Feature Channels: Paleontology

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Newswise: Megalodon shark was warm-blooded, confirm researchers using geochemical technique
Released: 26-Jun-2023 4:05 PM EDT
Megalodon shark was warm-blooded, confirm researchers using geochemical technique
DePaul University

A new study finds that the gigantic prehistoric Megalodon or megatooth shark was warm-blooded. DePaul University paleobiologist Kenshu Shimada sheds light on the physiology of Megalodon and reveals new clues about how climate change may have led to the shark’s demise.

Released: 26-Jun-2023 4:00 PM EDT
Headlines involving the fascinating (and perilous) world of oceanography and marine biology can be viewed on the Marine Science channel
Newswise

The recent tragic loss of the Titan submersible in the depths of the North Atlantic has brought the fascinating (and very dangerous) world of Oceanography and Marine Science to the forefront. Below are some recent stories that have been added to the Marine Science channel on Newswise, including expert commentary on the Titan submersible.

       
Newswise: These long-necked reptiles were decapitated by their predators, fossil evidence confirms
Released: 19-Jun-2023 11:30 AM EDT
These long-necked reptiles were decapitated by their predators, fossil evidence confirms
Cell Press

In the age of dinosaurs, many marine reptiles had extremely long necks compared to reptiles today.

Newswise: Skipping evolution: some kangaroos didn’t hop, scientists explain
12-Jun-2023 10:50 AM EDT
Skipping evolution: some kangaroos didn’t hop, scientists explain
University of Bristol

Extinct kangaroos used alternative methods to their famous hop according to comprehensive analysis from University of Bristol and the University of Uppsala scientists.

Released: 13-Jun-2023 12:00 PM EDT
First side-necked turtle ever discovered in UK
University of Portsmouth

The first side-necked turtle ever to be found in the UK has been discovered by an amateur fossil collector and palaeontologists at the University of Portsmouth.

Newswise: Which came first: the reptile or the egg?
9-Jun-2023 9:50 AM EDT
Which came first: the reptile or the egg?
University of Bristol

The earliest reptiles, birds and mammals may have borne live young, researchers from Nanjing University and University of Bristol have revealed.

Newswise: The first prehistoric wind instruments discovered in the Levant
Released: 9-Jun-2023 6:05 PM EDT
The first prehistoric wind instruments discovered in the Levant
CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique / National Center of Scientific Research)

Although the prehistoric site of Eynan-Mallaha in northern Israel has been thoroughly examined since 1955, it still holds some surprises for scientists. Seven prehistoric wind instruments known as flutes, recently identified by a Franco-Israeli team.

Newswise: Ancient herbivore’s diet weakened teeth leading to eventual starvation, study suggests
7-Jun-2023 8:05 AM EDT
Ancient herbivore’s diet weakened teeth leading to eventual starvation, study suggests
University of Bristol

A team of researchers from the University of Bristol have shed light on the life of the ancient reptile Rhynchosaur, which walked the earth between 250-225 million years ago, before being replaced by the dinosaurs.

Newswise: New Dino, ‘Iani,’ Was Face of a Changing Planet
Released: 7-Jun-2023 2:35 PM EDT
New Dino, ‘Iani,’ Was Face of a Changing Planet
North Carolina State University

A newly discovered plant-eating dinosaur may have been a species’ “last gasp” during a period when Earth’s warming climate forced massive changes to global dinosaur populations.

Newswise: Spinosaur Britain: Multiple different species likely roamed Cretaceous Britain
Released: 31-May-2023 11:15 AM EDT
Spinosaur Britain: Multiple different species likely roamed Cretaceous Britain
PeerJ

Analysis of a British spinosaur tooth by palaeontologists at the EvoPalaeoLab of the University of Southampton shows that several distinct spinosaur groups inhabited Cretaceous Britain.

Newswise: Did dome-headed dinosaurs sport bristly headgear?
Released: 23-May-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Did dome-headed dinosaurs sport bristly headgear?
University of California, Berkeley

If you look at enough dinosaur fossils, you'll see that their skulls sport an amazing variety of bony ornaments, ranging from the horns of Triceratops and the mohawk-like crests of hadrosaurs to the bumps and knobs covering the head of Tyrannosaurus rex.

Newswise: World-Renowned Paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey To Be Honored at Week-Long Conference at Stony Brook University
Released: 18-May-2023 2:30 PM EDT
World-Renowned Paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey To Be Honored at Week-Long Conference at Stony Brook University
Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University will honor the life and legacy of eminent paleoanthropologist, conservationist and politician Richard E. Leakey by hosting “Africa: The Human Cradle: An International Conference Paying Tribute to Richard E. Leakey” from June 5 - 9, 2023 at the university’s Charles B. Wang Center. The Turkana Basin Institute (TBI) and Stony Brook are hosting the conference, in partnership with the National Geographic Society. Thought leaders from around the world will celebrate the immeasurable, life-long contributions by Leakey to furthering the appreciation of Africa’s centrality in the narrative of human evolution.

Newswise: Fossil of mosasaur with bizarre “screwdriver teeth” found in Morocco
Released: 17-May-2023 7:25 PM EDT
Fossil of mosasaur with bizarre “screwdriver teeth” found in Morocco
University of Bath

Scientists have discovered a new species of mosasaur, a sea-dwelling lizard from the age of the dinosaurs, with strange, ridged teeth unlike those of any known reptile.

Released: 11-May-2023 7:20 PM EDT
Scientists discover fire records embedded within sand dunes
Desert Research Institute (DRI)

A new study shows that sand dunes can serve as repositories of fire history and aid in expanding scientific understanding of fire regimes around the world.

Newswise: Culprit behind destruction of New York’s first dinosaur museum revealed
Released: 11-May-2023 4:05 AM EDT
Culprit behind destruction of New York’s first dinosaur museum revealed
University of Bristol

A new paper from the University of Bristol rewrites the history of the darkest, most bizarre event in the history of palaeontology.

Newswise: Giants of the Jurassic seas were twice the size of a killer whale
Released: 10-May-2023 7:05 AM EDT
Giants of the Jurassic seas were twice the size of a killer whale
University of Portsmouth

Over 20 years ago, the BBC’s Walking with Dinosaurs TV documentary series showed a 25-metre long Liopleurodon. This sparked heated debates over the size of this pliosaur as it was thought to have been wildly overestimated and more likely to have only reached an adult size of just over six metres long.

Newswise: Earth’s first animals had particular taste in real estate
Released: 9-May-2023 2:20 PM EDT
Earth’s first animals had particular taste in real estate
University of California, Riverside

Even without body parts that allowed for movement, new research shows — for the first time — that some of Earth’s earliest animals managed to be picky about where they lived.

Newswise:Video Embedded fossil-discovery-revises-cycad-plant-history
VIDEO
Released: 2-May-2023 6:45 PM EDT
Fossil find in California shakes up the natural history of cycad plants
University of Kansas

Cycads, a group of gymnosperms which can resemble miniature palm trees (like the popular sago palm houseplant) were long thought to be “living fossils,” a group that had evolved minimally since the time of the dinosaurs. Now, a well-preserved 80-million-year-old pollen cone discovered in California has rewritten scientific understanding of the plants.

Released: 2-May-2023 5:55 PM EDT
“Golden” fossils reveal origins of exceptional preservation
University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin)

A recent study by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin and collaborators found that many of the fossils from Germany’s Posidonia shale do not get their gleam from pyrite, commonly known as fool’s gold, which was long thought to be the source of the shine. Instead, the golden hue is from a mix of minerals that hints at the conditions in which the fossils formed.



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