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‘Top apex’ predator evolved in aftermath of dinosaur extinction In a nutshell * Scientists have discovered a remarkably complete skull of a new prehistoric carnivore species in Egypt’s Fayum Depression, named Bastetodon syrtos, which lived about 30 million years ago and was roughly the size of a modern leopard * The discovery has led researchers to correct a century-old misclassification of ancient African predators, showing they evolved separately from their European relatives rather than being part of the same group * The fossil comes from a crucial time period when Earth’s climate was changing from warm to cool, helping scientists...

Close up of the hip bone of an Edmontosaurus. Credit: University of Liverpool Liverpool researchers’ discovery of collagen in fossilized bones could provide new insights into dinosaurs. For years, scientists widely believed that the fossilization process destroyed all original organic molecules, leaving fossils devoid of their original biological material. However, a groundbreaking study led by the University of Liverpool has provided strong evidence that Mesozoic fossils, including dinosaur bones and teeth, still contain preserved organic materials. Using advanced mass spectrometry and other analytical techniques, researchers detected remnants of collagen in the hip bone of an Edmontosaurus, a duck-billed dinosaur. This...

The Destruction of the Traditional Latin Mass and its Ultimate CauseThe exclusion of the Church’s Traditional Latin Mass and the tyrannical imposition of Pope Paul VI’s Liturgy are events whose deep causes must be sought among the very premises that gave rise to the modern world. The “mutation” from a world woven with symbols and theophanies to a universe governed by the uniform laws of mechanics and devoid of the transcendent horizon of the unseen realm, reflects the profound crisis of Christian faith that gave birth to that synthesis of heresies which Saint Pope Pius X called “modernism.”In the context...

A bizarre new genus and species of ornithomimid dinosaur has been identified from the fossilized remains found in 2014 in Coahuila, Mexico. Life reconstruction of Mexidracon longimanus. Image credit: Ddinodan / CC BY 4.0. The newly-identified dinosaur species roamed Earth during the Late Cretaceous epoch, some 73 million years ago. Named Mexidracon longimanus, the ancient creature was around 3 m (10 feet) in length. It belongs to Ornithomimidae, a family of theropod dinosaur that evolved a toothless beak and were likely omnivorous or herbivorous, superficially resembling living ostriches. “Ornithomimosaurs are a clade of ostrich-like theropod dinosaurs characterized by relatively small...

LONDON — The mystery of dinosaur origins has taken an unexpected turn toward the equator. While paleontologists have long searched southern regions for clues about where these magnificent creatures first evolved, new research suggests we may have been looking in the wrong latitude altogether. A new study indicates that the first dinosaurs may have emerged in Earth’s ancient tropics, forcing scientists to reconsider long-held theories about their origins. For years, paleontologists believed dinosaurs originated in what is now southern South America and southern Africa, since the oldest unequivocal dinosaur fossils come from late Carnian rock formations (around 230 million years...

researchers have uncovered a series of massive dinosaur trackways dating back to the Middle Jurassic Period, approximately 166 million years ago. Dubbed a 'dinosaur highway,' the site features footprints from both herbivorous dinosaurs, likely Cetiosaurus and the fearsome carnivore Megalosaurus. The discovery was made at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, England, and includes over 200 footprints spread across five extensive trackways, the longest of which stretches more than 150 meters. ... a skeleton is a record of the animal once it's died. Footprints are quite different in that they are snapshots into the life of an animal .... The overlapping...

Amber is a remarkable substance that can give scientists a unique window into our planet's prehistory. From a dinosaur’s fluffy tail to a 20 million-year-old flea preserved with plague bacteria, let's take a look at 5 Prehistoric Creatures Found Trapped in Amber.5 Strange Prehistoric Creatures Found Trapped In Amber | 20:03Ben G Thomas | 689K subscribers | 769,762 views | December 22, 2024

Because Labocania is based on fragmentary material, its affinities were uncertain. Molnar noted certain similarities between Labocania and tyrannosaurids, especially in the form of the ischium which features a low triangular obturator process and a circular lateral scar on the upper end, but he did not assign Labocania to any family, placing it as "Theropoda incertae sedis". Molnar especially compared Labocania with Indosaurus and "Chilantaisaurus" maortuensis, later made the separate genus Shaochilong. Labocania was considered as a possible tyrannosauroid in the 2004 review of the group by Thomas R. Holtz, Jr., who, however, pointed out that the similarities with the...

The crater lies deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean and was formed around 66 million years ago – making it a contemporary of Chicxulub. It is thought that the asteroid hit Earth at around 72,000 kilometers (44,700 miles) per hour. Image credit: muratart/Shutterstock.com Some 66 million years ago, a massive asteroid slammed into Earth. The Chicxulub impactor, as it is called, famously wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs and left a huge crater at the edge of the Yucatán peninsula – but it may not have acted alone. New research has revealed that a second, smaller space rock smashed into our planet...

A 14-inch-long theropod track encrusted with marine life. Credit: Anthony Martin New theropod and ornithopod dinosaur tracks from the Early Cretaceous period in Australia’s Wonthaggi Formation illustrate a rich polar dinosaur ecosystem, highlighting the adaptability and diversity of these ancient creatures. A recent discovery of dinosaur tracks on Australia’s southern coast, dating back to the Early Cretaceous when Australia was still connected to Antarctica, suggests that large theropod dinosaurs thrived in this polar environment, prowling the river floodplains when the ice thawed during the summers. In a study published in the journal Alcheringa, researchers analyzed the tracks made in the...

A group of scientists, led by paleontologist Louis L. Jacobs, an Emeritus Professor President of the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man at the Southern Methodist University Campus in Dallas, Texas, have made a significant discovery. The scientists found matching dinosaur footprints on two separate continents, South America and Africa. In Brazil and Cameroon, over 260 footprints were uncovered. These footprints show where dinosaurs once roamed freely on the two continents millions of years ago before South America and Africa drifted apart. Jacobs explained that the footprints were not only similar in age but also in their geological...

In a new study published Thursday in the journal Science, researchers pieced together the chemical identity of the asteroid that fueled the planet’s fifth mass extinction event. Sixty-six million years ago, the story of life on Earth took a dramatic turn when an asteroid collided with what’s now the Yucatán Peninsula in Chicxulub, Mexico. The aftereffects of the collision resulted in the extinction of an estimated 75% of animal species, including most dinosaurs except for birds. But practically nothing of the asteroid itself remains. In a new study published Thursday in the journal Science, researchers pieced together the chemical identity...

With 60 razor-sharp teeth and jaws so powerful they could crush a car, the King of the Dinosaurs would already have been a terrifying sight.But if that wasn't enough, the T. Rex may have been 70 per cent heavier than previously thought – weighing up to 15 tonnes – according to a study...The palaeontologists found that the largest known T. Rex fossils probably fall in the 99th percentile – representing the top 1 per cent of body size – but finding one would require excavating fossils for another 1,000 years...Meanwhile, a separate study suggests that the T. Rex may also...

In 2011, archaeologists uncovered one of the most — if not the most — pristine dinosaur fossils yet: a near-whole ankylosaur, complete with its jagged spikes, most of its limbs, armor coating, and some of its guts and stomach contents. The most amazing detail, though? Its uncannily preserved face and skin.It took Mark Mitchell, a technician at Royal Tyrell Museum, an absurd 7,000 hours and nearly six years to meticulously exhume the fossil by delicately chipping away at the surrounding stone. For his efforts, he had the newly discovered specie of nodosaur — a type of ankylosaur — named after...

...Bone fragments in a piece of fossilized excrement at a new museum in northern Arizona — aptly called the Poozeum — are among the tinier bits of evidence that indicate T. rex wasn't much of a chewer, but rather swallowed whole chunks of prey.The sample is one of more than 7,000 on display at the museum that opened in May in Williams, a town known for its Wild West shows along Route 66, wildlife attractions and a railway to Grand Canyon National Park...Inside, display cases filled with coprolites — fossilized feces from animals that lived millions of years ago —...

Lokiceratops rangiformis made its home in parts of what's now northern Montana and is thought to have the largest frill horns ever seen among its kind to date. A reconstruction of Lokiceratops surprised by a crocodilian in the 78-million-year-old swamps of northern Montana, USA. Illustration: Andrey Atuchin/Museum of Evolution in Maribo, Denmark. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scientists have discovered a new, very cool-looking dinosaur. The intricately horned beast is a relative of the famous Triceratops and has been named Lokiceratops rangiformis. It’s thought to have roamed around the western half of North America over 78 million years ago, back when the continent was...

A large fossil discovery has significantly advanced our understanding of dinosaur history in Wales, a region previously believed to be devoid of these prehistoric giants...The research team, led by former Bristol MSc student in Palaeobiology, Owain Evans, uncovered that early Welsh dinosaurs lived over 200 million years ago on a tropical lowland adjacent to the sea. Dinosaur trackways found in Barry and other nearby sites indicate that these prehistoric creatures roamed the warm lowlands.The discovery site, Lavernock Point, is located near Cardiff and Penarth. This area, characterized by cliffs of dark-colored shales and limestones, documents ancient shallow seas. At various...

June 10 (UPI) -- Three young boys out for a hike in North Dakota noticed something sticking out from the ground and were shocked to find out they had discovered a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil. Jessin and Liam Fisher, ages 10 and 7, were out hiking onNorth Dakota Bureau of Land Management land in the badlands, near Marmarth, with their cousin, Kaiden Madsen, 9, and their dad, Sam Fisher, when the family spotted an unusual object sticking out of the ground. They contacted Tyler Lyson, Sam Fisher's high school classmate and now the Curator of Paleontology for the Denver Museum of...

The studied Psittacosaurus under natural (upper half) and UV light (lower half). (Zixiao Yang, Author provided) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Strong but light, beautiful and precisely structured, feathers are the most complex skin appendage that ever evolved in vertebrates. Despite the fact humans have been playing with feathers since prehistory, there's still a lot we don't understand about them. Our new study found that some of the first animals with feathers also had scaly skin like reptiles. Following the debut of the first feathered dinosaur, Sinosauropteryx prima, in 1996, a surge of discoveries has painted an ever more interesting picture of feather evolution....

Welcome to the party, Koleken inakayali, we'll clap for you. La Colonia Formation continues to deliver the new dinosaur goods. Image credit: © Gabriel Díaz Yantén Behold, the tiny arms of a new species of abelisaurid dinosaur, Koleken inakayali. Retrieved from La Colonia Formation in Patagonia, it dates back 70 million years and has an impressively miniature set of arms. Think T. rex’s were mini? You ain’t seen nothing yet. The new tiny-armed species looks similar to the iconic “meat bull” Carnotaurus, made famous from Jurassic World and that love scene in Prehistoric Planet. Koleken is different, however, both in...