Paleo in the News

Dolphins breathe in microplastics and it could be damaging their lungs

New Scientist - Wed, 10/16/2024 - 14:00
Dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico have tiny bits of plastic in their breath, and this is probably a worldwide problem
Categories: Fossils

Invasive snake is surviving in Britain by living in attics and walls

New Scientist - Wed, 10/16/2024 - 07:00
Britain should be too cold for the invasive Aesculapian snake to survive, but it is thriving by exploiting the warmth of attics, wall cavities and compost heaps
Categories: Fossils

Male mice flee to female mice to de-escalate fights

New Scientist - Tue, 10/15/2024 - 14:00
During a fight between two male mice, one will often run to a female mouse to distract their aggressor, a bait-and-switch strategy that could help abate social conflicts
Categories: Fossils

Puppies as young as 6 weeks old know to ask people for help

New Scientist - Tue, 10/15/2024 - 10:00
Puppies that are raised in someone's home seem to benefit from that extra human interaction, by asking for help at a younger age than those brought up in kennels
Categories: Fossils

Seven newly named frog species make whistles that sound like Star Trek

New Scientist - Tue, 10/15/2024 - 05:00
A group of frogs from Madagascar have mating calls that sound like Star Trek sound effects – now their species names honour captains from the series
Categories: Fossils

Beth Shapiro: The ancient DNA pioneer’s mission to bring back the dodo

New Scientist - Fri, 10/11/2024 - 09:30
Evolutionary molecular biologist Beth Shapiro on the hunt for ancient DNA and her groundbreaking de-extinction and environmental mission  
Categories: Fossils

There could be 30,000 species of earthworms wriggling around the world

New Scientist - Thu, 10/10/2024 - 10:00
Nearly 6000 species and subspecies of earthworms have been identified by scientists – but the true number could top 30,000
Categories: Fossils

Living microbes found deep inside 2-billion-year-old rock

New Scientist - Thu, 10/10/2024 - 05:44
Ancient volcanic rock from South Africa has been found to harbour primitive bacteria, which may shed light on some of the earliest forms of life on Earth
Categories: Fossils

Fossils and fires: Insights into early modern human activity in the jungles of Southeast Asia

Science Daily - Paleontology - Wed, 10/09/2024 - 23:21
Studying microscopic layers of dirt dug from the Tam Pa Ling cave site in northeastern Laos has provided a team of archaeologists further insights into some of the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens in mainland Southeast Asia. The site, which has been studied for the past 14 years, has produced some of the earliest fossil evidence of our direct ancestors in Southeast Asia but now a new study has reconstructed the ground conditions in the cave between 52,000 and 10,000 years ago.
Categories: Fossils

Fossils and fires: Insights into early modern human activity in the jungles of Southeast Asia

Science Daily - Fossils - Wed, 10/09/2024 - 23:21
Studying microscopic layers of dirt dug from the Tam Pa Ling cave site in northeastern Laos has provided a team of archaeologists further insights into some of the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens in mainland Southeast Asia. The site, which has been studied for the past 14 years, has produced some of the earliest fossil evidence of our direct ancestors in Southeast Asia but now a new study has reconstructed the ground conditions in the cave between 52,000 and 10,000 years ago.
Categories: Fossils

Newly discovered Late Cretaceous birds may have carried heavy prey like extant raptors

Science Daily - Paleontology - Wed, 10/09/2024 - 13:48
Newly discovered birds from Late Cretaceous North America were hawk-sized and had powerful raptor-like feet, according to a new study.
Categories: Fossils

Newly discovered Late Cretaceous birds may have carried heavy prey like extant raptors

Science Daily - Fossils - Wed, 10/09/2024 - 13:48
Newly discovered birds from Late Cretaceous North America were hawk-sized and had powerful raptor-like feet, according to a new study.
Categories: Fossils

Richard Dawkins's latest crams gorgeous writing in an ill-fitting box

New Scientist - Wed, 10/09/2024 - 13:00
A new book from the science-writing legend is an Attenborough-esque romp through some of the wonders of the natural world. Just beware the title's misfiring metaphor
Categories: Fossils

Paramotorists collect rare plant species from Peruvian desert oases

New Scientist - Wed, 10/09/2024 - 03:00
Kew scientists use paramotorists to collect rare plant species from Peruvian desert oases
Categories: Fossils

See the stunning winners from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year

New Scientist - Tue, 10/08/2024 - 18:31
An army of tadpoles and a stretching lynx are just some of the incredible photos winning accolades at the annual competition
Categories: Fossils

New seed fossil sheds light on wind dispersal in plants

Science Daily - Paleontology - Tue, 10/08/2024 - 14:02
Scientists have discovered one of the earliest examples of a winged seed, granting insight into the origin and early evolution of wind dispersal strategies in plants.
Categories: Fossils

New seed fossil sheds light on wind dispersal in plants

Science Daily - Fossils - Tue, 10/08/2024 - 14:02
Scientists have discovered one of the earliest examples of a winged seed, granting insight into the origin and early evolution of wind dispersal strategies in plants.
Categories: Fossils

Two injured comb jellies can merge to form one individual

New Scientist - Mon, 10/07/2024 - 11:00
A pair of ctenophores, or comb jellies, can fuse their bodies together, merging their digestive and nervous systems, without any issues with immune rejection
Categories: Fossils

2-billion-year-old rock home to living microbes

Science Daily - Fossils - Thu, 10/03/2024 - 11:35
Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in 2-billion-year-old rock. The rock was excavated from the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, an area known for its rich ore deposits. This is the oldest example of living microbes being found within ancient rock so far discovered. The team involved in the study built on its previous work to perfect a technique involving three types of imaging -- infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy and fluorescent microscopy -- to confirm that the microbes were indigenous to the ancient core sample and not caused by contamination during the retrieval and study process. Research on these microbes could help us better understand the very early evolution of life, as well as the search for extraterrestrial life in similarly aged rock samples brought back from Mars.
Categories: Fossils

Ants can be used to make yogurt – and now we know how it works

New Scientist - Thu, 10/03/2024 - 09:00
A traditional yogurt-making practice from south-eastern Europe uses live ants as a starter, with the insects providing the bacteria and acid needed to initiate fermentation
Categories: Fossils

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