A small mixodectid mammal called Mixodectes pungens had skeletal features adapted to living in trees, largely dined on leaves, and weighed about 1.3 kg, according to an analysis a remarkably complete skeleton discovered in New Mexico.
Category: Paleontology
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Study Provides New Insights into Biology of Megalodon
The megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon, is an iconic shark represented primarily by its gigantic teeth in the Neogene fossil record, but the lack of well-preserved skeletons has hampered the understanding of various aspects of its biology. In…
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Rare frog rediscovered after 130 years
A team of researchers has rediscovered a frog species which has not been seen in more than 130 years. First described in 1902, Alsodes vittatus had evaded detection since then, despite multiple search efforts. The researchers discovered two…
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A 62-million-year-old skeleton sheds light on an enigmatic mammal
For more than 140 years, Mixodectes pungens, a species of small mammal that inhabited western North America in the early Paleocene, was a mystery. What little was known about them had been mostly gleaned from analyzing fossilized teeth and…
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New remarkably complete skeleton of Mixodectes reveals arboreality in a large Paleocene primatomorphan mammal following the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction
Description and functional assessment of NMMNH P-54501
NMMNH P-54501 preserves a dorsoventrally compressed partial skull (Fig. 1A). The rostrum includes a right premaxilla with I1 and a partial crown of I2, a right maxilla with P2-4, M1-2, and…
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New Titanosaur Species Discovered in Argentina
Paleontologists working in northern Patagonia, Argentina, have unearthed the fossils of a previously unknown species of small rinconsaurian titanosaur.
Chadititan calvoi. Image credit: Gabriel Lio.
The newly-discovered dinosaur roamed Earth…
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Evolution of plant network: 600 million years of stress
Without plants on land, humans could not live on Earth. From mosses to ferns to grasses to trees, plants are our food, fodder and timber. All this diversity emerged from an algal ancestor that conquered land long ago. The success of land plants…
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AI tool to make genetic research more comprehensive
University of Florida researchers are addressing a critical gap in medical genetic research — ensuring it better represents and benefits people of all backgrounds.
Their work, led by Kiley Graim, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department…
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Are volcanoes behind the oxygen we breathe?
It is widely believed that Earth’s atmosphere has been rich in oxygen for about 2.5 billion years due to a relatively rapid increase in microorganisms capable of performing photosynthesis. Researchers, including those from the University of…
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Megalodon’s body size and form uncover why certain aquatic vertebrates can achieve gigantism
CHICAGO — A new scientific study provides many new insights into the biology of the prehistoric gigantic shark, Megalodon or megatooth shark, which lived nearly worldwide 15-3.6 million years ago. Paleobiology…
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