A new species of the wukongopterid pterosaur genus Darwinopterus has been identified from an almost complete skeleton found in western Liaoning, China.
An artist’s impression of Darwinopterus camposi. Image credit: Maurilio Oliveira /…
Category: Paleontology
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5,700-year storm archive shows rise in tropical storms and hurricanes in the Caribbean
A storm, even once it has passed, can leave traces in the ocean that last for thousands of years. These consist of sediment layers composed of coarse particles, which are different from the finer sediments associated with good weather. In the…
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Experimental maturation of pine resin in sediment to investigate the formation of synthetic copal and amber
Parry, L. A. et al. Soft-bodied fossils are not simply rotten carcasses–toward a holistic understanding of exceptional fossil preservation: Exceptional fossil preservation is complex and involves the interplay of numerous biological and…
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Why Africans should be telling the story of human origins
One of the world’s top hunters of hominid fossils,…
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147-Million-Year-Old Pterosaur Fossil Discovered in England
Paleontologists have discovered and described a new ctenochasmatid pterosaurian mandible from the Late Jurassic Portland Limestone Formation of southern England.
Life reconstruction of the ctenochasmatid pterosaur Gladocephaloideus…
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Origin of life: How microbes laid the foundation for complex cells
Ten years ago, nobody knew that Asgard archaea even existed. In 2015, however, researchers examining deep-sea sediments discovered gene fragments that indicated a new and previously undiscovered form of microbes.
With computer assistance, the…
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Sedimentological and micropaleontological characteristics of tsunami deposits associated with the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake
Seventeen days after the earthquake and tsunami, we carried out a field survey and recognized extensive evidence of tsunami inundation, such as the presence of debris and watermarks around the Ukai River mouth (Fig. 1c). We also identified…
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‘Sonic Hedgehog Pathway’ Underlies Evolutionary Emergence and Diversity of Feathers, Study Suggests
Molecular signaling pathways are communication systems that transmit messages within and between cells. According to a new study by University of Geneva scientists, inhibiting one such system, called the sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway, strongly…
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From dinosaurs to birds: the origins of feather formation
Feathers, essential for thermoregulation, flight, and communication in birds, originate from simple appendages known as proto-feathers, which were present in certain dinosaurs.By studying embryonic development of the chicken, two researchers from…
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How big brains and flexible skulls led to the evolution of modern birds
Modern birds are the living relatives of dinosaurs. Take a look at the features of flightless birds like chickens and ostriches that walk upright on two hind legs, or predators like eagles and hawks with their sharp…
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