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2,800-Year-Old Arrowhead Was Made of Meteoritic Iron, Archaeologists Say

The Mörigen arrowhead. Image credit: Thomas Schüpbach.
Aug 11, 2023 by Natali Anderson

The detection of the cosmogenic isotope aluminum-26; the concentrations of nickel, cobalt, germanium and gallium; and the presence of two minerals called kamacite and taenite unambiguously demonstrate the meteoritic nature of the ancient arrowhead from the Bronze Age settlement of Mörigen, Switzerland. The Mörigen arrowhead. Image credit: Thomas Schüpbach. “Metallic iron was available to humans in the form of rare meteoritic iron before the smelting...

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Life reconstruction of Tutcetus rayanensis swimming in the Tethys Ocean 41 million years ago. Image credit: Ahmed Morsi / Hesham Sallam / Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center.

Miniature Basilosaurid Whale from Eocene Was Just 8 Feet Long

Aug 10, 2023 by News Staff

The newly-identified species of basilosaurid whale has been named Tutcetus rayanensis after the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. This new species...

Reconstruction of Hupehsuchus nanchangensis about to engulf a shoal of shrimps. Image credit: Shunyi Shu & Long Cheng, Wuhan Center of China Geological Survey.

Triassic Marine Reptile Was a Filter-Feeder, Paleontologists Say

Aug 9, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Hupehsuchus nanchangensis, a species of marine reptile that lived between 249 and 247 million years ago in what is now China, had soft structures such...

Reconstruction of Shaihuludia shurikeni from the Spence Shale of Utah. Image credit: Rhiannon LaVine.

Cambrian Annelid Worm Had Bizarre Blade-Like Chaetae

Aug 9, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Chaetae are stiff bristles made of chitin that characterize many species of annelid worms. Reconstruction of Shaihuludia shurikeni from the Spence Shale...

The tigrina or oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus). Image credit: Groumfy69 / CC BY-SA 3.0.

New Cat Species Discovered in Museum Collection is Probably Already Extinct

Aug 7, 2023 by Natali Anderson

The only known specimen of the small spotted cat species Leopardus narinensis was found on the Galeras Volcano in southern Colombia in 1989. The tigrina...

An artist’s reconstruction of Jeholornis prima with potential angiosperm arboreal herbivorous feeding ecology. Image credit: Wu et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-40311-z.

Early Cretaceous Bird Consumed Leaves of Magnolia-Like Flowering Plants

Aug 4, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Fossil plant phytoliths from the digestive tract of Jeholornis prima — an extinct species of bird that lived in what is now China during the Early...

An artist’s impression of a gas-giant exoplanet. Image credit: Sci.News.

Astronomers Discover Jupiter-Sized Exoplanet around Low-Mass Star

Aug 4, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Using data from TRAPPIST-South/North, SPECULOOS, and MuSCAT3 facilities, astronomers have discovered an unusual Jupiter-sized exoplanet orbiting the red...

Reconstruction of Perucetus colossus in its coastal habitat; the associated sawfish, Pristis, was recovered from the same unit in the East Pisco Basin, the Yumaque Member of the Paracas Formation, Peru. Image credit: A. Gennari.

Eocene-Period Whale Might Be Heaviest Animal on Record

Aug 3, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Perucetus colossus substantially pushes the upper limit of skeletal mass in mammals, as well as in aquatic vertebrates in general. This early basilosaurid...

Artistic reconstruction of a group of Burgessomedusa phasmiformis swimming in the Cambrian sea. Image credit: Christian McCall.

Paleontologists Identify Oldest Known Species of Free-Swimming Jellyfish

Aug 2, 2023 by News Staff

Burgessomedusa phasmiformis had a cuboidal umbrella up to 20 cm (8 inches) high and over 90 short, finger-like tentacles. Artistic reconstruction of a...

Heterodontus marshallae. Image credit: Sci.News / White et al., doi: 10.3390/d15070849.

New Species of Hornshark Discovered Off Australia

Jul 31, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Marine biologists have described a new species of the shark genus Heterodontus from northwestern Australia based on six whole specimens and a single egg...

Discoscapa apicula; the bee is carrying four beetle triungulins. Image credit: George Poinar Jr. / College of Science, Oregon State University.

Bees Originated in Western Gondwana before Breakup of Africa and South America, Study Suggests

Jul 31, 2023 by News Staff

Bees are the most significant pollinators of flowering plants. This partnership began approximately 120 million years ago, but the uncertainty of how and...

This artist’s illustration shows the Neptune-sized exoplanet AU Mic b passing in front of its host red dwarf star. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Joseph Olmsted, STScI.

Young Neptune-Sized Exoplanet Sporadically Burps Hydrogen as It Circles Its Parent Star

Jul 31, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

A process called photoevaporation is a potential explanation for several features within exoplanet demographics. Atmospheric escape observed in young Neptune-sized...

Australian honeypot ants (Camponotus inflatus) are found throughout the central desert region of Australia. Image credit: Danny Ulrich.

Honey from Australian Honeypot Ants Has Unique Antimicrobial Properties

Jul 26, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Honey produced by the Australian honeypot ant (Camponotus inflatus) is valued nutritionally and medicinally by Indigenous peoples. In a new study, scientists...

Reconstruction of Minimocursor phunoiensis. Image credit: Sci.News / Sita Manitkoon / Peter Lutz.

New Neornithischian Dinosaur Unearthed in Thailand

Jul 24, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Minimocursor phunoiensis is the earliest known neornithischian dinosaur from Southeast Asia as well as one of the best-preserved dinosaurs ever found in...

Hoaxed photo of the Loch Ness ‘monster’ from April 21, 1934.

Loch Ness Monster: If It’s Real, Could It Be Giant European Eel?

Jul 24, 2023 by News Staff

The ‘eel hypothesis’ proposes that the anthrozoological phenomenon at Loch Ness in Scotland can be explained in part by observations of large-bodied...

Illustration showing Repenomamus robustus as it attacks Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis before a volcanic debris flow buries them both, approximately 125 million years ago. Image credit: Michael Skrepnick.

Unique Fossil Captures Struggle for Existence during Cretaceous Period

Jul 19, 2023 by News Staff

The unusual fossil from around 125 million years ago shows a dramatic moment in time when a species of badger-like carnivorous mammal called Repenomamus...

Using NMR-based analysis, Tira et al. were able to identify the most abundant constituents of espresso coffee. Image credit: Sci.News.

Espresso Coffee Mitigates Aggregation and Condensation of Alzheimer’s Protein in Lab Experiments

Jul 19, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Espresso coffee is among the most consumed beverages in the world. Recent studies report a protective activity of the coffee beverage against neurodegenerative...

An artistic reconstruction of Alligator munensis. Image credit: Márton Szabó.

Fossil of Deep-Snouted Alligator Species Found in Thailand

Jul 18, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

The newly-identified species is closely related to the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis), the only living representative of Alligatoridae (the crown-group...

Life reconstruction of the styracosternan dinosaur Hippodraco scutodens, a distant relative of Calvarius rapidus. Image credit: Sci.News / Lukas Panzarin / Bing Image Creator.

New Species of Iguanodontian Dinosaur Identified in Spain

Jul 17, 2023 by Sergio Prostak

A new genus and species of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur being named Calvarius rapidus has been described by a duo of paleontologists from the Universitat...

Petrodactyle wellnhoferi. Scale bar - 10 cm. Image credit: Hone et al., doi: 10.26879/1251.

Jurassic Pterosaur Had Giant Bony Crest on Its Head

Jul 17, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new species of the ctenochasmatid pterosaur genus Petrodactyle has been described from an unusual specimen found in the Late Jurassic limestone beds...

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