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A relict glacier near Mars’ equator. Image credit: Lee et al. / LPSC 2023 / NASA.

Relict Glacier Spotted near Martian Equator

Mar 20, 2023 by News Staff

A so-called light-toned deposit (LTD) in Eastern Noctis Labyrinthus, about 160 km (99.4 miles) north-west of Oudemans crater near Mars’ equator, presents...

The Haast’s eagle (Hieraaetus moorei) attacking two moas. Image credit: John Megahan / PLoS Biology, doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0030020.

Giant Eagle Species Lived in Australia More Than 50,000 Years Ago

Mar 16, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of giant accipitrid bird being named Dynatoaetus gaffae has been identified from fossil remains found South Australia. The Haast’s...

The Godlewski’s bunting (Emberiza godlewskii) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Image credit: Jargal Lamjav / CC BY 2.0.

Cryptic New Species of Songbird Identified in China

Mar 14, 2023 by Sergio Prostak

The northern and southern populations of a songbird species called the Godlewski’s bunting (Emberiza godlewskii) should be treated as two independent...

The structure of the bacteriophage P74-26. Image credit: Leonora Martinez-Nunez.

‘Rapunzel Bacteriophage’ Has Extremely Long Tail, Researchers Say

Mar 14, 2023 by News Staff

A bacteriophage (bacteria-infecting virus) called P74-26 and nicknamed ‘Rapunzel bacteriophage’ lives in inhospitable hot springs and preys on Thermus...

Reconstruction of the earliest ichthyosaur and the 250-million-year-old ecosystem found on Spitsbergen. Image credit: Esther van Hulsen.

Earliest Triassic Ichthyosaur Fossils Unearthed on Spitsbergen

Mar 13, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists from Uppsala University and the University of Oslo have found the 250-million-year-old fossilized ichthyosaur remains in the Vikinghøgda...

Life reconstruction of Edowa zuniensis. Image credit: Brenton Adrian.

Dinosaur-Era Fossil Bridges Gap in Evolution of Extinct Baenid Turtles

Mar 10, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Edowa zuniensis is the first species of baenid turtle described from the Turonian age of North America. Life reconstruction of Edowa zuniensis. Image credit:...

Sardinian dwarf mammoth, Sardinian giant otter, deer, Sardinian dhole and giant pica. Image credit: Peter Schouten, http://studioschouten.com.au.

Study: Island-Dwelling Dwarfs and Giants are More Vulnerable to Extinction than Other Species

Mar 10, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Islands often contain distinctive ecological conditions that can lead to unusual evolutionary trajectories such as dwarf mammoths and giant rats. In new...

Life reconstruction of a phytosaur species called Protome batalaria. Image credit: Smokeybjb / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Fossils of Giant Phytosaur Unearthed in India

Mar 7, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists at the Indian Institute of Technology have described a surprising new genus and species of crocodile-like reptile from fossils found in...

This feather-shaped iridescent cloud was captured just after sunset on January 27, 2023, the 3,724th Martian day, or Sol, of Curiosity’s mission. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS.

Curiosity Rover Images Sun Rays and Feather-Shaped Clouds on Mars

Mar 6, 2023 by News Staff

‘Sun rays’ are also known as crepuscular rays, from the Latin word for twilight. It was the first time sun rays have been so clearly viewed on Mars. This...

The dusky tetraka (Xanthomixis tenebrosa) is the second species to be rediscovered by the Search for Lost Birds. Image credit: John C. Mittermeier.

Rare Songbird Feared Extinct Rediscovered in Madagascar

Mar 6, 2023 by News Staff

The previous documented sighting of the dusky tetraka (Xanthomixis tenebrosa) — one of the top 10 most wanted species by the Search for Lost Birds...

The space salad. Image credit: University of Adelaide.

Researchers Create Space Salad for Astronauts

Mar 3, 2023 by News Staff

The space salad contains ingredients — including soybean, poppy, barley, kale, peanuts, sweet potato and sunflower seeds — that could be grown...

Reconstruction of a hunter-gatherer associated with the Gravettian culture (32,000-24,000 years ago), inspired by the archaeological findings at the Arene Candide site, Italy. Image credit: Tom Bjoerklund.

Scientists Sequence Genomes of Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers from Different Eurasian Cultures

Mar 2, 2023 by News Staff

Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years. However, our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers...

This Hubble image captures the breakup of Dimorphos when it was deliberately hit by DART on September 26, 2022. Image credit: NASA / ESA / STScI / Jian-Yang Li, PSI / Joseph DePasquale, STScI.

DART Offers Insight into How Deflection Missions Can Protect Earth from Hazardous Asteroids

Mar 2, 2023 by News Staff

On September 26, 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) intentionally slammed into the 160-m-wide asteroid moonlet Dimorphos — which...

This image shows Tycho’s SNR, which is located between 8,000 and 10,000 light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia. IXPE data (dark purple and white) have been combined with data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory (red and blue) and overlaid with the stars in the field of view as captured by the Digitized Sky Survey. Image credit: IXPE / NASA / ASI / MSFC / INAF / Ferrazzoli et al. / Chandra / CXC / RIKEN / GSFC / Sato et al. / DSS / SAO / K. Arcand, L. Frattare & N. Wolk.

IXPE Detects Polarized X-Rays from Tycho’s Supernova Remnant

Mar 2, 2023 by News Staff

Astronomers using the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) — a collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency — have observed...

Environmental reconstruction of the Solnhofen Archipelago, showing Protospinax annectans in association with the Late Jurassic ray Asterodermus platypterus. Image credit: Jambura et al., doi: 10.3390/d15030311.

Paleontologists Redescribe Enigmatic Jurassic Shark Species

Mar 1, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists from the University of Vienna and elsewhere have revised a controversial species of the elasmobranch Protospinax annectans based on new...

A digital reconstruction of a humpback whale trap feeding. Image credit: McCarthy et al., doi: 10.1111/mms.13009.

Head-Lifting Feeding Seen in Whales May Be Recorded in Ancient Texts

Mar 1, 2023 by News Staff

Trap feeding and tread-water feeding are whale hunting strategies first recorded in the 2000s in two whale species at opposite sides of the globe. In both...

An artist’s impression of elephant birds in their natural habitat, Madagascar. Image credit: Bonnie Koopmans.

1,000-Year-Old Fossil Eggshells Provide Rare Glimpse into Evolution of Madagascar’s Elephant Birds

Mar 1, 2023 by News Staff

Paleontologists from Curtin University and elsewhere have examined ancient fossil eggshells of Madagascar’s extinct elephant birds and found that genetic...

Life reconstruction of Paralitherizinosaurus japonicus. Image credit: Masato Hattori.

Study: Giant Therizinosaurs Used Their Meter-Long, Sickle-Like Claws for Display

Feb 28, 2023 by News Staff

The dinosaur clade Maniraptora includes the ancestors of birds, and most maniraptoran dinosaurs used their hands for grasping and in flight, but early...

Life reconstruction of the non-marine component of the Waterloo Farm ecosystem: Hyneria udlezinye is shown together with the tetrapods Umzantsia amazana and Tutusius umlambo, the placoderms Groenlandaspis riniensis and Bothriolepis africana, the coelacanth Serenichthys kowiensis, the lungfish Isityumzi mlomomde, and a cyrtoctenid eurypterid. Image credit: Maggie Newman / R.W. Gess.

360-Million-Year-Old Fossils of Giant Predatory Fish Found in South Africa

Feb 24, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

The newly-identified species of tristichopterid fish grew up to 3 m (10 feet) long and belongs to the extinct genus Hyneria. Life reconstruction of the...