Tough questions that demand abstract thinking usher in new challenges for students (and parents) Nov 18, 2009
Scientists have found fossils of palm trees in Wyoming. What can scientists infer from this fossil record. (Herald Online, SC -- Lifestyles)
Goat Lived Like a Reptile -- A First Nov 17, 2009
Fossils of the ancient goat, called Myotragus, were first found on Majorca in the early 1900s. The bones show the species lived on the island for more than five million years. (National Geographic)
Future of evolution: What will we become? Nov 17, 2009
The past of human evolution is more and more coming to light as scientists uncover a trove of fossils and genetic knowledge. But where might the future of human evolution go. (MSNBC -- Environment)
‘Dying interest’ Nov 16, 2009
The two say they search for a variety of rocks and fossils, including agate, horn coral, garnet and geodes ... Wolcott said he gathers rocks occasionally, although this year he mainly picked up fossils. (Logan Herald Journal, UT)
The real fossil hunters Nov 16, 2009
While the ageing Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, proves fossils are still very much in demand, many real-life archaeologists in Victoria are undergoing a popularity surge of their own. The tightening of state legislation in 2007, affecting developers or government agencies working on land deemed culturally significant, has seen the amount of work skyrocket, providing a huge workload for those such as Melbourne archaeologist Dr Vincent Clark. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Ancient Penguin DNA Raises Dating Doubts Nov 15, 2009
The findings, researchers say, are primarily a challenge to the techniques used to determine the age of a sample by genetic analysis alone, rather than by other observations about fossils ... For years, researchers have been using their understanding of the rates of genetic mutations in cells to help date ancient biological samples, and in what's called "phylogenetic comparison," used that information along with fossil evidence to determine the dates of fossils and the history of evolution ...... (Science Daily)
Canada: Alberta's Hidden Valleys Offer Both Resources and Danger Nov 15, 2009
2, 2008) Newly found fossils revealed a herd of dinosaurs that perished in a catastrophic event 72. 5 million years ago. (Science Daily)
Africa's Rarest Monkey Had an Intriguing Sexual Past, DNA Study Confirms Nov 15, 2009
19, 2008) Australian and New Zealand researchers have used ancient DNA from penguin fossils to make a startling discovery that may change the way we view species. . (Science Daily)
London Museum Asks Public What to Pitch Nov 14, 2009
Or the slides of microscopic fossils, which don't seem to take up much space until you consider there's a quarter million of them in storage. Last month, the university put these items and many more together as part of an exhibition called Disposal. (Time.com)
3 dinosaurs now thought to be single species Nov 14, 2009
Scientists who study the fossils of the Cretaceous dinosaurs that ruled the Earth 65 million years ago are essentially revealing one great period in the evolution of animal life - an evolution that led to the only remaining dinosaur descendants, the spectacularly varied birds of today's land and sea. So the dinosaur names and their classification are important for science, and keeping them straight is what scientists like Goodwin and Horner do. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
8surprising fossil finds Nov 14, 2009
Fossils reveal stories of life long past, and sometimes a story is unexpected. Most popular. (MSNBC -- Technology)
The bug that may have killed a dinosaur Nov 14, 2009
paleontologist A scientist who studies the forms of life that existed in prehistoric or geologic times, as represented by the fossils of plants, animals and other organisms. infection When a disease-causing microorganism invades and multiplies in a body part or tissue, possibly causing more tissue injury and serious disease. (Science News for Kids)
Madeira for Winter Sunshine Nov 13, 2009
Another garden worthy of a visit is The Monte Palace Tropical Garden in Quinta Monte Palace which has over 100,000 species and 60 of the 72 known species of the living fossils cycads. The copyright of the article Madeira for Winter Sunshine in is owned by. (Suite101.com)
New Dinosaur Found Nov 13, 2009
These fossils could prove to be a missing evolutionary link in our knowledge of dinosaurs. Aardonyx celestae was a small-headed herbivore with a huge barrel chest that roamed the Earth about 200 million years ago. (National Geographic)
Click to watch: Scientist's Dino Findings Making Waves Nov 13, 2009
Ancient fossils no longer have organic material, so there should have been nothing left ... His teams at digs are wearing gloves now to prevent potential contamination of any DNA that might still exist in the fossils. (CBS News -- 60 minutes)
Life After Death: The Message of Evolution Nov 12, 2009
Two of them are Christian De Duve, who won the Nobel prize for his study of cells, and Simon Conway Morris, who is a leading expert on the fossils of the Burgess Shale. Duve and Morris argue that all the talk about randomness and contingency is overstated. (Townhall.com)
'Earth Claw': New Species Of Veggy Dinosaur Nov 12, 2009
"We knew that there was likely to be some fossils in these 'bone beds' discovered by James Kitching about 20 years ago, but we did not expect to find anything of this magnitude," says Yates ... 22, 2006) Fossils of a giant Sauropod, found in Teruel Spain, reveal that Europe was home to giant dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic period -- about 150 million years ago ... 11, 2005) Scientists at Ohio State University and the Argentine Museum of Natural History have identified a new species of raptor... (Science Daily)
Editors notes: So, where do we go from here? Nov 12, 2009
The thrust of the anti-evolution argument, as I understand it, is that geological formation has actually occurred much faster than most geologists have found, with the resulting conclusion that fossils contained therein are fairly recent 10,000 years old, not 10 million. And much of evolutionary theory is based on the timeframe of geological evidence. (Kingston Mariner, MA)
Chimps don't talk: Now experts may know why Nov 12, 2009
Scientists have pieced together a tale of human origins from the fossils of our ancestors. The tale is incomplete and its telling reshaped with fresh interpretation of the growing fossil record. (MSNBC -- Environment)
Scientists: New dinosaur species found in SAfrica Nov 12, 2009
The fossils, displayed on the table, were found in the town of Senekal, near Bethlehem in the Northern Free State, in South Africa. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell). (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
New dinosaur species may fill evolutionary gap Nov 12, 2009
Fossils help scientists peel back the layers of time to reveal stories of life from eras long past. Yates says the Aardonyx celestae has many characteristic of the plant-eating herbivores that walked on two legs as well as their descendants. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Scientists discover new dinosaur species in South Africa Nov 12, 2009
The fossils, displayed on the table, were found in the town of Senekal in the Northern Free State in South Africa. In the background is a rendering of the creature. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Infotainment Nov 12, 2009
Dubbed Aardonyx Celestae, a combination of Afrikaans and Greek that means Earth Claw, fossils of the seven-metre (23-feet). A woman driving a pick-up truck crashed into a 1,500-gallon aquarium at a US airport. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Warm-blooded Dinosaurs Worked Up A Sweat Nov 11, 2009
(July 11, 2006) A model based on growth trajectories estimated from fossils provides evidence that dinosaurs were reptiles whose body temperatures increased systematically with increasing body size, according to a. (July 12, 2006) If you think dinosaurs are hot today, just think back to about 110 million years ago when they really ran hot and. (Science Daily)
Diversity of bone-eating worms Nov 11, 2009
To help resolve uncertainties about the evolutionary age of Osedax, we suggest that the fossilized bones from Cretaceous marine reptiles and late Oligocene cetaceans be examined for possible trace fossils left by Osedax roots. Regardless of the outcome, the present molecular evidence for strong phylogenetic concordance across five separate genes suggests that the undescribed Osedax lineages comprise evolutionarily significant units that have been separate from one another for many millions of... (BioMed Central)
New fossil plant discovery links Patagonia to New Guinea in a warmer past Nov 11, 2009
Not only do fossils tell us which species were present before human-recorded history, but they can provide information about the climate and how and when lineages may have dispersed around the world ... Indeed, less complete Papuacedrus fossils have previously been found in Australia and Antarctica ... "This is a wonderful example of how securely identifying well-preserved and well-dated fossils can have many impacts," Wilf noted. (EurekAlert!)
Human origins: Our crazy family tree Nov 10, 2009
Fossils show evolution took human relatives in strange directions ... But fossils reveal evolution could take our relatives in bizarre directions, involving skulls resembling nutcrackers and miniature bodies resembling the hobbits of "Lord of The Rings." ... "These fossils tell us that was a long process of experimentation, not the outcome of a long process of fine-tuning leading just to us," said paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. (MSNBC -- Technology)
God, why didn't you say that before Joe? Nov 10, 2009
For most people, educated or not, that date is no longer acceptable: the existence of fossils is enough to reject it ... Michael Epis correctly says that fossils prove that this cannot be so ... The mechanism for the creation of fossils were first explained by Nicolas Steno (who lived in the 17th Century), before he joined the priesthood and became a Bishop. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Dinosaurs roar again on outback tourist trail Nov 9, 2009
Central Queensland is a mecca of Australian dinosaur fossils ... Visitors will be able to see the digs in action, help prepare fossils for preservation and view full-size replicas of Australia's own dinosaurs ... Rather than ship the dinosaur bones off to a museum in the city, a field museum will be established at Plevna Downs to prepare, preserve and store the fossils where they were discovered. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Discovery Of Oldest European Marsupial Nov 9, 2009
No fossils are known between 125 and 84 million years (my), and very few up to the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (65 my) ... Arcantiodelphys marchandi improves our knowledge of the earliest stages of the marsupial history, so far known mostly from North American fossils. (Science Daily)
Seafloor Fossils Give Clues To Climate Change Nov 8, 2009
Seafloor Fossils Provide Clues To Climate Change ... Seafloor Fossils Provide Clues To Climate Change ... Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Miriam Katz has spent the past two decades studying these ancient, deep-sea fossils to reconstruct the climates of Earth up to 250 million years ago. (Science Daily)
Did Neanderthals have sex with modern man? Nov 8, 2009
Past research had shown that Neanderthal genomes and ours were , based on DNA extracted from three Croatian fossils. At an October conference in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, Pbo a geneticist of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany said the two species had sex, but it remained an open question as to whether children resulted and left a legacy in our genomes. (MSNBC -- Environment)
'Duck-billed' Dinosaurs: Last European Hadrosaurs Lived In Iberian Peninsula Nov 7, 2009
Most notable among these fossils is the discovery of a new hadrosaur, the Arenysaurus ardevoli, found in Huesca, Spain ... In addition to the fossils found in the Iberian Peninsula, hadrosaur fossils have been found in the Netherlands, which date back to Late Cretaceous, "although the material is more fragmented than those found in Huesca and Lleida," adds Pereda-Suberbiola ... These archeological sites stand out for containing fossils pertaining to several species of duck-billed dinosaurs. (Science Daily)
T. rex 'would outrun footballer' Nov 7, 2009
The work used data taken directly from dinosaur fossils, rather than referring to previous work on modern animals ... "We're now doing some work on Hadrosaurus which is assumed to be one of the things that T. rex would prey upon because there have been fossils found with bite marks on their backs. "What we find is that we're getting really quite high speeds for these animals as well, which makes perfect sense. (Yahoo News -- Dinosaur & Fossil Discoveries)
The message of evolution Nov 6, 2009
Two of them are Christian de Duve, who won the 1974 Nobel Prize for his study of cells, and Simon Conway Morris, who is a leading expert on the fossils of the Burgess Shale. De Duve and Morris insist that evolution is not purely random but rather follows predictable pathways. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Male Sabertoothed Cats Were Pussycats Nov 6, 2009
When it comes to fossils, sorting males from females can be tricky ... For species that keep growing into adulthood, simply separating the fossils into two groups by size may not do the trick, either. (Science Daily)
Paradise on the Persian Gulf Nov 6, 2009
The Musandam peninsula is an of Oman; the UAE separates it from mainland, much the way Canada sets Alaska apart from the continental U.S. Its red-rock Hajjar mountains seem to melt into the ocean -- an avid geologist can find fossils of marine life from when the jagged terrain was below sea level. The clear, blue-green waters of Musandam have some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the region, while on land lies a fascinating corner of the Middle East just emerging on the tourist map. (ABC News)
Before flowers, odd bugs pollinated plants Nov 6, 2009
These results come from an examination of fossils from 11 extinct species of scorpionflies (from three different families) that lived during the Mesozoic, which lasted from 251 million to 65 ... The included flattened fossils preserved beneath overlying sediment and one preserved in amber. (MSNBC -- Environment)
Pipeline route raises fossil questions10:00 am | (No comments posted.) Nov 6, 2009
Published: Thursday, November 5, 2009 10:00 AM CST PIERRE - State geologist Derric Iles testified Wednesday that TransCanadas proposed XL pipeline would cross sensitive areas for fossils along its path through western South Dakota, but theres no way to know if fossils actually will be encountered during construction ... James Moore, a Sioux Falls lawyer representing TransCanada, questioned Iles whether the project represents an opportunity for landowners to have fossils discovered on their... (Watertown Public Opinion, SD)
Landowners request bonds as protection along pipeline route9:19 am | (No comments posted.) Nov 5, 2009
Landowners expressed a variety of concerns such as fencing, fossils, company conduct, water protection, use of easement property, fires, erosion, native prairie, grass restoration, trees, spills, foreign ownership and taxes. Zona Vig, whose family ranches in northern Meade County, said its hard for ranchers to make time for extra meetings. (Watertown Public Opinion, SD)
English Country Cottages on the Dor... Nov 5, 2009
The South-West Coast Path runs all the way through it, and it gets its name from the many fossils found here, and the dramatic cliffs and other rock formations that date back to the Jurassic period. English Country Cottages near the Dorset Coast. (Suite101.com)
Evolution of man - Singapore joins first steps of gene study Nov 5, 2009
" onclick="Next();" src="/images/butt_next. Aside from being able to compare animal and human genomes, scientists will also be able to understand the genetic changes and adaptions that that occur in vertebrates. (Channelnewsasia.com)
Singapore scientists join international study of 10,000 vertebrates' genomes Nov 5, 2009
Genomes contain information from the past -- they are molecular fossils,' said Nobel Laureate Sydney Brenner, M.D. ... "Genomes contain information from the past they are molecular fossils and having sequences from vertebrates will be an essential source of rich information," added Dr. Brenner, who also is Scientific Advisor to the Chairman of Singapore's A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), which oversees 14 biomedical sciences, and physical sciences and engineering... (EurekAlert!)
Earth takes a deep breath and has a growth spurt Nov 5, 2009
Immediately after this Ice Age there is evidence for a huge increase in atmospheric oxygen to at least 15 per cent of modern levels, and these sediments also contain evidence of the oldest large animal fossils,'' Guy Narbonne, a palaeontologist at Queen's University in Ontario, reported in Science magazine. Fuelled by more oxygen, eukaryotes took another enormously significant stride: they started to combine into larger organisms containing multiple cells, organs and tissues. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Newfound Dinosaur Armored Like a Tank Nov 4, 2009
"For years, Bill and Kris have been collecting fossils from a critical time in Earth's history, and their hard work has paid off," said Lawrence Witmer, a paleontologist at Ohio University who was not involved with this study. "This is a really important find and gives us a clearer view of the evolution of armored dinosaurs.". (Fox News)
Ancestor of T. rex lived in... Gloucestershire Nov 4, 2009
She added: "It was quite a surprise when our analysis showed we had the oldest known relative of T. rex. "Fossils collected a century ago can now be studied again with the benefit of much greater knowledge of dinosaurs from around the world. " Originally described in 1910 as a new species of Megalosaurus, the fossil was presented to the museum in 1942. The skull had been unearthed during excavations for a reservoir close to Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire. T. rex lived during the Cretaceous... (BBC News -- UK)
New Clues To Extinct Falklands Wolf Mystery Nov 4, 2009
"Canids don't show up in the South American fossil record until 2.5 million years ago, which means these lineages must have evolved in North America. The problem is that there are no good fossils that can be assigned to the Falklands wolf lineage in North America.". Given that maned and Falklands wolves split so long ago, there should be fossils of their close relatives in South America, Slater said. (Science Daily)
Terrible Teens Of T. Rex: Young Tyrannosaurs Did Serious Battle Against Each Other Nov 3, 2009
Jane's fossils show that she sustained a serious bite that punctured through the bone of the dinosaur's left upper jaw and snout in four places, the researchers report ... "I was examining the casts of the skull bones. I saw that when the left maxilla (upper jawbone) was pieced together, it had more holes in it than the right side. And there was a pattern to the gaps in the side of the face. "The surface of the face and edges around the puncture marks were smooth, indicating that there hadn't... (Science Daily)
Speed Limit To The Pace Of Evolution? Nov 3, 2009
They are studying the process of evolution not through fossils but directly, as it is happening. Now, by modeling the steps evolution takes. (Science Daily)
Study: T. rex teens fought, disfigured each other Nov 3, 2009
Her fossils, found at Montana's Hell Creek Formation in 2001, reveal that another T. rex teenager severely bit her in the head, breaking her snout to the point of disfigurement ... For the study, Peterson and his team analyzed Jane's fossils, now housed at the. (MSNBC -- Technology)
New center at Fossil Museum opens its doors (229) Nov 2, 2009
The museums fossil pile, dubbed the Pit of the Pungo, is an unlimited source of Miocene age fossils - including the remains of ancient sharks, whales, fish, corals and shells. The museum has a wide variety of Pleistocene, Pliocene and Miocene marine fossils on display. (Washington Daily News, NC)
Mobile mining operation pans out for mom, daughters Nov 1, 2009
"Another bag guarantees 16 to 18 actual fossils from 15 million to 300 million years old, as well as up to a dozen sharks teeth. The "bonus bag" has everything, plus a specimen-sized stone.Weiss set up her portable mining operation at Flagler County's Creekside Festival in October and a steady stream of customers sifted for minerals in the running water. The sluices use 90 gallons of water that circulates over and over.Dene Hughes bought a bag and helped her grandson Tyler Fobian, 12, pick out... (Daytona Beach News Journal -- Local)
Did algae kill off the mighty dinosaurs? Oct 31, 2009
While they didnt find an increase in fossilized algae at the time of the dinosaur extinction, the authors suggest that another form of algae, one that doesnt leave fossils behind, could have contributed to that extinction. The so-called planktonic algae, which produces toxins in the soil, could have found its way into the animals diets. (India Times, India)
November 2009 Geology and GSA Today highlights Oct 31, 2009
Geobiologists use four types of evidence to recognize ancient life forms: (1) bona fide cellular fossils; (2) carbonaceous remnants of microbial cells and their extracellular matrices; (3) microbially influenced sedimentary structures; and (4) chemical fossils (i. e., organic compounds and inorganic phases). (EurekAlert!)
New Dinosaur Is 'Biological Army Tank' Oct 31, 2009
"For years, Bill and Kris have been collecting fossils from a critical time in Earth's history, and their hard work has paid off," said Lawrence Witmer, professor of paleontology at Ohio University who was not involved with this study ... (June 17, 2009) Plants or meat: that's about all that fossils ever tell paleontologists about a dinosaur's diet. (Science Daily)
* A graceful window on the colonial past of Colombia Oct 31, 2009
Abundant fossils from the surrounding area are embedded into plaster walls, and massive front doors are flanked by carvings, some echoing the occupation of the original residents. Once you leave the old city and venture into the more modern part of town, dont be surprised to see a yard full of chickens or goats next to an Internet cafe. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
New dinosaur species from Montana Oct 31, 2009
"For years, Bill and Kris have been collecting fossils from a critical time in Earth's history, and their hard work has paid off," said Lawrence Witmer, professor of paleontology at Ohio University who was not involved with this study. "This is a really important find and gives us a clearer view of the evolution of armored dinosaurs. But this is just the first; I'm sure, of what will be a series of important discoveries from this team.". (EurekAlert!)
'The Greatest Show on Earth' Oct 31, 2009
But he has plenty to remind us about the other hominids, their fossils on display in museums around the world, from Australopithecus through Homo habilis through Homo erectus to us, Homo sapiens. And he has a wonderful tale to tell of his encounter with a stubborn creationist who insisted those evolutionary intermediates were never real and exist only in illustrations while Dawkins pleads in vain for her to look - just to look - at the hominid fossils in any museum; they are facts. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
PHOTOS: ''T. Rex of the Ocean'' Found in Arctic Oct 30, 2009
Pliosaurs were the top marine predators during the (200 to 145 million years ago), but their fossils are rarely found. The Monster is portrayed here leaping after a pterosaur, but the creature's main prey was likely other large sea reptiles. (National Geographic)
The largest bat in Europe inhabited northeastern Spain more than 10,000 years ago Oct 30, 2009
The Greater Noctule fossils found in the excavation site at Abrc Roman (Barcelona) prove that this bat had a greater geographical presence more than 10,000 years ago than it does today, having declined due to the reduction in vegetation cover ... "It is an important finding because this species is not common in the fossil record. In fact, the discovery of Nyctalus lasiopterus at the Abrc Roman site (Capellades, Barcelona) is one of the few cases of fossils existing on the species in the... (EurekAlert!)
Science: Is algae key to mass extinctions? Oct 30, 2009
While they didn't find an increase in fossilized algae at the time of the dinosaur extinction, the authors suggest that another form of algae, one that doesn't leave fossils behind, could have contributed to that extinction. They suggest so-called planktonic algae, which produces toxins in the soil, could have found its way into the animals' diets. (MSNBC -- Environment)
Yosemite road work ongoing through Nov. 7 Oct 30, 2009
In addition, the park features historic structures and archeological sites, and fossils that date back more than 200 million years. While the National Park Service has made as much of the Petrified Forest National Park's scenic and cultural wonders available to the public, the integrity of the area also require a high degree of respect from visitors in return. (Fresno Bee)
Forest of fun greets eager audiences at sold-out event Oct 29, 2009
Booths also were set up by nonprofit organizations such as the Civitan Club, which provided safe trick-or-treating tips for children; South Daytona Girl Scout Troop 1384, which provided popcorn and a decorate-a-cookie craft activity; the Museum of Arts and Sciences, with a display of fossils; and the South Daytona Citizen's Alert Crime Dog Wagon, which sold hot dogs and cold drinks to visitors. NEWS. (Daytona Beach News Journal -- Local)
November events Oct 29, 2009
Dinosaur bones: Mercyhurst College's Ice Ages exhibit of fossils and casts continues, Tom Ridge Environmental Center, 301 Peninsula Drive. View collection during center's regular hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, through Nov. 20. (Erie Times-News, PA)
Novel Evolutionary Theory For The Explosion Of Life Oct 28, 2009
4, 2008) Scientists have known for some time that most major groups of complex animals appeared in the fossils record during the Cambrian Explosion, a seemingly rapid evolutionary event that occurred 542 ... 13, 2008) A unique set of fossils indicates that 525 million years ago marine animals congregated in Earth's ancient oceans, most likely for migration, according to an international team of scientists. (Science Daily)
