Tag: paleontology
May 27, 2020
World’s Oldest Bug is Fossil Millipede from Scotland
A 425-million-year-old millipede fossil from the Scottish island of Kerrera is the world’s oldest “bug” — older than any known fossil of an insect, arachnid…
Read MoreMay 13, 2020
Microscopic Feather Features Reveal Fossil Birds’ Colors and Explain Why Cassowaries Shine
Cassowaries are big flightless birds with blue heads and dinosaur-looking feet; they look like emus that time forgot, and they’re objectively terrifying. They’re also, along…
Read MoreFebruary 10, 2020
Gulf Coast Mollusks Rode Out Past Periods of Climate Change
About 55 million years ago, a rapidly warming climate decimated marine communities around the world. But according to new research, it was a different story…
Read MoreNovember 5, 2019
Exceptional Fossils May Need a Breath of Air to Form
Some of the world’s most exquisite fossil beds were formed millions of years ago during time periods when the Earth’s oceans were largely without…
Read MoreJuly 1, 2019
Martindale Awarded NSF CAREER Grant for Paleontological Research and Education
The National Science Foundation has awarded a CAREER grant to Jackson School of Geosciences Assistant Professor Rowan Martindale to research how marine communities responded to…
Read MoreFebruary 14, 2019
Solitary corals more likely survive in a warmer ocean
Feb. 1 (UPI) — Corals that prefer isolation to life on a reef are more likely to survive as oceans warm and become more acidic, according…
Read MoreOctober 31, 2018
Giant Flightless Birds Were Nocturnal and Possibly Blind
If you encountered an elephant bird today, it would be hard to miss. Measuring in at over 10 feet tall, the extinct avian is the…
Read MoreJune 20, 2018
T. Rex Couldn’t Stick Out Its Tongue, New Research Shows
Dinosaurs are often depicted as fierce creatures, baring their teeth, with tongues wildly stretching from their mouths like giant, deranged lizards. But new research reveals…
Read MoreJanuary 18, 2018
New ‘Rainbow’ Dinosaur May Have Sparkled Like a Hummingbird
A new dinosaur discovered in China had feathers that may have glittered with the colors of the rainbow. Based on its stunningly preserved remains, scientists…
Read MoreSeptember 7, 2017
UT Austin Study Raises Question: Why are Fossilized Hairs so Rare?
When most people hear the word fossil, they probably think of gigantic leg bones or sharp teeth. But, given the right conditions, after an animal…
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