Thousands of fossilized bones from a Cretaceous-period bonebed in Wyoming, the United States, offer rare physical evidence that Tyrannosaurus rex fed on the carcasses of a duck-billed dinosaur species called Edmontosaurus annectens.
The post Tyrannosaurus rex Scavenged Duck-Billed Dinosaurs in Ancient Wyoming, Bite Marks Reveal appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
It dripped from a tree in China about 385 million years ago
The post This Is the Oldest Amber Ever Found appeared first on Nautilus.
The story of Earth’s first animals may need rewriting after ancient fossils revealed an earlier start to complex life. From butterflies to blue whales, corals, and worms, Earth is home to an incredible diversity of animals. How all of these animals evolved from earlier, simpler ancestors is one of the most exciting stories in the [...]
A deep ocean whale graveyard is revealing new clues about whale evolution and the ecosystems that form around their remains. When a whale dies, its body can become the beginning of an entire deep ocean ecosystem. For a time, the carcass may drift at the surface, drawing sharks and other predators. Eventually, after weathering and [...]
A new genus and species of lambeosaurine hadrosaurid dinosaur has been identified in southern Alberta, Canada, dating back 77 million years to the Campanian age of the Cretaceous period.
The post New Crested Dinosaur Species Identified in Canada appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
The record sale of a T. rex skeleton begs the question
The post Do Fossils Belong in Mansions or Museums? appeared first on Nautilus.
© Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket, via Getty Images
Today’s T. rex auction could be cause for concern
The post How Dinosaur Skeletons Became So Expensive appeared first on Nautilus.
And it has a living relative
The post This Prehistoric Giant Salamander Grew to Almost 4 Feet Long appeared first on Nautilus.
Paleontologists in Uruguay have identified a new species of aeolosaurine titanosaur from a pair of remarkably well-preserved tailbones unearthed in the 1980s near the Uruguay River.
The post Paleontologists Discover New Species of Titanosaur in Uruguay appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
Today, lepidosaurs -- the reptile group that includes lizards, snakes and New Zealand’s tuatara -- are among the most diverse vertebrates on Earth, but their earliest evolutionary history remains poorly understood.
The post Tiny Triassic Reptile Sheds Light on Early Lizard Evolution appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
Spriggina floundersi, a marine species that lived during the Ediacaran period 550 million years ago, is one of Earth’s earliest bilaterally symmetrical animals.
The post Ediacaran Sea Creature May Hold Earliest Evidence of Right-Handedness appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
Paleontologists working in northeastern Thailand have identified a new species of mamenchisaurid sauropod dinosaur, offering fresh evidence that a group of giant sauropods once thought to be almost exclusively East Asian also roamed mainland Southeast Asia.
The post New Species of Long-Necked Dinosaur Identified in Thailand appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
A team of researchers examined 23 teeth from at least 20 individuals from South Africa‘s Rising Star Cave system and found no evidence of the male-specific Amelogenin-Y protein.
A recent study, published in Cell, marks the first ancient protein analysis of Homo naledi and raises the possibility that the Dinaledi Chamber may contain predominantly, or possibly exclusively, female individuals. If confirmed, Homo naledi would become the first known non-human species to practice sex-specific burial.
Since its discovery in 2013, Homo naledi has puzzled paleoanthropologists. This extinct human relative lived between 335,000 and 241,000 years ago and combined ape-like anatomy with distinct human features. So far, Homo naledi remains have only been found in the Rising Star Cave system in South Africa.
For over a decade, scientists noted that the adult fossils from the Dinaledi Chamber were nearly identical, lacking the skeletal variation usually seen between males and females. The reason for this similarity remained unclear.
To investigate further, a team from the University of York, the University of Copenhagen, and additional institutions analyzed the remains at the molecular level. They used a minimally destructive acid-etching method to extract protein fragments, or peptides, from the enamel of the 23 teeth.
“Unlike those found in other remains like bone fragments, proteins in tooth enamel are preserved because dental enamel—the hardest tissue in the human body—shields proteins from environmental contamination even for millions of years. This makes them ideal carriers of genetic information from deep time. Our study helps explain the long-standing mystery of why Homo naledi lacked significant variation; it’s probably because they could have all belonged to one sex,” said Palesa Madupe, who conducted the research during her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Copenhagen.
The researchers specifically searched for Amelogenin-Y, a protein produced only by the male Y chromosome, but detected none of it in the sampled teeth. To make sure the results were not due to modern contamination, a specialized chemistry team at the University of York independently confirmed that the amino acids were genuinely ancient. The findings remained consistent.
“The lack of male markers within the group is truly fascinating. It is incredibly exciting to gain a window not only into the biology of our ancestors, but also into how they lived. These findings offer rare insights into a culture that has, until now, been difficult to access directly. Advances in ancient protein analysis are opening the door to a far richer and more nuanced understanding of ancient hominins,” said Dr. Marc Dickinson from the university’s Department of Chemistry.
The findings allow for two possible explanations. One is cultural: if the chamber were reserved for females, it could indicate that Homo naledi practiced sex-specific, symbolic mortuary behavior, a trait previously thought to be unique to modern humans.
The second explanation is biological. The researchers note that a small, isolated Homo naledi population could have lost or mutated the Amelogenin-Y gene, leaving males without the protein marker typically used to identify male remains.
Either explanation could reshape what scientists know about Homo naledi. If researchers confirm the site as an all-female burial chamber, it would suggest that symbolic behavior emerged earlier in the human lineage than previously believed. On the other hand, a genetic change across the population would show how isolation can shape a species’ biology in ways that fossils alone cannot reveal. This study shows how ancient protein analysis from teeth can open new windows into human evolution.
Austin Burgess is a writer and researcher with a background in sales, marketing, and data analytics. He holds an MBA, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and a data analytics certification. His work focuses on breaking scientific developments, with an emphasis on emerging biology, cognitive neuroscience, and archaeological discoveries.
A new genus and species of four-winged pennaraptoran dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of northern China is adding another twist to the story of how birds evolved from their dinosaur ancestors.
The post New Feathered Dinosaur from China Had Peacock-Like Tail appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
A 113-million-year-old pterosaur fossil from northeastern Brazil has yielded rare evidence of soft tissues, organic molecules and chemical traces of a diet heavy in fish and cephalopods such as squid or nautilus relatives.
The post 113-Million-Year-Old Pterosaur Fossil Reveals What Flying Reptiles Ate appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
Paleontologists from the Field Museum of Natural History have described the fossilized remains of baby embolomeres, crocodile-like predators that prowled ancient rivers and swamps between 350 and 280 million years ago.
The post Earth’s First Land Animals May Never Have Been Amphibian-Like After All appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
Login