Tag: Fossils
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Is Complexity Just an Excuse? The Unresolved Case of the Tendaguru Dinosaur
Unraveling a Case that Still Haunts Paleontology The Tendaguru Quarry in present-day Tanzania is not just a fossil-rich site; it is a lens into the tangled web of science, empire, and memory. This article continues the examination started in Whose Dinosaur? The Colonial Legacy Keeping Tanzania’s Fossils in Berlin, tracing how real history often sits…
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Crystal-Geode Dinosaur Egg: A 70-Million-Year-Year Surprise
The Sparkling Discovery In a remarkable twist to paleontology, researchers unearthed a grapefruit-sized dinosaur egg from a fossil bed in China that confounded expectations. Instead of a preserved embryo or sediment-filled interior, the egg opened to reveal an unexpected jewel: crystals of calcite lining the inner shell, forming a natural geode within a dinosaur egg.…
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Ancient Bee Nests in Fossils Reveal Surprising Behavioral Shifts
New fossil evidence uncovers unusual bee nest behavior In a breakthrough for entomology and paleontology, researchers have identified bee nests preserved in fossils that suggest behaviors never before observed in the fossil record. This discovery challenges long-held views about how ancient bees lived, especially regarding nesting choices and social structure. Traditionally, scientists imagined bee nests…
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Ancient bee nests reveal unprecedented early-bee behavior
Groundbreaking fossil finds illuminate a surprising aspect of early bees For decades, scientists have imagined the early bees as small, simple creatures that resembled solitary relatives of today’s honeybees and carpenter bees. A striking new set of fossil discoveries challenges that view, presenting evidence of ancient bee nests built in ways that researchers had not…
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480-Million-Year-Old Fossil Rewrites Parasite Origins
New fossils push back the timeline of parasitism In a discovery that reshapes our view of early life, researchers have identified fossils from the Fezouata Shale in Morocco that reveal parasitic worms burrowing into mollusc shells about 480 million years ago. This extends the known origin of parasitism by roughly 60 million years, suggesting that…
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Ancient Parasite Origin: 480-Million-Year-Old Fossil Rewrites Early Life
A New Window into Ancient Parasites A recent fossil find from the Fezouata Shale in Morocco is reshaping our understanding of when parasitism first emerged on Earth. Scientists describe a 480-million-year-old specimen in which a group of parasitic worms appears to have burrowed into the shells of molluscs. This discovery pushes back the origin of…
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Duelling Dinosaur: Is the ‘Duelling Dinosaur’ a young T. rex or a new species?”,
What makes the ‘Duelling Dinosaur’ so intriguing A fossil nicknamed the “Duelling Dinosaur” has reignited debates among palaeontologists about the defining features of the iconic Tyrannosaurus rex. Found in a context that suggested two animals might have fought or interacted closely, the specimen’s unusual bones have invited fresh questions: does it belong to a juvenile…
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Old fish fossil rewrites the size timeline of lamniform sharks
New fossil evidence shifts the timeline of lamniform giant sharks A collaborative international study, highlighted in Communications Biology, reveals a pivotal new fossil that suggests giant lamniform sharks emerged much earlier than previously thought. The research, led by Dr. Mohamad Bazzi of Stanford University and involving Dr. Mike Newbrey of Columbus State University, centers on…
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Dinosaur Footprints Reveal UK Superhighway Trackway
Discovery at Dewars Farm Quarry In a quiet corner of the UK, a routine quarry dig turned into a landmark paleontological discovery. Scientists and quarry workers gathered as controlled explosions cleared centuries of limestone, revealing an expansive site packed with ancient footprints. The unexpected haul quickly drew experts from across Britain, turning a working quarry…
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Torontoceros hypogaeus: The Mysterious Deer Fossil Unearthed Near a TTC Station Finally Revealed
A Mystery Unearthed in Toronto’s Transit Past For nearly five decades, a peculiar fossil unearthed during the construction of Islington subway station in Toronto resisted full explanation. Now, a collaborative study from Trent University, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), and the Royal Alberta Museum has finally shed light on its origins. The discovery, labeled Torontoceros…