entire Web this site home > current paleo news paleo news archive Paleo news: Latest from the world of fossils Dung helps reveal why mammoths died out (Nov 20, 2009) Mammoth dung has proved to be a source of prehistoric information, helping scientists unravel the mystery of what caused the great mammals to die out. An examination of a fungus that is found in the ancient dung and preserved in lake sediments has helped build a picture of what happened to the beasts. The study sheds light on the ecological consequences of the extinction and the role that humans may have played in it. Read more. Source: BBC Missing link dinosaur discovered (Nov 11, 2009) Researchers have discovered a fossil skeleton that appears to link the earliest dinosaurs with the large plant-eating sauropods. This could help to bridge an evolutionary gap between the two-legged common ancestors of dinosaurs and the four-legged giants, such as diplodocus. The remarkably complete skeleton shows that the creature was bipedal but occasionally walked on all four legs. Read more. Source: BBC Oldest T. rex relative identified (Nov 4, 2009) Scientists have identified the most ancient fossil relative of the predatory dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex. The new addition to T. rex's clan is known from a 30cm-long skull uncovered during excavations in Gloucestershire in the 1900s. The well-preserved fossil is now held in London's Natural History Museum. Read more. Source: BBC Spider web confirmed as 'oldest' (Nov 3, 2009) Spider webs encased in amber which were discovered on an East Sussex beach have been confirmed by scientists as being the world's oldest on record. The amber, which was found in Bexhill by fossil hunter Jamie Hiscocks and his brother Jonathan, dates back 140 million years to the Cretaceous period. Professor Martin Brasier said they were the earliest webs to be incorporated into the fossil record. Read more. Source: BBC Colossal 'sea monster' unearthed (Oct 27, 2009) The fossilized skull of a colossal "sea monster" has been unearthed along the UK's Jurassic Coast. The ferocious predator, which is called a pliosaur, terrorised the oceans 150 million years ago. The skull is 2.4m long, and experts say it could belong to one of the largest pliosaurs ever found: measuring up 16m in length. Read more. Source: BBC Primate fossil 'not an ancestor' (Oct 21, 2009) The exceptionally well-preserved fossil primate known as "Ida" is not a missing link as some have claimed, according to an analysis in the journal Nature. The research is the first independent assessment of the claims made in a scientific paper and a television documentary earlier this year. Dr Erik Seiffert says that Ida belonged to a group more closely linked to lemurs than to monkeys, apes or us. Read more. Source: BBC New flying reptile fossils found (Oct 14, 2009) Researchers in China and the UK say they have discovered the fossils of a new type of flying reptile that lived more than 160 million years ago. The find is named Darwinopterus, after famous naturalist Charles Darwin. Experts say it provides the first clear evidence of a controversial type of evolution called modular evolution. Read more. Source: BBC Baby dinosaur made tracks as it fled for its life (Oct 12, 2009) Only just hatched and new to the world, the little guy who left these prints in the riverbed was probably running for its life. Barely 10 centimeters tall, the hatchling would have been the length of a wren and easy prey for pterosaurs and other hungry dinosaurs. Read more. Source: New Scientist Mammoth remains from the Russian permafrost offer up rich bounty (Oct 11, 2009) Some 9,700 years after woolly mammoths became extinct, mysteriously dying out at the end of the last ice age, more mammoth remains are emerging from Russia's thawing permafrost. Russian experts say that the question of why the mammoth died out may shed light on our own prospects of survival in a world gripped by rapid climate change. Read more. Source: The Guardian Fossil finds extend human story (Oct 1, 2009) An ancient human-like creature that may be a direct ancestor to our species has been described by researchers. The assessment of the 4.4-million-year-old animal called Ardipithecus ramidus is reported in the journal Science. Even if it is not on the direct line to us, it offers new insights into how we evolved from the common ancestor we share with chimps, the team says. Read more. Source: BBC Dinosaurs had 'earliest feathers' (Sep 24, 2009) Exceptionally well preserved dinosaur fossils uncovered in north-eastern China display the earliest known feathers. The creatures are all more than 150 million years old. The new finds are indisputably older than Archaeopteryx, the oldest recognised bird discovered in Germany. Read more. Source: BBC Tiny ancestor is T. rex blueprint (Sep 17, 2009) A 3m-long (10ft) dinosaur fossil is a tiny blueprint for Tyrannosaurus rex but lived 60 million years earlier and was 1/90th of the size, say scientists. In the journal Science, Paul Sereno, from the University of Chicago, says the fossil from China displays the same features as T rex but in miniature. The new species, Raptorex kriegsteini, would have weighed around 65kg. Read more. Source: BBC Velociraptor's 'killing' claws were for climbing (Sep 11, 2009) According to Jurassic Park, everyone's favourite fleet-footed predators dispatched their prey by disembowelling them with deadly "killing claws". Not so, say palaeontologists who have studied the biomechanics of Velociraptor claws. Instead, the notorious dinosaurs used their claws to cling to prey and to climb trees. Read more. Source: New Scientist A skull that rewrites the history of man (Sep 10, 2009) The conventional view of human evolution and how early man colonised the world has been thrown into doubt by a series of stunning palaeontological discoveries suggesting that Africa was not the sole cradle of humankind. Scientists have found a handful of ancient human skulls at an archaeological site two hours from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, that suggest a Eurasian chapter in the long evolutionary story of man. Read more. Source: The Independent Ancient spiders yield 3D secrets (Aug 5, 2009) Ancient fossilized, spider-like species have been imaged in 3D using thousands of X-ray scans and imaging software. The two species, Cryptomartus hindi and Eophrynus prestvicii, lived 300 million years ago but are closely related to modern spiders. The 3D images show that C. hindi grasped at prey with its front legs and E. prestivicii had defensive spikes on its back. Read more. Source: BBC Oldest dinosaur burrow discovered (Jul 10, 2009) The world's oldest dinosaur burrows have been discovered in Australia. Three separate burrows have been found in all, the biggest 2m long, each built to a similar design and just big enough to hold the body of a small dinosaur. The 106-million-year-old burrows, the first to be found outside of North America, would have been much closer to the South Pole when they were created. Read more. Source: BBC Dinosaur mummy gives up organic material (Jul 2, 2009) A mummified dinosaur unearthed in North Dakota may contain traces of 66-million-year old organic material, which could provide vital information about its evolution. The well-preserved fossil of a plant-eating hadrosaur, complete with skin and tendons, was discovered in 1999. Read more. Source: New Scientist New dinosaur gives bird wing clue (Jun 18, 2009) A new dinosaur unearthed in western China has shed light on the evolution from dinosaur hands to the wing bones in today's birds. The fossil, from about 160 million years ago, has been named Limusaurus inextricabilis. The find contributes to a debate over how an ancestral hand with five digits evolved to one with three in birds. Read more. Source: BBC Giant dinosaurs 'held heads high' (May 27, 2009) Diplodocus's impressive neck sweeps along the main hall of London's Natural History museum, welcoming its visitors. Now, findings suggest that 150 million years ago the giant may have held its head higher for much of the time. By studying the skeletons of living vertebrates, Mike Taylor, from the University of Portsmouth, and his team, reshaped the dinosaur's resting pose. Read more. Source: BBC Scientists hail stunning fossil (May 20, 2009) The beautifully preserved remains of a 47-million-year-old, lemur-like creature have been unveiled in the US. The preservation is so good, it is possible to see the outline of its fur and even traces of its last meal. The fossil, nicknamed Ida, is claimed to be a "missing link" between today's higher primates – monkeys, apes and humans – and more distant relatives. Read more. Source: BBC Hobbits 'are a separate species' (May 6, 2009) Scientists have found more evidence that the Indonesian "Hobbit" skeletons belong to a new species of human – and not modern pygmies. The 3ft (one meter) tall, 30kg (65lbs) humans roamed the Indonesian island of Flores, perhaps up to 8,000 years ago. Since the discovery, researchers have argued vehemently as to the identity of these diminutive people. Read more. Source: BBC Ancestor of T rex found in China (Apr 22, 2009) Fossils found in China may give clues to the evolution of Tyrannosaurus rex. Uncovered near the city of Jiayuguan, the fossil finds come from a novel tyrannosaur dubbed Xiongguanlong baimoensis. The fossils date from the middle of the Cretaceous period, and may be a "missing link", tying the familiar big T rex to its much smaller ancestors. Read more. Source: BBC Canadian dig yields tiny dinosaur (Mar 17, 2009) The smallest meat-eating dinosaur yet to be found in North America has been identified from six tiny pelvic bones. Hesperonychus was the size of a small-chicken, and used its rows of serrated teeth to feed on insects, experts say. The bird-like creature is closely related to Microraptor – a tiny feathered dinosaur discovered in China. Read more. Source: BBC Norwegian fossil hunters unearth a Jurassic sea monster (Mar 16, 2009) The remains of a giant meat-eating sea monster that patrolled the oceans during the reign of the dinosaurs have been unearthed on an island in the remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Norwegian fossil hunters recovered the rear half of the formidable reptile's skull in south-west Spitsbergen in what has been described as one of the most significant Jurassic discoveries ever made. Read more. Source: The Guardian Earliest 'human footprints' found (Feb 27, 2009) The earliest footprints showing evidence of modern human foot anatomy and gait have been unearthed in Kenya. The 1.5-million-year-old footprints display signs of a pronounced arch and short, aligned toes, in contrast to older footprints. The size and spacing of the Kenyan markings – attributed to Homo erectus – reflect the height, weight, and walking style of modern humans. Read more. Source: BBC Fish fossil clue to origin of sex (Feb 26, 2009) A fossil fish from Australia was one of the earliest known vertebrates to reproduce by fertilising eggs inside the female, a study suggests. Nature journal says the ancient fish was carrying a 5cm-long embryo. The fertilisation of eggs by sperm outside the mother's body – external fertilisation – is thought to have evolved before copulation. Read more. Source: BBC First draft of Neanderthal genome (Feb 12, 2009) The "first draft" of a complete Neanderthal genome has been sequenced from fossils found in Croatia. The DNA shows no signs that humans and Neanderthals interbred, say researchers from Germany's Max Planck Institute. Our closest ancestors may have been able to speak as well as us, said the project director, Prof Svante Paabo, at a science meeting in Chicago. Read more. Source: BBC Ancient sponges leave their mark (Feb 5, 2009) Traces of animal life have been found in rocks dating back 635 million years. The evidence takes the form of chemical markers that are highly distinctive of sponges when they die and their bodies break down in rock-forming sediments. The discovery in Oman pushes back the earliest accepted date for animal life on Earth by tens of millions of years. Read more. Source: BBC The snake that was so big it ate crocodiles (Feb 4, 2009) It grew up to 45 feet long, weighed more than a ton and dined on giant turtles and fearsome crocodiles. It was also the biggest known snake to have ever lived – even dwarfing the Hollywood snake that tried to eat Jennifer Lopez in the film Anaconda. Scientists discovered the fossilised backbones of the super-sized snake in a giant open-cast coal mine at Cerrejon in northern Colombia. Read more. Source: The Independent Fossil illuminates jaw evolution (Jan 19, 2009) A fossil fish is shedding light on the evolution of jawed vertebrates. It is one of the earliest known jawed fish in the fossil record, a scientist from Uppsala University, Sweden, reports in the journal Nature. The specimen is the first example of a well-preserved braincase of a group of extinct fish called acanthodians from the Paleozoic era. Read more. Source: BBC Genetic secrets from Tamanian tiger (Jan 13, 2009) Scientists have detailed a significant proportion of the genes found in the extinct Tasmanian "tiger". The international team extracted the hereditary information from the hair of preserved animal remains held in Swedish and US museums. The information has allowed scientists to confirm the tiger's evolutionary relationship to other marsupials. Read more. Source: BBC Dino feathers 'were for display' (Jan 13, 2009) The earliest dinosaur feathers were probably used for visual display, according to a new study. The evidence comes from two 125-million-year-old dinosaur fossils unearthed in north-east China. Writing in PNAS journal, the team says its findings may shed light on the origin of feathers. Read more. Source: BBC paleo news archive BACK TO TOP

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