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Categories: Paleontology: Fossils
Published Like the phoenix, Australia's giant birds of prey rise again from limestone caves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Australia's only vulture, and a fearsome extinct eagle, are among the earliest recorded birds of prey from the Pleistocene period more than 50,000 years ago -- and now researchers are bringing them to 'life' again. Along with new scientific information, a bold new pictorial reconstruction of a newly named eagle and the only known Australian vulture will be unveiled at the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves in South Australia's Limestone Coast this month.
Published Research in Lake Superior reveals how sulfur might have cycled in Earth's ancient oceans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A scientists has sulfur on her mind. The yellow element is a vital macronutrient, and she's trying to understand how it cycles through the environment. Specifically, she's curious about the sulfur cycle in Earth's ancient ocean, some 3 billion years ago.
Published Radiocarbon dating meets Egyptology and Biblical accounts in the city of Gezer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New dates provide detailed insights into the timing of events in the ancient city of Gezer, according to a new study.
Published Birds set foot near South Pole in Early Cretaceous, Australian tracks show
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source 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.
Published Plants that survived dinosaur extinction pulled nitrogen from air
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ancient cycad lineages that survived the extinction of the dinosaurs may have done so by relying on symbiotic bacteria in their roots to fix atmospheric nitrogen. The finding came from an effort to understand ancient atmospheres, but became an insight into plant evolution instead.
Published Europe was not covered by dense forest before the arrival of modern humans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For decades, we believed that outside ice ages Europe was mostly covered by dense forest before the arrival of modern humans. Now, a new study shows that there was far more open and semi-open vegetation than conventionally expected.
Published New study reveals surprising insights into feeding habits of carnivorous dinosaurs in North America
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research sheds light on the dining habits of ancient carnivorous dinosaurs from Jurassic rocks of the USA. A recent study explores the bite marks left on the ancient bones of the giant long-necked sauropod dinosaurs like Diplodocus and Brontosaurus by carnivorous theropod dinosaurs.
Published Window to the past: New microfossils suggest earlier rise in complex life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Microfossils may capture a jump in the complexity of life that coincided with the rise of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere and oceans, according to an international team of scientists.
Published 450-million-year-old organism finds new life in Softbotics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have used fossil evidence to engineer a soft robotic replica of pleurocystitids, a marine organism that existed nearly 450 million years ago and is believed to be one of the first echinoderms capable of movement using a muscular stem.
Published Fossils tell tale of last primate to inhabit North America before humans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Paleontologists have shed light on the long-standing saga of Ekgmowechashala, based on fossil teeth and jaws found in both Nebraska and China. Ekgmowechashala is the last primate found in the fossil record before humans.
Published Frogs were Florida's first-known vertebrates from the Caribbean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new fossil study shows that frogs from the genus Eleutherodactylus are geologically the oldest Caribbean vertebrates to be found in Florida. They made the journey 20 million years ago, when much of Florida was still underwater.
Published How the fish got its shoulder
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new analysis of the bones and muscles in ancient fish gives new clues about how the shoulder evolved in animals -- including us.
Published New species of mosasaur named for Norse sea serpent
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered a new species of mosasaur, large, carnivorous aquatic lizards that lived during the late Cretaceous. With 'transitional' traits that place it between two well-known mosasaurs, the new species is named after a sea serpent in Norse mythology, Jormungandr, and the small North Dakota city Walhalla near to where the fossil was found.
Published Genetic methods enable the use of fossil lipids as biomarkers for oxygen-producing primordial bacteria
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Cyanobacteria are a key species in Earth's history, as they introduced atmospheric oxygen for the first time. The analysis of their evolution therefore provides important insights into the formation of modern aerobic ecosystems. For a long time, a certain type of fossil lipid, so-called 2-methylhopanes, was considered to be an important biomarker for Cyanobacteria in sediments, some of which are hundreds of millions of years old. However, this came into doubt when it turned out that not only Cyanobacteria but also Alphaproteobacteria are genetically capable of producing these lipids.
Published Climate change likely impacted human populations in the Neolithic and Bronze Age
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Human populations in Neolithic Europe fluctuated with changing climates, according to a new study.
Published Sediment core analysis supports new epoch characterized by human impact on planet
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists analyzed open-source data to track vegetation changes across North America since the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, and conclude that humans have had as much of an impact on the landscape as the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age.
Published Bizarre new fossils shed light on ancient plankton
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Recently discovered microfossils date back half a billion years. Resembling modern-day algae, they provide insight into early life in our oceans.
Published Origin of ancient mummified baboons found in Egypt
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Primatologists are using genetic analysis to determine the geographic origin of ancient mummified baboons found in Egypt. The team finds evidence that the two legendary trading regions of Punt and Adulis may have been the same place separated by a thousand years of history.
Published Ancient sea monster remains reveal oldest mega-predatory pliosaur
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The fossils of a 170-million-year-old ancient marine reptile from the Age of Dinosaurs have been identified as the oldest-known mega-predatory pliosaur -- a group of ocean-dwelling reptiles closely related to the famous long-necked plesiosaurs. The findings are rare and add new knowledge to the evolution of plesiosaurs.
Published Holy bat skull! Fossil adds vital piece to bat evolution puzzle
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Bats may have lived in caves and used soundwaves to navigate much earlier than first thought.