Paleo in the News

Fancy pigeons flaunt their feathers in this striking photo series

New Scientist - Wed, 01/22/2025 - 12:00
Photographer Luisa Maria Stagno is on a mission to document the most unusual pigeons out there, from a Danish Suabian to a Gimpel
Categories: Fossils

Why giving Jurassic Park's velociraptors feathers is a good thing

New Scientist - Wed, 01/22/2025 - 12:00
Feedback is delighted by a YouTuber's sterling efforts to make Michael Crichton's velociraptors more accurate – but points out that they're still far too big
Categories: Fossils

New evidence suggests megaflood refilled the Mediterranean Sea five million years ago

Science Daily - Paleontology - Tue, 01/21/2025 - 11:58
A new study provides compelling new evidence that a colossal 'megaflood' refilled the Mediterranean Sea, ending a period during which the Med was a vast expanse of salt flats. The study suggests the Zanclean Megaflood ended the Messinian Salinity Crisis, which lasted between 5.97 and 5.33 million years ago.
Categories: Fossils

Three million years ago, our ancestors were vegetarian

Science Daily - Paleontology - Fri, 01/17/2025 - 10:22
Human ancestors like Australopithecus -- which lived around 3.5 million years ago in southern Africa -- ate very little to no meat, according to new research. This conclusion comes from an analysis of nitrogen isotope isotopes in the fossilized tooth enamel of seven Australopithecus individuals. The data revealed that these early hominins primarily relied on plant-based diets, with little to no evidence of meat consumption.
Categories: Fossils

Rabbits may eat their own teeth to boost their calcium intake

New Scientist - Fri, 01/17/2025 - 08:00
The animals' teeth are constantly being worn down due to their tough diet. But rather than losing calcium this way, they could be recycling it to help grow their teeth back up to size
Categories: Fossils

Early humans adapted to harsh conditions more than a million years ago

Science Daily - Paleontology - Thu, 01/16/2025 - 12:33
A long-standing question about when archaic members of the genus Homo adapted to harsh environments such as deserts and rainforests has been answered in a new research paper.
Categories: Fossils

Fossil claimed to be new species of mosasaur is suspected forgery

New Scientist - Thu, 01/16/2025 - 08:22
A jawbone found in a Moroccan mine was thought to be a novel species of marine reptile from the Cretaceous period, but other researchers believe it is probably a fake
Categories: Fossils

Conquest of Asia and Europe by snow leopards during the last Ice Ages uncovered

Science Daily - Paleontology - Wed, 01/15/2025 - 15:50
Scientists have identified fossils of snow leopards. The discovery has allowed them to trace the evolutionary history of the species during the Quaternary period and to propose how it dispersed from the Tibetan plateau to the Iberian Peninsula, far from the high and icy Himalayan mountains.
Categories: Fossils

Conquest of Asia and Europe by snow leopards during the last Ice Ages uncovered

Science Daily - Fossils - Wed, 01/15/2025 - 15:50
Scientists have identified fossils of snow leopards. The discovery has allowed them to trace the evolutionary history of the species during the Quaternary period and to propose how it dispersed from the Tibetan plateau to the Iberian Peninsula, far from the high and icy Himalayan mountains.
Categories: Fossils

Protein shapes can help untangle life's ancient history

Science Daily - Fossils - Wed, 01/15/2025 - 11:53
The three-dimensional shape of a protein can be used to resolve deep, ancient evolutionary relationships in the tree of life, according to a new study. It is the first time researchers use data from protein shapes and combine it with data from genomic sequences to improve the reliability of evolutionary trees, a critical resource used by the scientific community for understanding the history of life, monitor the spread of pathogens or create new treatments for disease. Crucially, the approach works even with the predicted structures of proteins that have never been experimentally determined. The findings open the door to using the massive amount of structural data being generated by tools like AlphaFold 2 and help open new windows into the ancient history of life on Earth.
Categories: Fossils

US has imported billions of wild animals in the past 20 years

New Scientist - Tue, 01/14/2025 - 15:07
From 2000 to 2022, the US legally imported almost 30,000 different species of plants and animals, from songbirds to reptiles
Categories: Fossils

Giant isopod named after Darth Vader is a delicacy in Vietnam

New Scientist - Tue, 01/14/2025 - 08:00
A marine crustacean that looks like Darth Vader’s helmet has been recognised as a new species, but it could be under threat from trawling due to its popularity in Vietnamese restaurants
Categories: Fossils

New fossil discovery sheds light on the early evolution of animal nervous systems

Science Daily - Paleontology - Fri, 01/10/2025 - 13:35
An international team of scientists has uncovered a fascinating piece of the evolutionary puzzle: how the ventral nerve cord, a key component of the central nervous system, evolved in ecdysozoan animals, a group that includes insects, nematodes, and priapulid worms. Their findings provide valuable insights into the origins of these structures in the basal Cambrian period.
Categories: Fossils

New fossil discovery sheds light on the early evolution of animal nervous systems

Science Daily - Fossils - Fri, 01/10/2025 - 13:35
An international team of scientists has uncovered a fascinating piece of the evolutionary puzzle: how the ventral nerve cord, a key component of the central nervous system, evolved in ecdysozoan animals, a group that includes insects, nematodes, and priapulid worms. Their findings provide valuable insights into the origins of these structures in the basal Cambrian period.
Categories: Fossils

Did prehistoric kangaroos run out of food?

Science Daily - Paleontology - Thu, 01/09/2025 - 13:11
Prehistoric kangaroos in southern Australia had a more general diet than previously assumed, giving rise to new ideas about their survival and resilience to climate change, and the final extinction of the megafauna, a new study has found. The new research used advanced dental analysis techniques to study microscopic wear patterns on fossilized kangaroo teeth.
Categories: Fossils

An earful of gill: Evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear

Science Daily - Paleontology - Thu, 01/09/2025 - 11:55
A recent study has uncovered the surprising evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear, linking it to the gills of ancient fish and marine invertebrates. The research reveals that both structures are composed of elastic cartilage and shares gene control elements that hint at their connection. This finding sheds new light on the evolution of the mammalian ear, highlighting how structures can transform over time to serve new functions.
Categories: Fossils

Why sabre-toothed animals evolved again and again

New Scientist - Thu, 01/09/2025 - 10:00
Sabre teeth can be ideal for puncturing the flesh of prey, which may explain why they evolved in different groups of mammals at least five times
Categories: Fossils

Scorching climate drove lampreys apart during cretaceous period

Science Daily - Paleontology - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 13:38
A new study finds that one of the hottest periods in Earth's history may have driven lampreys apart -- genetically speaking. The work could have implications for how aquatic species respond to our current changing climate.
Categories: Fossils

Scorching climate drove lampreys apart during cretaceous period

Science Daily - Fossils - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 13:38
A new study finds that one of the hottest periods in Earth's history may have driven lampreys apart -- genetically speaking. The work could have implications for how aquatic species respond to our current changing climate.
Categories: Fossils

Discovery of 'Punk' and 'Emo' fossils challenges our understanding of ancient molluscs

Science Daily - Fossils - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 13:36
Researchers have unearthed two fossils, named Punk and Emo, revealing that ancient molluscs were more complex and adaptable than previously known.
Categories: Fossils

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