Tag: isotope analysis
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Life in fossil bones: what we can learn from tiny traces of ancient blood chemicals
Introduction: tiny traces, big revelations Fossil bones are more than long-dead skeletons. Within them lie faint chemical fingerprints—tiny traces of ancient blood components that survive for millions of years. By studying these remnants, scientists can infer physiology, diet, and even health patterns of creatures that no longer roam the planet. This field blends chemistry, biology,…
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New Findings Reveal Varied Diet of Sima de los Huesos Hominins
Unveiling a Diverse Diet at Sima de los Huesos A recent study led by researchers from the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) sheds new light on the dietary habits of the hominin populations at Sima de los Huesos, a key site in the Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos. Published in the Journal…
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The Secrets Hidden in a Woolly Rhinoceros Meal From Siberian Ice
Unveiling an Ice-Age Mystery Archaeologists and paleontologists often rely on bones and teeth to map the diets of ancient animals, but occasionally biology preserves a more intimate snapshot of life in the distant past. A remarkable discovery from the Siberian permafrost reveals exactly that—an ancient meal that survived the cold, offering rare insights into the…
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From Mammoths to Monkeys: How Two Alaska Bones Turned Out to Be Ancient Whales
Discovery That Challenged a Long-Standing Belief In a quiet Alaska museum, two seemingly inconspicuous bone fragments spent decades tucked away in a dusty drawer. Labeled as mammoth remains and catalogued with routine care, they attracted little attention beyond routine preservation. It wasn’t until modern techniques and a fresh wave of curiosity that researchers re-examined these…
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Polar Medal Awarded to Southampton Mass Extinction Expert
Award for a lifetime of Arctic discovery The Polar Medal has recognized a long and influential career in Arctic science, awarding the honor to Prof John Marshall from the University of Southampton. Recognized for decades of fieldwork and careful analysis, the accolade highlights the crucial role his research has played in explaining why life on…
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Lunar Mystery Solved: Earth’s Atmosphere Leaks to the Moon Across Billions of Years
Introduction A surprising revelation is reshaping how we think about the relationship between Earth and its closest celestial neighbor. New research suggests that Earth’s atmosphere may have been leaking into space and traveling all the way to the Moon for billions of years. This finding offers a potential explanation for several lunar mysteries that have…
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Proto Earth Revealed: First Evidence of a 4.5-Billion-Year-Old Building Block
A Glimpse into Earth’s Distant Origins Scientists at MIT and collaborating institutions have uncovered what may be the first direct evidence of proto Earth—the primordial material that predated the giant impact that transformed our planet. Reported in Nature Geosciences, these findings hinge on a subtle imbalance in potassium isotopes detected in some of the oldest…