Feature Channels: Paleontology

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Newswise: Why two prehistoric sharks found in Ohio got new names
Released: 19-Feb-2024 9:30 AM EST
Why two prehistoric sharks found in Ohio got new names
Ohio State University

Until recently, Orthacanthus gracilis could have been considered the “John Smith” of prehistoric shark names, given how common it was. Three different species of sharks from the late Paleozoic Era – about 310 million years ago – were mistakenly given that same name, causing lots of grief to paleontologists who studied and wrote about the sharks through the years and had trouble keeping them apart.

Newswise: Mystery solved: the oldest fossil reptile from the alps is an historical forgery
Released: 16-Feb-2024 10:05 PM EST
Mystery solved: the oldest fossil reptile from the alps is an historical forgery
University College Cork

A 280-million-year-old fossil that has baffled researchers for decades has been shown to be, in part, a forgery following new examination of the remnants.

Newswise: New species of Jurassic pterosaur discovered on the Isle of Skye
2-Feb-2024 7:05 AM EST
New species of Jurassic pterosaur discovered on the Isle of Skye
University of Bristol

A new species of pterosaur from specimens found on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, has been announced by scientists from the Natural History Museum, University of Bristol, University of Leicester, and University of Liverpool.

Released: 29-Jan-2024 3:05 PM EST
The Grave's Embrace: New research sheds light on Bronze Age family relationships
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

Poignant prehistoric burials containing the remains of an adult and child laid in the grave as though embracing in death have long fascinated archaeologists.

Released: 25-Jan-2024 3:05 PM EST
Palaeontology: Small dinosaurs flapped their feathers to scare prey
Scientific Reports

Small omnivorous and insectivorous dinosaurs may have flapped small, feathered primitive wings to scare prey out of hiding places, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.

Released: 23-Jan-2024 5:05 PM EST
Ecosystem from 3.4 billion years ago - New pieces discovered in the cradle of life puzzle
Linnaeus University

A new research study unravels key findings about the earliest life forms on Earth. In rock samples from Barberton, Republic of South Africa, the researchers were able to find evidence of an unprecedented diverse biological carbon cycle, established at 3.42 billion years ago.

Newswise: The megalodon was less mega than previously believed
Released: 22-Jan-2024 11:05 AM EST
The megalodon was less mega than previously believed
University of California, Riverside

A new study shows the Megalodon, a gigantic shark that went extinct 3.6 million years ago, was more slender than earlier studies suggested.

Newswise: Bristol student discovers 200-million-year-old flying reptile in Somerset
Released: 22-Jan-2024 4:05 AM EST
Bristol student discovers 200-million-year-old flying reptile in Somerset
University of Bristol

Gliding winged-reptiles were amongst the ancient crocodile residents of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, researchers at the University of Bristol have revealed.

Newswise: Better microelectronics from coal
Released: 18-Jan-2024 12:05 PM EST
Better microelectronics from coal
University Of Illinois Grainger College Of Engineering

Coal is an abundant resource in the United States that has, unfortunately, contributed to climate change through its use as a fossil fuel.

Newswise: Researchers chronicle lifetime travels of a single woolly mammoth which wandered the north more than 14,000 years ago
14-Jan-2024 9:05 PM EST
Researchers chronicle lifetime travels of a single woolly mammoth which wandered the north more than 14,000 years ago
McMaster University

An international team of researchers from McMaster University, University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Ottawa has tracked and documented the movements and genetic connections of a female woolly mammoth that roamed the earth more than 14,000 years ago.

Released: 12-Jan-2024 10:05 PM EST
Africans discovered fossils first
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

Credit for discovering the first dinosaur bones usually goes to British gentlemen for their finds between the 17th and 19th centuries in England.

Released: 20-Dec-2023 3:05 PM EST
Working with Big Data requires a lot of power! The latest research and features on Supercomputing
Newswise

With the rise in machine learning applications and artificial intelligence, it's no wonder that more and more scientists and researchers are turning to supercomputers. Supercomputers are commonly used for making predictions with advanced modeling and simulations. This can be applied to climate research, weather forecasting, genomic sequencing, space exploration, aviation engineering and more.

       
Newswise: It turns out, this fossil plant is really a fossil baby turtle
Released: 7-Dec-2023 6:05 PM EST
It turns out, this fossil plant is really a fossil baby turtle
Field Museum

From the 1950s to the 1970s, a Colombian priest named Padre Gustavo Huertas collected rocks and fossils near a town called Villa de Levya.

Released: 7-Dec-2023 5:05 PM EST
Molecular fossils shed light on ancient life
University of California, Davis

Paleontologists are getting a glimpse at life over a billion years in the past based on chemical traces in ancient rocks and the genetics of living animals.

Released: 28-Nov-2023 6:05 PM EST
Early Humans in the Paleolithic Age: More Than Just Game on the Menu
Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum

In a study published in the journal “Scientific Reports,” researchers from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) at the University of Tübingen show that early humans of the Middle Paleolithic had a more varied diet than previously assumed.

Released: 21-Nov-2023 11:05 AM EST
Trilobites rise from the ashes to reveal ancient map
University of California, Riverside

Extinct marine creatures hidden in Thai sanctuary 

Newswise: Study Reveals New Clues About How Whales and Dolphins Came to Use Echolocation
Released: 21-Nov-2023 8:05 AM EST
Study Reveals New Clues About How Whales and Dolphins Came to Use Echolocation
New York Institute of Technology, New York Tech

Research provides new insight into how toothed whales and dolphins evolved to navigate the underwater world using sound waves.

Released: 17-Nov-2023 3:05 AM EST
Plants that survived dinosaur extinction pulled nitrogen from air
Duke University

Once a favored food of grazing dinosaurs, an ancient lineage of plants called cycads helped sustain these and other prehistoric animals during the Mesozoic Era, starting 252 million years ago, by being plentiful in the forest understory. Today, just a few species of the palm-like plants survive in tropical and subtropical habitats.

Newswise: Birds set foot near South Pole in Early Cretaceous, Australian tracks show
Released: 16-Nov-2023 2:05 AM EST
Birds set foot near South Pole in Early Cretaceous, Australian tracks show
Emory University

The discovery of 27 avian footprints on the southern Australia coast — dating back to the Early Cretaceous when Australia was still connected to Antarctica — opens another window onto early avian evolution and possible migratory behavior.

Released: 15-Nov-2023 12:05 PM EST
Multiple evolutionary trajectories in aquatic crocodiles
University of Liege

Research carried out by paleontologists has made it possible to trace the evolutionary convergence of these groups using 3D models

Released: 15-Nov-2023 11:20 AM EST
From Farm to Newsroom: The Latest Research and Features on Agriculture
Newswise

The world’s total population is expected to reach 9.9 billion by 2050. This rapid increase in population is boosting the demand for agriculture to cater for the increased demand. Below are some of the latest research and features on agriculture and farming in the Agriculture channel on Newswise.

Newswise: Dig This: ‘Neglected’ Dinosaur Had Super Senses
Released: 7-Nov-2023 8:05 AM EST
Dig This: ‘Neglected’ Dinosaur Had Super Senses
North Carolina State University

A CT scan of an often-overlooked, plant-eating dinosaur’s skull reveals that while it may not have been all that “brainy,” it had a unique combination of traits associated with living animals that spend at least part of their time underground, including a super sense of smell and outstanding balance. The work is the first to link a specific sensory fingerprint with this behavior in extinct dinosaurs.

Released: 6-Nov-2023 8:05 PM EST
Advances in soft robotics usher in a new era of scientific analysis
Ohio State University

Could robots, whose forms can be adapted to achieve almost any real-world task, soon be able to lend a hand in understanding the paleoecology tracing of extinct organisms?

Newswise: Extinct ape gets a facelift, 12 million years later
Released: 16-Oct-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Extinct ape gets a facelift, 12 million years later
American Museum of Natural History

A new study led by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History, Brooklyn College, and the Catalan Institute of Paleontology Miquel Crusafont has reconstructed the well-preserved but damaged skull of a great ape species that lived about 12 million years ago.

Newswise: Extraordinary fossil find reveals details about the weight and diet of extinct saber-toothed marsupial
Released: 12-Oct-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Extraordinary fossil find reveals details about the weight and diet of extinct saber-toothed marsupial
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Recent paleontological explorations in the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia led to the recovery of the most complete skeleton of a "saber-toothed marsupial” discovered in northern South America.

Newswise: What tiny fossils can tell us about the changing climate
Released: 11-Oct-2023 3:05 PM EDT
What tiny fossils can tell us about the changing climate
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Binghamton University, State of New York Assistant Professor Adriane Lam’s research allows scientists to more accurately predict future climate and zoological changes as the Earth continues to warm.

Newswise: Ginger pigment molecules found in fossil frogs
Released: 9-Oct-2023 3:05 AM EDT
Ginger pigment molecules found in fossil frogs
University College Cork

Palaeontologists at University College Cork (UCC) have found the first molecular evidence of phaeomelanin, the pigment that produces ginger colouration, in the fossil record.

Released: 22-Sep-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Dinosaur feathers contain traces of ancient proteins, study finds
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Powerful X-rays generated at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory help researchers shed new light on feather evolution.

Newswise: Dinosaur feathers reveal traces of ancient proteins
Released: 21-Sep-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Dinosaur feathers reveal traces of ancient proteins
University College Cork

Palaeontologists at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland have discovered X-ray evidence of proteins in fossil feathers that sheds new light on feather evolution.

Released: 20-Sep-2023 1:45 PM EDT
Prehistoric fish fills 100 million year gap in evolution of the skull
University of Birmingham

A 455-million-year-old fossil fish provides a new perspective on how vertebrates evolved to protect their brains, a study has found.

Newswise: RUDN University Dentists Taught Tomograph to Help Paleontologists
Released: 19-Sep-2023 11:05 AM EDT
RUDN University Dentists Taught Tomograph to Help Paleontologists
Scientific Project Lomonosov

RUDN University dentists showed how tomography, microfocus or medical, will help archaeologists and paleontologists in taxonomic and evolutionary studies. To do this, they developed a program that details and accurately determines the thickness of the enamel of fossil teeth.

Newswise: Genomes of enigmatic tusk shells provide new insights into early Molluscan evolution
Released: 18-Sep-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Genomes of enigmatic tusk shells provide new insights into early Molluscan evolution
Chinese Academy of Sciences

Accurate phylogenetic trees are fundamental to evolutionary and comparative biology, but the almost simultaneous emergence of major animal phyla and diverse body plans during the Cambrian Explosion poses major challenges to reconstructing deep metazoan phylogenetic relationships.

Newswise: fossil shows Europe had different herbivorous dinosaurs to America and Asia
Released: 14-Sep-2023 4:05 AM EDT
fossil shows Europe had different herbivorous dinosaurs to America and Asia
University of Portsmouth

Scientists have discovered a new species of small plant-eating dinosaur on the Isle of Wight in southern England (UK). The new species, Vectidromeus insularis, is the second member of the hypsilophodont family to be found on the island, suggesting that Europe had its own family of small herbivorous dinosaurs, distinct from those found in Asia and North America.

Newswise: Plesiosaurs doubled their neck-length by gaining new vertebrae
Released: 5-Sep-2023 8:10 AM EDT
Plesiosaurs doubled their neck-length by gaining new vertebrae
University of Bristol

Plesiosaurs gained their famous long necks rapidly, researchers have shown.

Newswise: Three-eyed distant relative of insects and crustaceans reveals amazing detail of early animal evolution
Released: 29-Aug-2023 11:15 AM EDT
Three-eyed distant relative of insects and crustaceans reveals amazing detail of early animal evolution
University of Leicester

A group of researchers have redescribed a unique fossil animal from rocks nearly 520 million years old that fills in a gap in our understanding of the evolution of animals known as arthropods.

Newswise: Auckland wastewater pipe dig reveals 'fossil treasure trove'
Released: 28-Aug-2023 2:40 PM EDT
Auckland wastewater pipe dig reveals 'fossil treasure trove'
Taylor & Francis

A new New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics paper out today describes the 266 fossil species as one of the richest and most diverse groups of three-million-year-old fauna ever found in New Zealand.

Released: 18-Aug-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Explore the avian world. Read the latest research on Birds here.
Newswise

The discovery that birds evolved from small carnivorous dinosaurs of the Late Jurassic was made possible by recently discovered fossils of theropods such as Tyrannosaurus rex and the smaller velociraptors. In a way, you could say that dinosaurs are still with us and seen tweeting from your own backyard! Below are the latest research headlines in the Birds channel on Newswise.

Newswise: Massive pre-Jurassic reptile had weaker bite than modern crocs
Released: 17-Aug-2023 1:15 PM EDT
Massive pre-Jurassic reptile had weaker bite than modern crocs
University of Birmingham

The apex predators that roamed the earth 230 million years ago had a much weaker bite than previously thought, and likely couldn’t crunch through bone to consume the entirety of their kills.

Newswise: The modern sea spider had started to diversify by the Jurassic, study finds
15-Aug-2023 8:50 AM EDT
The modern sea spider had started to diversify by the Jurassic, study finds
University of Bristol

An extremely rare collection of 160-million-year-old sea spider fossils from Southern France are closely related to living species, unlike older fossils of their kind.

Released: 15-Aug-2023 1:50 PM EDT
Scientists explore dinosaur ‘coliseum’ in Denali National Park
University of Alaska Fairbanks

University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists have discovered and documented the largest known single dinosaur track site in Alaska. The site, located in Denali National Park and Preserve, has been dubbed “The Coliseum” by researchers.

Newswise: Global consortium creates large-scale, cross-species database and universal ‘clock’ to estimate age in all mammalian tissues
10-Aug-2023 12:40 PM EDT
Global consortium creates large-scale, cross-species database and universal ‘clock’ to estimate age in all mammalian tissues
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

An international research team details changes in DNA that researchers found are shared by humans and other mammals throughout history and are associated with life span and numerous other traits.

Newswise:Video Embedded extreme-cooling-ended-the-first-human-occupation-of-europe
VIDEO
7-Aug-2023 8:50 AM EDT
Extreme cooling ended the first human occupation of Europe
University College London

Paleoclimate evidence shows that around 1.1 million years ago, the southern European climate cooled significantly and likely caused an extinction of early humans on the continent, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

Newswise: Whale like filter-feeding discovered in prehistoric marine reptile
Released: 7-Aug-2023 8:00 PM EDT
Whale like filter-feeding discovered in prehistoric marine reptile
University of Bristol

A remarkable new fossil from China reveals for the first time that a group of reptiles were already using whale-like filter feeding 250 million years ago.

Newswise: Canadian paleontologists discover microvertebrate faunal assemblages in Manitoba, Canada
Released: 3-Aug-2023 5:20 PM EDT
Canadian paleontologists discover microvertebrate faunal assemblages in Manitoba, Canada
PeerJ

Canadian vertebrate palaeontologist, Aaron Kilmury, and a team of researchers from the University of Manitoba have published new research in PeerJ Life and Environment, unveiling the first-ever formal description of microvertebrate fossil assemblages from the late Cenomanian to middle Turonian periods in Manitoba, Canada.

Newswise: The very hungry Caterpillar: 60 Million-year-old Feeding Traces. Sharing of food plants as a driving force for insect diversity
Released: 1-Aug-2023 2:00 PM EDT
The very hungry Caterpillar: 60 Million-year-old Feeding Traces. Sharing of food plants as a driving force for insect diversity
Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum

Researchers from the Hessian State Museum Darmstadt and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center Frankfurt have uncovered the factors that determine the enormous diversity of herbivorous insects.

Newswise: Nematode resurrected from Siberian permafrost laid dormant for 46,000 years
25-Jul-2023 12:35 PM EDT
Nematode resurrected from Siberian permafrost laid dormant for 46,000 years
PLOS

A soil nematode reanimated from Siberian permafrost had laid dormant for approximately 46,000 years, according to a study.

Newswise: Unraveling the Loch Ness Monster’s Eel Connection
Released: 24-Jul-2023 8:55 AM EDT
Unraveling the Loch Ness Monster’s Eel Connection
JMIR Publications

In a new study published in JMIRx Bio, one of JMIR Publications’ new overlay journals, scientist Floe Foxon explores whether the Loch Ness Monster, a creature in Scottish folklore, could be a giant eel. Using previous estimates of the monster’s size to predict the probability of encountering a large eel of a similar size, the study found that giant eels could not account for sightings of larger animals in Loch Ness, a freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands.

   
Newswise: Miocene period fossil forest of Wataria found in Japan
Released: 21-Jul-2023 8:40 AM EDT
Miocene period fossil forest of Wataria found in Japan
Hokkaido University

An exquisitely preserved fossil forest from Japan provides missing links and helps reconstruct a whole Eurasia plant from the late Miocene epoch.

Released: 14-Jul-2023 1:20 PM EDT
New fossil flying reptile ‘Elvis’ takes flight
Queen Mary University of London

A new 145-million-year-old pterosaur (extinct flying reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs) was named today by a team of British, American and German researchers.

Newswise: Tiny scales reveal Megalodon was not as fast as believed, but mega-appetite explains gigantism
Released: 11-Jul-2023 10:05 AM EDT
Tiny scales reveal Megalodon was not as fast as believed, but mega-appetite explains gigantism
DePaul University

A new study reveals the iconic extinct Megalodon, or ‘megatooth shark’, was a rather slow cruiser that used its warm-bloodedness to facilitate digestion and absorption of nutrients.



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