http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/paleontology/ Paleontology News and Research. Read about the latest discoveries in the fossil record including theories on why the dinosaurs went extinct and more. en-us Mon, 12 May 2008 20:05:01 EDT Mon, 12 May 2008 20:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/paleontology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506195605.htm An event as simple as the world's first bite may have sparked an ancient "explosion" of life 500 million years ago that led to the rise of the broad groups of animals that are still alive today. A Harvard professor suggests that it was an increase in interactions between species, such as predation, that drove an escalating evolutionary process that led to the development of teeth and claws and the wide variety of characteristics that we see among Earth's animals today. Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506195605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505221645.htm Paleontologists have long been perplexed by dinosaur fossils with missing pieces -- sets of teeth without a jaw bone, bones that are pitted and grooved, even bones that are half gone. Now a Brigham Young University study identifies a culprit: ancient insects that munched on dinosaur bones. Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505221645.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505120702.htm The asteroid presumed to have wiped out the dinosaurs struck the Earth with such force that carbon deep in the Earth's crust liquefied, rocketed skyward, and formed tiny airborne beads that blanketed the planet, say scientists from the US, UK, Italy, and New Zealand in this month's Geology. Mon, 05 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505120702.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502092145.htm A new study suggests the solar system passes through the plane of the galaxy every 35 to 40 million years. The period coincides with evidence of crater impact and mass extinctions on Earth. The paper suggests gravitational forces from gas and dust clouds in the galactic plane send comets into the inner solar system and into the path of the Earth. The periods of comet bombardment also coincide with mass extinctions, such as that of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Our present position in the galaxy suggests we are now very close to another such period. Fri, 02 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502092145.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428200309.htm Similarities between half-billion-year-old and recent food webs point to deep principles underpinning the structure of ecological relationships, as shown by researchers from the Santa Fe Institute, Microsoft Research Cambridge and elsewhere. Analyses of food-web data suggest that most, but not all, aspects of the trophic structure of modern ecosystems were in place over a half-billion years ago. Thu, 01 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428200309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428175339.htm Recent additions to the premier collection of Southern Ocean sediment cores at Florida State University's Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility will give international scientists a close-up look at fluctuations that occurred in Antarctica's ice sheet and marine and terrestrial life as the climate cooled considerably between 20 and 14 million years ago. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428175339.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140400.htm Thanks to a new calibration of the versatile argon-argon dating technique, geochronologists have established a more precise date for the dinosaur die-off at the end of the Cretaceous period: 65.95 million years ago, give or take 40,000 years. This improves on the previous date of 65.5 million years plus or minus 300,000 years, but more importantly, brings argon-argon dating into agreement with other dating methods. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423171524.htm Scientists have discovered why birds, unlike mammals, lack a tissue that is specialized to generate heat. There is a surprising implication that the same lack of heat-generating tissue may have contributed to the extinction of dinosaurs. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423171524.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140418.htm Putting more meat on the theory that dinosaurs' closest living relatives are modern-day birds, molecular analysis of a shred of 68-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex protein -- along with that of 21 modern species -- confirms that dinosaurs share common ancestry with chickens, ostriches, and to a lesser extent, alligators. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422171449.htm While waiting for colleagues at a small natural history museum in the state of Chiapas, Mexico last year, Cornell paleontologist Greg Dietl chanced upon a discovery that has helped rewrite the evolutionary history of crabs and the shelled mollusks upon which they preyed. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422171449.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416174634.htm The destruction and disappearance of ancient cultures mark the history of human civilization, making for fascinating stories and cautionary tales. The longevity of today's societies may depend upon separating fact from fiction, and archaeologists and seismologists are figuring out how to join forces to do just that with respect to ancient earthquakes. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416174634.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414091357.htm The fearsome Komodo dragon is the world's largest living lizard and can take very large animal prey: now a new international study has revealed how it can be such an efficient killing machine despite having a wimpy bite and a featherweight skull. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414091357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410140455.htm New geological evidence indicates the Grand Canyon may be so old that dinosaurs once lumbered along its rim. Researchers used a technique known as radiometric dating to show the Grand Canyon may have formed more than 55 million years ago, pushing back its assumed origins by 40 million to 50 million years. The researchers gathered evidence from rocks in the canyon and on surrounding plateaus that were deposited near sea level several hundred million years ago before the region uplifted and eroded to form the canyon. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410140455.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404131211.htm The discovery of a new genus of a tiny booklouse from a northern Arizona cave may lead to further protection for cave ecosystems. This is the third new genus of invertebrates found by the same two scientists since 2006. They discovered a new cricket genus and a new millipede genus in Grand Canyon region caves. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404131211.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403185958.htm Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known remains of human ancestors in Western Europe. The fossil is about 1.2 million years old. That's 500,000 years older than the previous oldest known humanlike fossils from the area. The new find bolsters the view that Homo reached Europe not long after leaving Africa almost 2 million years ago. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403185958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330220602.htm An old controversy has finally been laid to rest. Stromatolites, cauliflower-shaped carbonate rocks that are found in abundance in geological formations, including ones that are several billion years old, show definite evidence of ancient biological activity. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330220602.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401120513.htm Paleontologists have found the presence of 356 animal inclusions in completely opaque amber from mid-Cretaceous sites of Charentes. The team used the X-rays of the European light source to image two kilograms of the fossil tree resin with a technique that allows rapid survey of large amounts of opaque amber. At present this is the only way to discover inclusions in fully opaque amber. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401120513.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331084134.htm Looking for evidence of life on Mars or other planets? Finding cellulose microfibers would be the next best thing to a close encounter, according to new research. The new research also pushes back the earliest direct evidence of biological material on Earth by about 200 million years. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331084134.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331093537.htm After half a century of debate, researchers have confirmed that dome-headed dinosaurs called pachycephalosaurs could collide with each other during courtship combat. Some researchers have suggested that pachycephalosaur domes, which ranged from one to 20 centimeters thick, enabled head-butting contests as a way to attract mates, similar to the contests bighorn sheep engage in today. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331093537.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325203453.htm A new study has confirmed that a primitive mouse-like creature that lived 55 million years ago (called Djarthia) is also a primitive relative of the small marsupial known as the Monito del Monte -- or "little mountain monkey" -- from the dense humid forests of Chile and Argentina. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325203453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319170008.htm One day last spring, fossil hunter and anatomy professor Kenneth Rose, Ph.D. was displaying the bones of a jackrabbit's foot as part of a seminar at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine when something about the shape of the bones looked oddly familiar. That unanticipated eureka moment has led researchers at the school to the discovery of the oldest known record of rabbits. Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319170008.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320183657.htm A shape comparison of the most complete fossil femur (thigh bone) of one of the earliest known pre-humans, or hominins, with the femora of living apes, modern humans and other fossils, indicates the earliest form of bipedalism occurred at least six million years ago and persisted for at least four million years. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320183657.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318214854.htm In 2004, the front part of a baby mammoth's body was found in Olchan mine in Russia. There remained only the head, part of the proboscis, the neck area and part of the breast of the baby mammoth's body. The baby mammoth's skin is well preserved, it is smooth, greyish-brown, the tawny hair fell out and froze into the ice near the body. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318214854.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320104100.htm One of the oldest and most complete plesiosaur fossils recovered in North America, and the oldest yet discovered from the Cretaceous Period, represents a new genus of the prehistoric aquatic predator according to palaeontologists who have formally described the creature after its remains were uncovered in a mine near Fort McMurray in 1994. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320104100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319104600.htm New research adds to the evidence that chance, rather than natural selection, best explains why the skulls of modern humans and ancient Neanderthals evolved differently. The findings may alter how anthropologists think about human evolution. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319104600.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311203247.htm An amazing haul of 28 flint hand-axes, dated by archaeologists to be around 100,000 years-old, have been unearthed in gravel from a licensed marine aggregate dredging area 13km off Great Yarmouth. The find was made by a Dutch amateur archaeologist, who regularly searches for mammoth bones and fossils in marine sand and gravel delivered by British construction materials supplier Hanson to a Dutch wharf at Flushing, south west Netherlands. Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311203247.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310151958.htm Since the reporting of the so-called "hobbit" fossil from Flores in Indonesia, debate has raged as to whether these remains are of modern humans (Homo sapiens), reduced in stature, or whether they represent a new species, Homo floresiensis.Now researchers describe fossils of small-bodied humans from Palau, who inhabited the island between 1,400 and 3,000 years ago and share some features with the H. floresiensis specimens. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310151958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310095806.htm The discovery of a fossilized giant rhinocerotoid bone has led researchers to the discovery that, contrary to the generally accepted belief, Anatolia was not geographically isolated 25 million years ago. The excavation of the fossil suggests that animals were able to migrate from Europe to Asia during the Oligocene era. Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310095806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304191213.htm When most of us think of Ancient Egypt, visions of pyramids and mummies fill our imaginations. For a team of paleontologists interested in fossil mammals, the Fayum district of Egypt summons an even older and equally impressive history that extends much further back in time than the Sphinx. Six new bat species dating to around 35 million years ago, which sheds new light on the early evolution of bats, have just been discovered Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304191213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303120343.htm Three-billion year-old zircon microcrystals found in northern Ontario are proving to be a new record of the processes that form continents and their natural resources, including gold and diamonds. Measuring no more than the width of a human hair, the 200-million-year growth span of these ancient microcrystals is longer than any previously discovered. Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303120343.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229101002.htm Archaeologists have discovered of one of the largest dinosaur-era marine reptiles ever found -- an enormous sea predator known as a pliosaur estimated to be almost 15 meters (50 feet) feet long. The 150 million year-old Jurassic fossil was discovered on the remote Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, at 78 degrees north latitude, approximately 1300 km (800 miles) from the North Pole. "Although we didn't get the entire skeleton, we found many of the most important parts, including portions of the skull, teeth, much of the neck and back, the shoulder girdle, and a nearly complete forelimb (paddle)" said one of the researchers, "Amazingly, the paddle alone is nearly 10 feet long." Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229101002.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215151221.htm Scientists studying an extreme period of global warming 55 million years ago are piecing together an increasingly detailed picture of its causes and consequences. Their findings describe what may be the best analog in the geologic record for the global changes likely to result from continued carbon dioxide emissions from human activities. Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215151221.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080219095801.htm Geologists have solved a puzzle found in rocks half a billion years old. Some of the most important fossil beds in the world are the Burgess Shales in the Canadian Rockies. Once an ancient sea bed, they were formed shortly after life suddenly became more complex and diverse -- the so-called Cambrian explosion -- and are of immense scientific interest. Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080219095801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218172307.htm A giant frog fossil from Madagascar dubbed Beelzebufo or "the frog from Hell" has been identified. It would have been the size of a slightly squashed beach-ball, with short legs and a big mouth. If it shared the aggressive temperament and 'sit-and-wait' ambush tactics of living Horned toads, it would have been a formidable predator on small animals. Its diet would most likely have consisted of insects and small vertebrates like lizards, but it's not impossible that Beelzebufo might even have munched on hatchling or juvenile dinosaurs. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218172307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212131300.htm Archaeologists have found the earliest evidence ever discovered of an ancient Egyptian agricultural settlement, including farmed grains, remains of domesticated animals, pits for cooking and even floors for what appear to be dwellings. The archaeological team also found a bracelet made of a type of shell only found along the Red Sea, suggesting a possible trade link with the cradle of agriculture in the Near East. In addition, they unearthed clay floors of what may have been simple structures -- possibly posts with some kind of matting overhead. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212131300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215103148.htm A 40,000-year-old tooth has provided scientists with the first direct evidence that Neanderthals moved from place to place during their lifetimes. The tooth, a third molar, was formed when the Neanderthal was aged between seven and nine. It was recovered in a coastal limestone cave in Lakonis, in Southern Greece. The strontium isotope readings, however, indicated that the enamel formed while the Neanderthal lived in a region made up of older volcanic bedrock. The findings could help answer a long-standing debate about the mobility of the now extinct Neanderthal species. Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215103148.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213193749.htm Two new 110 million-year-old dinosaurs unearthed in the Sahara Desert highlight the unusual meat-eaters that prowled southern continents during the Cretaceous Period. Named Kryptops and Eocarcharia the new fossils provide a glimpse of an earlier stage in the evolution of the bizarre meat-eaters of Gondwana, the southern landmass. Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213193749.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212122110.htm A new species of dinosaur unearthed in Mexico is giving scientists fresh insights into the ancient history of western North America. The new creature -- aptly dubbed Velafrons coahuilensis -- was a massive plant-eater belonging to a group of duck-billed dinosaurs, or hadrosaurs. In addition to isolated skeletons, the researchers found large bonebeds of jumbled duck-bill and horned dinosaur skeletons. Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212122110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206175537.htm Crayfish body fossils and burrows discovered in Victoria, Australia, have provided the first physical evidence that crayfish existed on the continent as far back as the Mesozoic Era, according to paleontologists. During that era, diverse plants grew in what is today Antarctica and dinosaurs roamed in prolonged polar darkness along southern Australia river plains. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206175537.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206105443.htm Scientists are researching which plants giant dinosaurs could have lived off more than 100 million years ago. They want to find out how the dinosaurs were able to become as large as they did. In actual fact such gigantic animals should not have existed. There is a law to which most animals living today conform: The larger an animal, the smaller the density of the population, i.e. the fewer animals of the same species there are per square mile. The larger an animal is, the larger the amount of food it has to have in order to survive. Therefore a specific area can only feed a certain maximum number of animals. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206105443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080207135801.htm Few modern animals are as deserving of the title "living fossil" as the lowly horseshoe crab. Seemingly unchanged since before the Age of Dinosaurs, these venerable sea creatures can now claim a history that reaches back almost half-a billion years. Scientists have revealed rare new horseshoe crab fossils from 445 million year-old Ordovician age rocks in central and northern Manitoba, which are about 100 million years older than any previously known forms. Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080207135801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205171749.htm Did modern birds originate around the time of the dinosaurs' demise, or have they been around far longer? The question is at the center of a sometimes contentious "rocks versus clocks" debate between paleontologists, whose estimates are based on the fossil record, and scientists who use "molecular clock" methods to study evolutionary history. Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205171749.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206193723.htm The celebrated Bristol Dinosaur, Thecodontosaurus, has now been shown to live on subtropical islands around Bristol, instead of in a desert on the mainland as previously thought. This new research could explain the dinosaur's small size (2 m) in relation to its giant (10 m) mainland equivalent, Plateosaurus. Like many species trapped on small islands, such as the 'hobbit' Homo floresiensis of Flores and pygmy elephants on Malta, the Bristol Dinosaur may have been subjected to island dwarfing. Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206193723.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123110405.htm After enduring months on the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth, researchers today closed out the inaugural season on an unprecedented, multiyear effort to retrieve the most detailed record of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere over the last 100,000 years. Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123110405.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117181233.htm The collapse of honeybee colonies across North America is focusing attention on the honeybees' vital role in the survival of agricultural crops, and a new study shows insect pollinators have likely played a key role in the evolution and success of flowering plants for nearly 100 million years. Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117181233.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117093440.htm Pound for pound, Australia's extinct marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex) would have made mince meat of today's African lion (Panthera leo) had the two big hyper-carnivores ever squared off in a fight to the death, according to an Australian scientist. Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117093440.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080114173919.htm Dinosaurs had pregnancies as early as age 8, far before they reached their maximum adult size, a new study finds. Scientists have identified the fossil bones of three female dinosaurs, each a different species, and it has become clear that dinosaurs exhibited rapid growth and early maturity, probably because they had a high early mortality rate. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080114173919.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080113212741.htm An unusual dinosaur has been shown to have a skull that functioned like a fish-eating crocodile, despite looking like a dinosaur. It also possessed two huge hand claws, perhaps used as grappling hooks to lift fish from the water. Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080113212741.htm