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Environment - Paleontology - 06.03.2023

’Giant’ ant fossil raises questions about ancient Arctic migrations
Simon Fraser scientists say their research on the latest fossil find near Princeton, B.C. is raising questions about how the dispersal of animals and plants occurred across the Northern Hemisphere some 50 million years ago, including whether brief intervals of global warming were at play.

Paleontology - 09.02.2023

Fossil discovery reveals complex ecosystems existed on Earth much earlier than previously thought
About 250 million years ago, the Permian-Triassic mass extinction killed over 80 per cent of the planet's species. In the aftermath, scientists believe that life on earth was dominated by simple species for up to 10 million years before more complex ecosystems could evolve. Now this longstanding theory is being challenged by a team of international researchers - including scientists from McGill University and Université du Québec à Montréal.

Paleontology - 22.09.2022

Fossil algae, dating from 541 million years ago, offer new insights into the plant kingdom’s roots
Paleontologists have identified a new genus and species of algae called  Protocodium sinense  that predates the origin of land plants and modern animals and provides new insight into the early diversification of the plant kingdom. Discovered at a site in China, the 541-million-year-old fossil is the first and oldest green alga from this era to be preserved in three dimensions, enabling the researchers to investigate its internal structure and identify the new specimen with unprecedented accuracy.

Life Sciences - Paleontology - 06.01.2022

Correcting the fossil record: Researchers say four-legged ’snake’ is different ancient animal
It all started with a grand claim: scientists had discovered the first known four-legged snake fossil from Brazil. The specimen, named  Tetrapodophis amplectus , was small - about the size of a pencil - with tiny limbs. It was considered a significant discovery that offered paleontologists a major clue into the transition from limbed lizards to limbless snakes.

Life Sciences - Paleontology - 13.09.2021

Cavities in 54-million-year-old fossils
Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered what are believed to be the oldest known cavities found in a mammal - the likely result of a diet that included eating fruit. The cavities were discovered in fossils of Microsyops latidens, a pointy-snouted animal - no bigger than a racoon - that was part of a group of mammals known as stem primates.