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archive: Apr-Jun 2008
Paleo-news archive: April-June 2008
Brain size 'not key to intellect'
(Jun 10, 2008)
Size may not be everything when it comes to brain evolution, say experts.
Instead, UK research reveals that the rising complexity of connections
between brain cells may have been the biggest driving force. The Nature
Neuroscience study found clear differences between brain junctions
in mammals, insects and single cell creatures.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Fossil reveals oldest live birth
(May 31, 2008)
A fossil fish uncovered in Australia is the oldest-known example of
a mother giving birth to live young, scientists have reported in the
journal Nature. The 380 million-year-old specimen has been preserved
with an embryo still attached by its umbilical cord. The find pushes
back the emergence of this reproductive strategy by some 200 million
years.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Fossil prints reveal giant winged reptile
was a stalker
(May 28, 2008)
The largest creatures that ever flew may have spent much of their
time on the ground, research suggests. Azhdarchids were a type of
pterosaur living at the time of the dinosaurs. Their wingspans could
exceed 10 metres (32ft). They were thought to have lived like seagulls
or pelicans, patrolling coastlines from the air and swooping down
on fish in the water. But new evidence from their fossil distribution
and footprints suggests they were more likely to stalk prey on foot.
Read
more. Source: Guardian |
New dinosaur tracks discovered
(May 23, 2008)
Dinosaur footprints made 150 million years ago in the bedrock of what
is now Yemen are the first to be discovered in the Arabian Peninsula,
say scientists. The two separate trackways were made by a herd of
11 sauropods, and a lone two-legged plant-eating dinosaur belonging
to the ornithopod family. They went unnoticed for so long because
they were covered by rubble and debris.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Tasmanian tiger DNA 'resurrected'
(May 20, 2008)
A fragment of DNA from the Tasmanian tiger has been brought back to
life. Australian scientists extracted genetic material from a 100-year-old
museum specimen, and put it into a mouse embryo to study how it worked.
It is the first time DNA of an extinct species has been used in this
way, says a University of Melbourne team.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Human line 'nearly split in two'
(Apr 27, 2008)
Ancient humans started down the path of evolving into two separate
species before merging back into a single population, a genetic study
suggests. The genetic split in Africa resulted in distinct populations
that lived in isolation for as much as 100,000 years, the scientists
say. This could have been caused by arid conditions driving a wedge
between humans in eastern and southern Africa.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Secret 'dino bugs' revealed
(Apr 2, 2008)
Paleontologist Paul Tafforeau and colleague Malvina Lak have put kilos
of opaque amber chunks in the way of this beam and have found a treasure
trove of ancient organisms. From more than 600 blocks, they have identified
nearly 360 fossil animals. Wasps, flies, ants – even spiders.
There are also small fragments of plant material. All of it caught
up in the sticky goo of some prehistoric tree and then locked away
until modern science provided the key.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
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