Testosterone in tusks: Hormones in mammoth fossils excite paleontologists
The technique could allow us to link mammoth health and nutrition to mating. Enlarge / Mammoth tusks collected at Wrangel Island, where some of the samples tested for hormones originated. (credit: Alexei Tikhonov) Musth,.....»»
New perspectives for using corals in climate research
Ancient ocean temperatures are most commonly reconstructed by analyzing the ratio of different oxygen atoms in the calcium carbonate remains of fossils. However, this presents many challenges, including a combination of biological processes known as.....»»
New species of tyrannosaurid dinosaur identified in China
A team of paleontologists at the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History in China reports a new species of tyrannosaurid dinosaur. Their find is published in the journal Scientific Reports......»»
Taco-shaped arthropod fossils give new insights into the history of the first mandibulates
A new study, led by paleontologists at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is helping resolve the evolution and ecology of Odaraia, a taco-shaped marine animal that lived during the Cambrian period......»»
Evidence for butchery of giant armadillo-like mammals in Argentina 21,000 years ago
Cut marks on fossils could be evidence of humans exploiting large mammals in Argentina more than 20,000 years ago, according to a study published July 17, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Mariano Del Papa of National University of La Plata.....»»
How old are South African fossils like the Taung Child? Study offers an answer
One hundred years ago, the discovery of a skull in South Africa's North West province altered our understanding of human evolution. The juvenile skull was dubbed the Taung Child by Raymond Dart, an anatomist at the University of the Witwatersrand, wh.....»»
3D genome extracted from "freeze-dried" woolly mammoth
About 52,000 years ago, the skinned hide of a Siberian woolly mammoth was exposed to conditions so frigid that it spontaneously freeze-dried, locking its DNA fragments into place......»»
500 million-year-old fossil is the earliest branch of the spider’s lineage
A local fossil collector in Morocco found the specimen decades ago. Enlarge (credit: UNIVERSITY OF LAUSANNE) In the early 2000s, local fossil collector Mohamed ‘Ou Said’ Ben Moula discovered numerous fossils at Fezou.....»»
Earliest known ancestors of scorpions were tiny sea beasts
A local fossil collector in Morocco found the specimen decades ago. Enlarge (credit: UNIVERSITY OF LAUSANNE) In the early 2000s, local fossil collector Mohamed ‘Ou Said’ Ben Moula discovered numerous fossils at Fezou.....»»
Frozen mammoth skin retained its chromosome structure
Features as small as 50 nanometers preserved in a 50,000-year-old sample. Enlarge (credit: LEONELLO CALVETTI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY) One of the challenges of working with ancient DNA samples is that damage accumulates ove.....»»
Stegosaurus skeleton to fetch millions at New York auction
The largest stegosaurus skeleton ever found is expected to fetch millions of dollars at auction in New York next week, likely fueling objections from paleontologists......»»
Mosquito Bloodlust Is Driven by These Two Hormones
Mosquitoes carry a pair of hormones, one of which drives bloodlust while the other signals satiation, scientists say.....»»
Australian amber has revealed "living fossils" traced back to Gondwana 42 million years ago
Amber is fossilized tree resin. Unlike traditional fossils found on land or in the sea, amber can preserve ancient life forms in incredible detail. It's often considered the "holy grail" of paleontology worldwide......»»
How a global collaboration is helping protect biodiversity
Ask a 10-year-old to name some extinct animals and they can usually rattle off ancient species such as the Tasmanian Tiger, Woolly Mammoth and Dodo. Some may even be able to tell you what the animals used to look like without searching online......»»
Fossils show huge salamanderlike predator with sharp fangs existed before the dinosaurs
Scientists have revealed fossils of a giant salamanderlike beast with sharp fangs that ruled waters before the first dinosaurs arrived......»»
Fossils show huge salamanderlike predator with sharp fangs existed before the dinosaurs
Fossils show huge salamanderlike predator with sharp fangs existed before the dinosaurs.....»»
It"s hard to find fossil skin, but a rare discovery reveals clues about the evolution from water to land
Fossilized skin and other soft tissues are exceedingly rare, and it is only under special conditions that these rarest of fossils are preserved......»»
Discovery of ancient rock impression suggests ability to form cornified skin goes back to early evolution of tetrapods
A team of geologists, paleontologists and archaeologists affiliated with several institutions in Poland, Czechia and Germany has found evidence suggesting that the ability to form cornified skin appendages is not unique to terrestrial vertebrates, bu.....»»
New fossils provide evidence for an "Age of Monotremes"
Published today in the Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, evidence of an "Age of Monotremes" has been unearthed by a team of Australian scientists at the Australian Museum (AM), Museums Victoria and Australian Opal Centre......»»
Abelisauroid, a dinosaur with very tiny arms, identified in Argentina
A team of paleontologists from Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, has identified a new species of abelisauroid dinosaur. Th.....»»
Researchers discover hidden step in dinosaur feather evolution
Paleontologists at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland have discovered that some feathered dinosaurs had scaly skin like reptiles today, thus shedding new light on the evolutionary transition from scales to feathers......»»