Articles for tag: Ancient Proteins, human evolution, paleoproteomics, Paranthropus robustus, tooth enamel

Paranthropus robustus fossil side view

Tooth Enamel Unlocks Genetic Secrets of Ancient Human Relatives

April Joy Jovita

A new study of two-million-year-old tooth enamel has revealed surprising genetic diversity in Paranthropus robustus, a distant upright-walking relative of early humans. Using paleoproteomics—the analysis of ancient proteins—researchers extracted molecular data from fossil teeth found in South Africa’s Swartkrans Cave, offering one of the oldest glimpses into human ancestry ever recovered from the continent. Proteins ...

Megafauna

What Lurks in Fossil Fragments? Scientists Use Collagen to Rewrite History

Suhail Ahmed

For decades, the fossilized bones of Australia’s megafauna giant marsupials once rovers of the continent have murmured secrets just beyond our reach. Too often, these remains are scattered, degraded, or insufficient to recognize. But now thanks to an unexpected key collagen scientists have opened a fresh window into the past. Three massive extinct species, a ...