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| Paleontology & Archeology articles |
Sediment yields climate record for past half-million years
Researchers here have used sediment from the deep ocean bottom to reconstruct a record of ancient climate that dates back more than the last half-million years.
New research shows dinosaurs may have been smaller than we thought
For millions of years, dinosaurs have been considered the largest creatures ever to walk on land. While they still maintain this status, a new study suggests that some dinosaurs may actually have weighed as little as half as much as previously thought.
New fossil tells how piranhas got their teeth
How did piranhas - the legendary freshwater fish with the razor bite - get their telltale teeth? Researchers from Argentina, the United States and Venezuela have uncovered the jawbone of a striking transitional fossil that sheds light on this question. Named Megapiranha paranensis, this previously unknown fossil fish bridges the evolutionary gap between flesh-eating piranhas and their plant-eating cousins.
Obsidian 'trail' provides clues to how humans settled, interacted in Kuril Islands
Archaeologists have used stone tools to answer many questions about human ancestors in both the distant and near past and now they are analyzing the origin of obsidian flakes to better understand how people settled and interacted in the inhospitable Kuril Islands.
54-million-year-old skull reveals early evolution of primate brains
Researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Winnipeg have developed the first detailed images of a primitive primate brain, unexpectedly revealing that cousins of our earliest ancestors relied on smell more than sight.
Cold case techniques bring mummys face to life
Thanks to the skills of artists who work on cold case investigations, people have a chance to see what the Oriental Institute's mummy Meresamun may have looked like in real life.
Ancient drought and rapid cooling drastically altered climate
Two abrupt and drastic climate events, 700 years apart and more than 45 centuries ago, are teasing scientists who are now trying to use ancient records to predict future world climate.
Ice sheets can retreat in a geologic instant, study of prehistoric glacier shows
Modern glaciers, such as those making up the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, are capable of undergoing periods of rapid shrinkage or retreat, according to new findings by paleoclimatologists at the University at Buffalo.
Bio-acoustic recorders could answer question: do wind farms pose risks to migratory birds?
Are wind turbines dangerous to migrating birds? Nobody really knows for sure because two-thirds of migrating bird species fly at night, making direct study of their habits and potential hazards a challenge, said Cornell researchers at the Cornell Workshop on Large-Scale Wind-Generated Power, June 13.
Dino tooth sheds new light on ancient riddle
Microscopic analysis of scratches on dinosaur teeth has helped scientists unravel an ancient riddle of what a major group of dinosaurs ate- and exactly how they did it!
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New fossil primate suggests common asian ancestor, challenges primates such as 'Ida'
According to new research published online in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Biological Sciences) on July 1, 2009, a new fossil primate from Myanmar (previously known as Burma) suggests that the common ancestor of humans, monkeys and apes evolved from primates in Asia, not Africa as many researchers believe.
Plants put limit on ice ages
When glaciers advanced over much of the Earth's surface during the last ice age, what kept the planet from freezing over entirely? This has been a puzzle to climate scientists because leading models have indicated that over the past 24 million years geological conditions should have caused carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to plummet, possibly leading to runaway "icehouse" conditions. Now researchers writing in the July 2, 2009, Nature report on the missing piece of the puzzle - plants.
Ancient fossils shed light on anatomical changes accompanying evolution of first land vertebrates
Cartoon depictions of the first animals to emerge from the ocean and walk on land often show a simple fish with feet, venturing from water to land. But according to Jennifer Clack, a paleontologist at the University of Cambridge who has studied the fossils of these extinct creatures for more than two decades, the earliest land vertebrates - also known as tetrapods - were more diverse than we could possibly imagine.
A prehistoric Popeye effect? For the dinosaur, food meant bulk
A University of Florida biologist thinks he knows how dinosaurs got so big. And it turns out, Popeye and Pachycephalosaurus may have a thing or two in common.
Swedish researcher finds missing piece of fossil puzzle
The mode of reproduction seen in modern sharks is nearly 400 million years old. That is the conclusion drawn by Professor Per Erik Ahlberg, Uppsala University, from his discovery of a so-called "clasper" in a primitive fossil fish earlier this year. The research results are published in Nature.
Early initiation of Arctic sea-ice formation
Significant sea ice formation occurred in the Arctic earlier than previously thought is the conclusion of a study published in Nature. "The results are also especially exciting because they suggest that sea ice formed in the Arctic before it did in Antarctica, which goes against scientific expectation," says scientific team member Dr Richard Pearce of the University of Southampton's School of Ocean and Earth Science based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS).
Primate archaeology sheds light on human origins
A University of Calgary archaeologist who is one of the few researchers in the world studying the material culture of human beings' closest living relatives - the great apes - is joining his colleagues in creating a new discipline devoted to the history of tool use in all primate species in order to better understand human evolution.
Possible dinosaur burrows clues to survival strategies
Internationally renowned palaeontologist and Monash University Honorary Research Associate, Dr Anthony Martin has found evidence of a dinosaur burrow along the coast of Victoria, which helps to explain how dinosaurs protected themselves from climate extremes during the Cretaceous period - the final era for dinosaurs before their extinction.
Caltech, JPL scientists say that microbial mats built 3.4-billion-year-old stromatolites
Stromatolites are dome- or column-like sedimentary rock structures that are formed in shallow water, layer by layer, over long periods of geologic time. Now, researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have provided evidence that some of the most ancient stromatolites on our planet were built with the help of communities of equally ancient microorganisms, a finding that "adds unexpected depth to our understanding of the earliest record of life on Earth," notes JPL astrobiologist Abigail Allwood, a visitor in geology at Caltech.
Ancient humans left evidence from the party that ended 4,000 years ago
The party was over more than 4,000 years ago, but the remnants still remain in the gourds and squashes that served as dishware. For the first time, University of Missouri researchers have studied the residues from gourds and squash artifacts that date back to 2200 B.C. and recovered starch grains from manioc, potato, chili pepper, arrowroot and algarrobo. The starches provide clues about the foods consumed at feasts and document the earliest evidence of the consumption of algarrobo and arrowroot in Peru.
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| Quotes | Ive always wanted to be a scientist. That way, I could get a bunch of grants and do research into whether money can really buy happiness. Kyannke.
Ive always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific. Lily Tomlin |
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