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Old March 31st, 2016 #61
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A fossilized snake shows its true colors



Artistic representation of the snake, classified in the Colubridae family, as it would have appeared in life.

Ten million years ago, a green and black snake lay coiled in the Spanish undergrowth. Once, paleontologists would have been limited to the knowledge they could glean from its colorless fossil remains, but now they know what the snake looked like and can guess how it acted. Researchers reporting on March 31 in Current Biology have discovered that some fossils can retain evidence of skin color from multiple pigments and structural colors, aiding research into the evolution and function of color.

http://phys.org/news/2016-03-fossili...-true.html#jCp
 
Old April 24th, 2016 #62
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Tooth of Extinct Killer Sperm Whale Found in Australia


A huge, five-million-year-old whale tooth has been discovered on an Australian beach, providing the first evidence of the now extinct killer sperm whale outside the Americas.

The 30-centimeter-long (12-inch) fossilized tooth, which is larger than that of a Tyrannosaurus rex, was found by a fossil enthusiast at Beaumaris Bay near Melbourne in February.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/wh...lia-160422.htm
 
Old April 28th, 2016 #63
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Nova Scotia home to oldest known pine tree fossils

'It's generally not a eureka moment, where you look at it and you know what it is,' paleontologist says


Nova Scotia can lay claim to the oldest known pine tree fossils, which date back to the time of the dinosaurs.

The fossils, which measure between seven and 20 millimetres and are approximately 140 million years old, were discovered in a gypsum quarry near Windsor that is operated by Fundy Gypsum.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...otia-1.3554756
 
Old May 6th, 2016 #64
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Fossils shed light on 'bizarre' reptile


A crocodile-sized creature that lived 242 million years ago was the first known vegetarian marine reptile, according to new fossil evidence.

Two specimens unearthed in China reveal details of the animal's skull and how it fed.

Named Atopodentatus, scientists say its hammer-shaped skull helped it to feed on underwater plants.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-36195167
 
Old May 14th, 2016 #65
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Dog Fossil Represents New Species of 'Bone Crusher'


A 12-million-year-old fossil unearthed in Maryland represents a new dog species with a strong bite.

In a study published in the Journal of Paleontology, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania describe Cynarctus wangi, a creature roughly the size of a modern coyote that likely would have behaved a bit like a hyena.

The canid lived during the middle Miocene and was part of an extinct family of dogs known as bone crushers, due to their strong jaws and big teeth.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/do...her-160512.htm
 
Old May 23rd, 2016 #66
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Bizarre fossil suggests marine reptiles evolved much quicker than we thought


With their streamlined bodies, beak-like snouts, and powerful tail fins, most ichthyosaur species that existed at the time resembled today's dolphins.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/201...han-we-thought
 
Old June 1st, 2016 #67
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Mystery fossils discovered dating back 360-million-years in South Africa


Roadworks near the South African town of Grahamstown have uncovered a large number of well-preserved fossils, some previously unknown to palaeontologists, the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has announced. Located on an ancient river mouth ecosystem, the site hosts an incredible variety of fossils, dating back to the Devonian era.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mystery-fos...africa-1563081
 
Old June 30th, 2016 #68
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99-Million-Year-Old Bird Wings Found Encased in Amber


Finding ancient bugs trapped in amber is a relatively common occurrence, but the recent discovery of two ancient bird wings fossilized in Burmese amber is unprecedented. These 3D fossils—which still contain feather arrangements and traces of soft tissue—are simply amazing.

http://gizmodo.com/99-million-year-o...ber-1782733782
 
Old July 19th, 2016 #69
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Marine reptile fossils 100 million years old found in outback Queensland


Scientists and international volunteers have unearthed 100-million-year-old fossilised marine reptile bones during an annual dig in north-west Queensland.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-1...ck-qld/7589792
 
Old July 21st, 2016 #70
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Penis-shaped fossils from Canadian Rockies solve century-old mystery

Weird tubes weren't algae, but huge structures built by little acorn worm


Paleontologists have finally identified two kinds of mysterious fossils misidentified for a century — and traced them both to some phallus-shaped worms that lived 505 million years ago and built themselves some very elaborate homes.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/oe...sils-1.3670700
 
Old August 2nd, 2016 #71
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White-footed Rabbit Rat fossil identified in East Gippsland cave


It was a 40 year animal mystery which followed perhaps thousands of years of silence.

The bony puzzle was solved after experienced cavers crawled for hours through a maze of fissures and tunnels, squeezing around rocks and abseiling nine metres underground in East Gippsland.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/wh...01-gqidez.html
 
Old August 11th, 2016 #72
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Tooth in poo suggests ancient shark ate its Young


Scientists have discovered a baby tooth in the fossilised faeces of a prehistoric shark, and concluded that the animals ate their own young.

This rare evidence of "filial cannibalism" was only revealed because the shark's corkscrew-shaped rectum produced dung in a distinctive spiral.

One such dropping, collected in Canada, holds a tiny tooth of the same species.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37032656
 
Old August 17th, 2016 #73
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Following dinosaur footsteps in Bolivia's fossil mecca


It's not easy following in the footsteps of the largest animals ever to roam Earth.

There are no roads or even footpaths to get to the spot in Bolivia where researchers recently discovered a huge dinosaur footprint measuring 1.15 meters (nearly four feet) wide.

http://phys.org/news/2016-08-dinosau...mecca.html#jCp
 
Old August 17th, 2016 #74
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New species of fossil dolphin found


Scientists have identified a new species of dolphin that lived 25 million years ago.

The extinct animal has been described through re-examination of a specimen that's been in a museum collection since 1951.

Researchers think it is a relative of the endangered South Asian river dolphin, offering clues to the evolutionary history of modern species.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37108207
 
Old August 23rd, 2016 #75
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How holidays can kill a marriage: Researchers find divorce is seasonal with spikes after summer and winter breaks


Beetles that lived up to 45 million years ago have been found preserved in amber - with orchid pollen still in their mouths.

The discovery shows the creepy-crawlies were once vital pollinators of Earth - just like bees and butterflies today.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...#ixzz4I9qM41oO
 
Old August 30th, 2016 #76
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Meet Allkauren koi: Argentina’s Newest Flying Reptile

170-million-year-old fossilized remains discovered in Patagonia, Argentina, have been identified as a new genus and species of pterosaur.


Pterosaurs were highly successful flying reptiles that lived between 210 million and 65 million years ago.

http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology...ina-04145.html
 
Old August 31st, 2016 #77
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Hints of oldest fossil life found in Greenland rocks


How long has Earth harbored life? Chemical signatures found in hardy microscopic crystals called zircons point to a beginning about 4.1 billion years ago. But finding fossilized remains of microbes—undoubtedly the creature of the day—is a far more difficult task. Now, scientists say they have identified fossilized microbial mats, called stromatolites, in Greenland that date to about 3.7 billion years ago—nearly 300 million years older than the previous fossil record holder. The find may help guide scientists searching for life on other planets.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/...reenland-rocks
 
Old September 6th, 2016 #78
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Skye's Storr Lochs Monster fossil unveiled in Edinburgh


The fossilised skeleton of a 170 million-year-old Jurassic predator discovered on the Isle of Skye has been unveiled in Edinburgh.

Named the Storr Lochs Monster, the fossil of the sea-living reptile was found in 1966.

Fifty years on from the find, scientists from the University of Edinburgh and National Museums Scotland are preparing a detailed study of it.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-...lands-37255431
 
Old September 7th, 2016 #79
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Palaeontologists uncover giant kangaroo at north Queensland mine site


It is not uncommon to unearth valuable objects on mine sites, but it is extremely rare to discover the bones of the world's tallest kangaroo.

Palaeontologists have potentially uncovered a new giant species of kangaroo in north Queensland.

A mine west of Mackay, in north Queensland, initially came to the attention of palaeontologists back in 2008 when traditional owners discovered an unusual bone.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-0...44?pfmredir=sm
 
Old September 9th, 2016 #80
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Amazing Fossil Find Shows Bug Inside Lizard Inside Snake


It’s the food chain as you’ve never seen it before ― unless you were around 48 million years ago.

Researchers working at Germany’s Messel Pit, a disused quarry near Frankfurt, recently discovered a fossil that shows a bug inside a lizard inside a snake.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...b06a74c9f3162f
 
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