Cretaceous octopus with ink and suckers -- the world's least likely fossils?

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Mar 17, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (8) | 0

New finds of 95 million year old fossils reveal much earlier origins of modern octopuses. These are among the rarest and unlikeliest of fossils. The chances of an octopus corpse surviving long enough to be fossilized are ...

Largest carnivorous dinosaur tooth in Spain described

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Jun 22, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (3) | 0

Researchers from the Teruel-Dinópolis Joint Palaeontology Foundation have compared an Allosauroidea tooth found in deposits in Riodeva, Teruel, with other similar samples. The palaeontologists have ...

Reptiles stood upright after mass extinction

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Sep 15, 2009 | 4 / 5 (8) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Reptiles changed their walking posture from sprawling to upright immediately after the end-Permian mass extinction, the biggest crisis in the history of life that occurred some 250 million ...

Britain's oldest dinosaur to be released

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Nov 03, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- After 210 million years of being entombed in rock, the Bristol Dinosaur is about to be released, thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant awarded to the University of Bristol.

The adherence mechanism of red algae to the rocks is discovered

Biology / Other

Aug 03, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

Geologists of the University of Granada, Spain, have described for the first time ever the biological mechanism that explains how calcareous red algae grow on rocky substrates.

Study Pits Man v Machine in Piecing Together 425-Million Years Old Jigsaw

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Nov 16, 2009 | 3.9 / 5 (8) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study pitting academic expertise against a computer in recreating a 425 million-year old jigsaw puzzle has discovered that there is no substitute for wisdom born out of experience.

Academic uncovers Holy Grail of palaeontology

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Dec 03, 2007 | 4.8 / 5 (54) | 1

Palaeontologist Dr Phil Manning, working with National Geographic Channel has uncovered the Holy Grail of palaeontology in the United States: a partially intact dino mummy.

Mummified dinosaur skin yields up new secrets

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Jul 01, 2009 | 4.7 / 5 (18) | 10

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from The University of Manchester have identified preserved organic molecules in the skin of a dinosaur that died around 66-million years ago.

Ancient sea creature rediscovered after 25 years

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Sep 26, 2006 | 4.5 / 5 (25) | 0

University of Alberta scientists have named a new species of ancient marine reptile, fondly called the Ping Pong Ichthyosaur after the spot the prehistoric creature called home for the last 25 years.

Giant bird feces records pre-human New Zealand

Biology /

Jan 12, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (11) | 10

(PhysOrg.com) -- A treasure trove of information about pre-human New Zealand has been found in faeces from giant extinct birds, buried beneath the floor of caves and rock shelters for thousands of years.

Pregnant Prehistoric Fossil Offers Clues to Past

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Sep 22, 2006 | 4.3 / 5 (22) | 0

University of Alberta scientists have named a new species of ancient marine reptile , fondly called the Ping Pong Ichthyosaur for the spot the prehistoric creature called home for the last 25 years. Embryos found within the ...

Was it a bird or was it a plane?

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Jul 15, 2008 | 4.5 / 5 (12) | 0

A new study of extinct flying reptiles called kuehneosaurs, has shown that of the of the two genera found in Britain, Kuehneosuchus was a glider while Kuehneosaurus, with much shorter "wings," was a parachutist.

Ancient reptile rises from Alberta oil sands

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Mar 20, 2008 | 4.1 / 5 (12) | 0

One of the oldest and most complete plesiosaur fossils recovered in North America, and the oldest yet discovered from the Cretaceous Period, represents a new genus of the prehistoric aquatic predator according to University ...

T.rex's oldest ancestor identified

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Nov 04, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Remains of the oldest-known relative of T.rex have been identified, more than 100 years after being pulled out of a Gloucestershire reservoir, according to research published in the Zoological Jo ...

Fossilized dung balls reveal secret ecology of lost world

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Jul 15, 2009 | 4.2 / 5 (6) | 0

A new study of 30 million year old fossil 'mega-dung' from extinct giant South American mammals reveals evidence of complex ecological interactions and theft of dung-beetles' food stores by other animals.