Newly analyzed jawbones from 380-million-year-old lungfish are shedding light on the feeding behaviors of our earliest vertebrate ancestors. Discovered in the Gogo Formation of northern Western Australia, these fossils reveal a surprising diversity in skull and jaw structure, offering clues about how early lobe-finned fish adapted to different diets and ecological roles before vertebrates made ...
A newly identified wrist bone in two non-avian dinosaurs has challenged long-held assumptions about the evolution of flight. Researchers have discovered that theropods, bird-like meat-eating dinosaurs, possessed a carpal bone called the pisiform, once thought to be unique to birds. This finding suggests that the anatomical foundations for flight were already in place millions of ...
A new study suggests that some modern brain malformations may be linked to Neanderthal ancestry. Researchers have found that people with Chiari malformation type 1, a condition where the lower part of the brain extends into the spinal canal, share skull traits with Neanderthals, including a flatter and smaller occipital bone. The findings raise the ...
Long before whales ruled the oceans, ancient bone-eating worms were already thriving on the seafloor, feasting on the skeletons of marine reptiles like mosasaurs, ichthyosaurs, and plesiosaurs. New fossil evidence reveals that these specialized worms, similar to modern Osedax, were boring into bones over 100 million years ago, leaving behind distinctive burrows that mark one ...
A gull-sized flying reptile has emerged from fossil-rich layers of Arizona’s Petrified Forest, revealing the earliest known pterosaur in North America. Named Eotephradactylus mcintireae, this delicate creature lived 209 million years ago and shared its ecosystem with turtles, amphibians, and armored reptiles, capturing a moment of evolutionary transition before the end-Triassic extinction. A Fossil Treasure ...
A new study published in Scientific Reports uncovers a tragic feeding mistake preserved in stone: Jurassic fish of the genus Tharsis choked to death while attempting to swallow squid-like cephalopods called belemnites. The fossils, found in Germany’s Solnhofen Limestone, offer rare insight into predator-prey dynamics and ecological conditions 150 million years ago. Fossils from a ...
A sweeping new study has unveiled a global map of marine mollusks that reflects not just present-day ocean conditions but millions of years of geological transformation. Published in Scientific Reports, the research shows how ancient shifts in land and sea, alongside temperature and ocean currents, continue to shape the biogeography of shallow-water mollusks like bivalves ...
A chance museum discovery has led paleontologists to identify a new species of ancient reptile, Sphenodraco scandentis, that likely lived in trees during the Late Jurassic. Published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, the study combines two fossil slabs separated for nearly a century, offering fresh insight into the evolution and ecology of ...
A new study published in Nature Communications reveals that some of Earth’s earliest complex organisms evolved a remarkable survival mechanism: storing arsenic inside their cells. This adaptation helped them endure the chemically hostile oceans of the Paleoproterozoic era, offering rare insight into how life persisted during a time of rising oxygen and environmental stress. Fossils ...
A groundbreaking study of 7,000-year-old fossilized coral reefs has revealed how centuries of humans have dramatically altered Caribbean reef ecosystems. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research compares ancient reef communities with modern ones, uncovering a cascade of ecological changes triggered by the loss of top predators. A Window Into Prehuman ...
