientist - Wed, 07/24/2024 - 13:00
Ants and other insects are capable of astounding navigational feats. Perhaps an appreciation of this could aid conservation efforts, says Robert Barrie
Categories: Fossils

Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth to rip apart their prey

Science Daily - Paleontology - Wed, 07/24/2024 - 11:30
Scientists have discovered that the serrated edges of Komodo dragons' teeth are tipped with iron. The study gives new insight into how Komodo dragons keep their teeth razor-sharp and may provide clues to how dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex killed and ate their prey.
Categories: Fossils

Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth to rip apart their prey

Science Daily - Dinosaurs - Wed, 07/24/2024 - 11:30
Scientists have discovered that the serrated edges of Komodo dragons' teeth are tipped with iron. The study gives new insight into how Komodo dragons keep their teeth razor-sharp and may provide clues to how dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex killed and ate their prey.
Categories: Fossils

Scientists assess how large dinosaurs could really get

Science Daily - Paleontology - Wed, 07/24/2024 - 11:30
A study looks at the maximum possible sizes of dinosaurs, using the carnivore, Tyrannosaurus rex, as an example. Using computer modelling, experts produced estimates that T. Rex might have been 70% heavier than what the fossil evidence suggests.
Categories: Fossils

Scientists assess how large dinosaurs could really get

Science Daily - Dinosaurs - Wed, 07/24/2024 - 11:30
A study looks at the maximum possible sizes of dinosaurs, using the carnivore, Tyrannosaurus rex, as an example. Using computer modelling, experts produced estimates that T. Rex might have been 70% heavier than what the fossil evidence suggests.
Categories: Fossils

Scientists assess how large dinosaurs could really get

Science Daily - Fossils - Wed, 07/24/2024 - 11:30
A study looks at the maximum possible sizes of dinosaurs, using the carnivore, Tyrannosaurus rex, as an example. Using computer modelling, experts produced estimates that T. Rex might have been 70% heavier than what the fossil evidence suggests.
Categories: Fossils

Jurassic fossils show modern mammals grow faster than ancient ones

New Scientist - Wed, 07/24/2024 - 11:00
The 166-million-year-old fossils of an adult and a juvenile of the same extinct mammal species reveal that they had longer "childhoods" and lifespans than similar species today
Categories: Fossils

Komodo dragons have teeth capped with a layer of iron

New Scientist - Wed, 07/24/2024 - 06:55
An orange layer on the tips of Komodo dragons’ teeth may give the enamel extra strength for ripping apart their prey
Categories: Fossils

Collision between boat and basking shark captured by camera tag

New Scientist - Wed, 07/24/2024 - 03:00
Researchers are calling for greater protection for basking sharks after a camera on a tagged shark recorded a collision for the first time
Categories: Fossils

Taco-shaped arthropod fossils gives new insights into the history of the first mandibulates

Science Daily - Paleontology - Tue, 07/23/2024 - 19:47
Palaeontologists are helping resolve the evolution and ecology of Odaraia, a taco-shaped marine animal that lived during the Cambrian period. Fossils reveal Odaraia had mandibles. Palaeontologists are finally able to place it as belonging to the mandibulates, ending its long enigmatic classification among the arthropods since it was first discovered in the Burgess Shale over 100 years ago and revealing more about early evolution and diversification.
Categories: Fossils

Taco-shaped arthropod fossils gives new insights into the history of the first mandibulates

Science Daily - Fossils - Tue, 07/23/2024 - 19:47
Palaeontologists are helping resolve the evolution and ecology of Odaraia, a taco-shaped marine animal that lived during the Cambrian period. Fossils reveal Odaraia had mandibles. Palaeontologists are finally able to place it as belonging to the mandibulates, ending its long enigmatic classification among the arthropods since it was first discovered in the Burgess Shale over 100 years ago and revealing more about early evolution and diversification.
Categories: Fossils

Nanoscopic imaging aids in understanding protein, tissue preservation in ancient bones

Science Daily - Paleontology - Tue, 07/23/2024 - 11:35
A pilot study shows that nanoscopic 3-D imaging of ancient bone not only provides further insight into the changes soft tissues undergo during fossilization, it also has potential as a fast, practical way to determine which specimens are likely candidates for ancient DNA and protein sequence preservation.
Categories: Fossils

Nanoscopic imaging aids in understanding protein, tissue preservation in ancient bones

Science Daily - Fossils - Tue, 07/23/2024 - 11:35
A pilot study shows that nanoscopic 3-D imaging of ancient bone not only provides further insight into the changes soft tissues undergo during fossilization, it also has potential as a fast, practical way to determine which specimens are likely candidates for ancient DNA and protein sequence preservation.
Categories: Fossils

Ore-some: New date for Earth's largest iron deposits offers clues for future exploration

Science Daily - Paleontology - Mon, 07/22/2024 - 16:58
Research reveals that Earth's largest iron ore deposits -- in the Hamersley Province of Western Australia -- are about one billion years younger than previously believed, a discovery which could greatly boost the search for more of the resource.
Categories: Fossils

Ore-some: New date for Earth's largest iron deposits offers clues for future exploration

Science Daily - Fossils - Mon, 07/22/2024 - 16:58
Research reveals that Earth's largest iron ore deposits -- in the Hamersley Province of Western Australia -- are about one billion years younger than previously believed, a discovery which could greatly boost the search for more of the resource.
Categories: Fossils

Chimps respond to each other at a pace similar to human conversation

New Scientist - Mon, 07/22/2024 - 11:00
Humans and chimpanzees both take part in rapid social exchanges, suggesting some foundational principles of language may have evolved earlier than previously thought
Categories: Fossils

New snake discovery rewrites history, points to North America's role in snake evolution

Science Daily - Paleontology - Fri, 07/19/2024 - 17:02
A new species of fossil snake unearthed in Wyoming is rewriting our understanding of snake evolution. The discovery, based on four remarkably well-preserved specimens found curled together in a burrow, reveals a new species named Hibernophis breithaupti. This snake lived in North America 34 million years ago and sheds light on the origin and diversification of boas and pythons.
Categories: Fossils

New snake discovery rewrites history, points to North America's role in snake evolution

Science Daily - Fossils - Fri, 07/19/2024 - 17:02
A new species of fossil snake unearthed in Wyoming is rewriting our understanding of snake evolution. The discovery, based on four remarkably well-preserved specimens found curled together in a burrow, reveals a new species named Hibernophis breithaupti. This snake lived in North America 34 million years ago and sheds light on the origin and diversification of boas and pythons.
Categories: Fossils

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