Stone Age bacterial genomes reconstructed to make long-lost molecules

Scientists have reconstructed the genomes of microbes from the Stone Age, and used them to produce new molecules. The complex puzzle was pieced together from DNA fragments of bacteria on the teeth of ancient humans and Neanderthals.Continue ReadingCate… Continue reading Stone Age bacterial genomes reconstructed to make long-lost molecules

New Wyoming rhynchosaur discovered, named in First Nations language

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered a new species of ancient reptile in central Wyoming and named it in the language of the First Nations people indigenous to the area where it was found.Continue ReadingCategory: Biolog… Continue reading New Wyoming rhynchosaur discovered, named in First Nations language

Colorado chili pepper fossil discovery may upend evolutionary timeline

Fossilized plants can provide much information about plant diversification and the planet’s geography and evolution. Researchers have discovered an ancient chili pepper from Colorado that may upend our understanding of when and where the plant originat… Continue reading Colorado chili pepper fossil discovery may upend evolutionary timeline

Dinosaur with 50-ft neck claims crown for longest necked animal ever

An artist's impression of Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum, which a new study claims had the longest neck of any animal that ever lived

It’s no secret that sauropods – a clade of giant dinosaurs that includes the famous Brachiosaurus – had really long necks, but now paleontologists claim to have identified the species that takes the crown. According to the team, Mamenchisaurus has the longest neck of any known animal ever, measuring almost 50 ft (over 15 m).

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Fossils reveal largest-ever penguin was probably bigger than you

An artist's reconstruction of the two new penguin species: Kumimanu fordycei and Petradyptes stonehousei

Scientists have discovered the fossil remains of what may be the largest penguins that ever lived. The bones, found on a beach in New Zealand, belonged to a giant bird that was more than three times the size of the biggest living penguins today.

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World’s oldest vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fossil

The fossilized skull of a fish, with a penny for scale, contains the oldest preserved brain of a vertebrate at 319 million years old

Most of what we know about ancient extinct animals comes from their bones, since soft tissues don’t usually fossilize well. But now, scientists have discovered the oldest preserved vertebrate brain, in a fossilized fish almost 320 million years old.

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World’s oldest vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fossil

The fossilized skull of a fish, with a penny for scale, contains the oldest preserved brain of a vertebrate at 319 million years old

Most of what we know about ancient extinct animals comes from their bones, since soft tissues don’t usually fossilize well. But now, scientists have discovered the oldest preserved vertebrate brain, in a fossilized fish almost 320 million years old.

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Newly discovered pterosaur used tiny teeth to feed like a wading whale

Back in 2021, we heard about a pterosaur that had a mouth full of big, sharp teeth. Well, scientists have now discovered a pterosaur that went to the other extreme, as it used over 400 small, hooked teeth to catch its prey.Continue ReadingCategory: Bio… Continue reading Newly discovered pterosaur used tiny teeth to feed like a wading whale

Fossil evidence shows that a dinosaur included mammals in its diet

It has long been known that some of the earliest mammals coexisted with the later-period dinosaurs. Now, for just the second time ever, scientists have documented fossil evidence of a dinosaur having actually eaten one of those mammals.Continue Reading… Continue reading Fossil evidence shows that a dinosaur included mammals in its diet

Surprising study finds ancestors of most herbivorous dinosaurs ate meat

A comprehensive new study has examined the diets of the earliest dinosaurs and found that, unsurprisingly, they included carnivores, herbivores and omnivores. But what is surprising is that the ancestors of many of the most famous herbivores – like Tri… Continue reading Surprising study finds ancestors of most herbivorous dinosaurs ate meat