Crocodile fossils found in Portsmouth seawalls
A group of students who headed to the beach last year for some fresh air amid the gloom of the pandemic, chanced upon a crocodile bone in the old seawall that led to the discovery of other fossils......»»
Microscopic fossils record ancient climate conditions
Fifty-six million years ago, as the Earth's climate warmed by five to eight degrees C, new land mammals evolved, tropical forests expanded, giant insects and reptiles appeared and the chemistry of the ocean changed. Through it all, bacteria in the oc.....»»
Ancient horse DNA reveals gene flow between Eurasian and North American horses
A new study of ancient DNA from horse fossils found in North America and Eurasia shows that horse populations on the two continents remained connected through the Bering Land Bridge, moving back and forth and interbreeding multiple times over hundred.....»»
Colonisation of the Antilles by South American fauna: giant sunken islands as a passageway?
Fossils of land animals from South America have been found in the Antilles, but how did these animals get there? According to scientists from the CNRS, l'Université des Antilles, l'Université de Montpellier and d'Université Côte d'Azur, land emer.....»»
Mammals in the time of dinosaurs held each other back
A new study led by researchers from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, University of Oxford and the University of Birmingham for Current Biology has used new methods to analyze the variability of mammal fossils, revealing extraordinary.....»»
N.H. dealer reacquires Nissan dealership
Key Auto Group, of Portsmouth, N.H., which last month acquired two dealerships, sold a Nissan store last week to another dealer in the state......»»
Fighting mammoths and a sick T. rex: Fossils show new side to prehistoric life
An incredible fossil discovery of two fighting mammoths has been highlighted for the first time in a new book on prehistoric behavior, "Locked in Time: Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils.".....»»
Freeports: Innovative trading hubs or centres for money laundering and tax evasion?
A new study from the University of Portsmouth calls for further government oversight to curb potential illegal activity through 'freeports.'.....»»
Independent evolutionary origins of vertebrate dentitions
The origins of a pretty smile have long been sought in the fearsome jaws of living sharks which have been considered living fossils reflecting the ancestral condition for vertebrate tooth development and inference of its evolution. However, this view.....»»
Review: Most human origins stories are not compatible with known fossils
In the 150 years since Charles Darwin speculated that humans originated in Africa, the number of species in the human family tree has exploded, but so has the level of dispute concerning early human evolution. Fossil apes are often at the center of t.....»»
Bringing up baby: A crocodile"s changing niche
Relatives of the giant crocodile might have been kings of the waterways during the Cretaceous period, eating anything—including dinosaurs—that got a little too close to the water's edge, but the largest of these apex predators still started off s.....»»
Forget digging for fossils. This museum 3D printed a full T-Rex skeleton instead
Despite what Jurassic Park might lead you to believe, T-Rex skeletons are very, very rare. So instead of digging one up, this museum 3D printed one.....»»
Extinct "horned" crocodile gets new spot in the tree of life
A study led by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History has resolved a long-standing controversy about an extinct "horned" crocodile that likely lived among humans in Madagascar. Based on ancient DNA, the research shows that the horned cr.....»»
Hatchery reviving Britain"s near-extinct local oysters
Decimated by over-fishing and pollution, British oysters could make a comeback as a hatchery in the Channel port city of Portsmouth is helping to revive a native species......»»
Fossils of "giant cloud rats" discovered in Philippine caves
Rats, by and large, aren't terribly popular animals. But while you don't want an infestation of common black rats living in your house, their distant cousins in the Philippines are downright cuddly. These "giant cloud rats" live in the treetops of mi.....»»
Dormice may have hibernated as early as 34 million years ago
In analyzing rodent fossils, scientists funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation have come up with a novel hypothesis: hibernation was a survival strategy 34 million years ago......»»
Our ancestors left Africa both with and without modern brains
The genus Homo originated with a brain that still had ape-like features. Enlarge / One of the remarkably intact Dmanisi skulls at the time of its discovery. (credit: Guy Bar-Oz) We have an extensive collection of fossils from the lineages that.....»»
Living fossils: Microbe discovered in evolutionary stasis for millions of years
It's like something out of science fiction. Research led by Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has revealed that a group of microbes, which feed off chemical reactions triggered by radioactivity, have been at an evolutionary standstill for million.....»»
The Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Birthed Today"s Rainforests
Plant fossils from Columbia reveal the forests of the Cretaceous period were sparser and less humid than their modern-day counterparts......»»
Prior to the Chicxulub impact, rainforests looked very different
Plant fossils from Colombia show a turnover from conifers to today's forests. Enlarge (credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Colombia’s rainforest looked very different 66 million years ago. At present, the humid and biodiverse ecosystem is jam-packed w.....»»
How to hunt fossils responsibly: 5 tips from a professional paleontologist
Many of us, at some point or another, dreamed of hunting for dinosaur fossils when we grew up. Paleontology—the study of natural history through fossils—is the scientific reality of this. It encompasses all ancient lifeforms that left their trace.....»»