fossils Archives

Skull of the Olinguito: Shelf Life Episode 4

April 15, 2015April 15, 2015 Science Connectedbiology, evolution, fossils, mammals, nature, shelf life, species

The Skull of the Olinguito This video, fourth in the Shelf Life series, reveals how scientists in the field found the skull of a new species and identified it as the elusive olinguito. Thousands of new animal species are discovered every year, some living and some extinct. Researchers regularly make expeditions to the far-flung corners of the globe in search of new species, ranging from the single-celled organisms found in pools of volcanic sulfur (or even in your own stomach), to deep-sea organisms and larger animals like monkeys and birds.…

Human evolution: The fossil mandible near where it was found (Brian Villmoare)

Archaeology Biology Paleontology

Fossil Sheds Light on Early Human Evolution

March 5, 2015October 4, 2023 Science Connectedanthropology, biology, earth science, evolution, fossils, human evolution, paleontology

The discovery of a fossilized lower jaw bone in Ethiopia has pushed back evidence of the human genus — Homo — to 2.8 million years ago. The find predates all previously unearthed fossils of the Homo lineage by approximately 400,000 years. For decades, scientists have been searching in Africa for fossils documenting the earliest phases of the Homo lineage. However, specimens recovered from between 3 and 2.5 million years ago have been frustratingly few and often in poor condition. As a result, there has been little agreement on when the…

Paleo reconstructions of three Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous snakes. Top left: Portugalophis lignites from Portugal; top right: Diablophis gilmorei from Colorado; bottom center: Parviraptor estesi from England (Artist’s reconstruction by Julius Csotonyi)

Paleontology

Meet these 167 Million Year Old Snakes

January 28, 2015May 3, 2021 Science Connectedfossils, snakes

Snakes are much older than previously thought. Paleontologists have found the oldest snake fossils yet. 167 million years ago, snakes had legs.

EH Science: Ankylosaurus_skull, By William Diller Matthew (1871-1930)

Paleontology

Armored Dinosaurs, Elaborate Nasal Passages

November 9, 2014September 4, 2017 Science Connecteddinosaurs, fossils, paleontology

Since paleontologists began using CT scans and 3D reconstructions of dinosaur remains, they have been able to tell us much more about dinosaurs than ever before. Now a new study shows that armor-plated dinosaurs (ankylosaurs) had the capacity to modify the temperature of the air they breathed using nasal passages shaped like “crazy straws.” We know that animals use strategies such as sweating, panting, and swimming to prevent their brains from overheating. However, the ankylosaur appears to have relied upon its long and winding nasal cavity to cool down, using…