For much of the past century, scientists thought dinosaurs were already in decline long before the asteroid impact that ended their reign 66 million years ago. However, a new study published in Science by researchers from Baylor University, New…
Category: Paleontology
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Hippos once roamed frozen Germany with mammoths
Hippos, now found only in sub-Saharan Africa, managed to survive in central Europe far longer than anyone previously believed. A new analysis of ancient bones shows that hippos lived in the Upper Rhine Graben between about 47,000 and 31,000 years…
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Ancient DNA reveals the deadly diseases behind Napoleon’s defeat
Scientists from the Institut Pasteur have conducted a genetic analysis of the remains of soldiers who retreated from Russia in 1812. Their work uncovered traces of two disease-causing pathogens — those behind paratyphoid fever and relapsing…
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Before T. rex, there was the “dragon prince”
An international team of paleontologists has identified a previously unknown dinosaur species named Khankhuuluu, believed to be the closest-known ancestor of the giant Tyrannosaurs. The discovery, led by Jared Voris and Dr. Darla Zelenitsky from…
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Dinosaurs were thriving before the asteroid hit, new analysis suggests
A ridge of rocks in New Mexico holds a snapshot of a dinosaur heyday. Fossils of crested hadrosaurs, long-necked sauropods and a variety of plants all point to a flourishing ecosystem.
New dating of the rocks now reveals this…
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These ancient bumblebees were found with their pollen source
A telltale hint was on the bee’s knees.
An analysis of 127 fossil flowers, flower buds and bees from central Germany revealed pollen particles that precisely matched ancient flowers to their pollinators. The fossils date to around…
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The viral Chicago ‘Rat Hole’ almost certainly wasn’t made by a rat
Chicago’s viral ‘Rat Hole’ is less rat splat, more squirrel squish.
Researchers determined it was probably a squirrel that left a rodent-shaped impression in the concrete of the Windy City. Their new study, published October 15…
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What the longest woolly rhino horn tells us about the beasts’ biology
The longest woolly rhino horn ever found is providing new insights into the lives of these now extinct animals.
The horn — found preserved in Siberian permafrost — stretched over 1.6 meters, nearly the size of a small adult human…
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What may be one of Earth’s earliest animals has a punk rock vibe
Being a punk rocker means being perpetually misunderstood. So perhaps it’s vindication that that some seafloor fossils, once considered just piles of decomposing gunk, may now be reclassified as animals — and fittingly named after…
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An ancient reptile’s fossilized skin reveals how it swam like a seal
New insights into an ancient swimming reptile are more than skin deep.
An analysis of a 240-million-year-old fossil, published August 29 in the Swiss Journal of Palaeontology, offers clues to how a reptile similar to those that…
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