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Social Sciences - Paleontology - 12.09.2024
Reality of Ice Age teen puberty
Landmark new research shows Ice Age teens from 25,000 years ago went through similar puberty stages as modern-day adolescents. In a study published today in the Journal of Human Evolution of the timing of puberty in Pleistocene teens, researchers are addressing a knowledge gap about how early humans grew up.
Paleontology - Environment - 11.12.2023
What’s for dinner? Paleontologist finds out through remarkable specimen
1st-ever prey found inside fossilized juvenile tyrannosaur leads to deeper understanding about feeding habits of these iconic predators The difference between a juvenile and adult tyrannosaur is massive - both figuratively and literally. While adults weighed around 3,000 kilograms, the weight of a pick-up truck, juveniles were much leaner.
Earth Sciences - Paleontology - 24.11.2023
More than a meteorite: The new clues about the demise of dinosaurs
McGill researchers challenge current understanding of dinosaur extinction by unearthing link between volcanic eruptions and climate change What wiped out the dinosaurs? A meteorite plummeting to Earth is only part of the story, a new study suggests. Climate change triggered by massive volcanic eruptions may have ultimately set the stage for the dinosaur extinction, challenging the traditional narrative that a meteorite alone delivered the final blow to the ancient giants.
Life Sciences - Paleontology - 17.05.2023
A new understanding of human origins in Africa
Contemporary DNA evidence suggests that humans emerged from the interaction of multiple populations living across the continent There is broad agreement that Homo sapiens originated in Africa. But there remain many uncertainties and competing theories about where, when, and how.
Paleontology - Environment - 12.04.2023
SFU professor unearths the ancient fossil plant history of Burnaby Mountain
New research led by SFU paleobotanist Rolf Mathewes provides clues about what plants existed in the Burnaby Mountain area 40 million years ago during the late Eocene, when the climate was much warmer than it is today. The results of their plant fossil analysis were recently published in the International Journal of Plant Sciences.
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.