Paleontology

After The Earth Nearly Died

Mention "Mass Extinction" and most people will immediately think of the extinction that killed the dinosaurs. To be fair, this was pretty big, as far as extinctions go. Not only did it kill all of the non-avian dinosaurs, it also finished off the ...

Article - Oliver Knevitt - Jan 31 2012 - 11:10am

Friday Fossil

I'll bet you've never seen a fossilized parrot before. This is an ex-parrot. It has ceased to be. (Just couldn't resist it, apologies!) This is the newly named Cyrilavis colburnorum from the Paleogene Green River formation, which is getting ...

Blog Post - Oliver Knevitt - Oct 21 2011 - 7:08am

Archaeopteryx a bird again (I told you so!)

A couple of months ago, I picked up on the news that Archaeopteryx had been rebumped in its* phylogeny to now sit among the dromeosaurs. I also mentioned near the end... I will say this, though: don't expect this to be the last you've heard of th ...

Blog Post - Oliver Knevitt - Oct 27 2011 - 12:42pm

Permian Extinction: Repopulation Was Diversification, Not Climate

252 million years ago there was a watershed moment in the history of life on Earth- namely that there was almost no life left on Earth. As much as 90 percent of ocean organisms were extinguished, ushering in a new order of marine species, some of which we ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 28 2011 - 11:30pm

Ice Age's Scrat Discovered

A newly discovered fossil, found in South America, bears resemblance to Scrat, the sabre-toothed squirrel well-known for his antics in the Ice Age movies. In reality, though, the creature is known by the slightly more complicated name of Cronopio dentiacu ...

Article - Gunnar De Winter - Nov 4 2011 - 10:10am

Spinops Sternbergorum- Horned Dinosaur Discovery 100 Years In The Making

A new species of horned dinosaur, Spinops sternbergorum, was announced today by an international team of scientists nearly 100 years after the initial discovery of the fossil. ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 31 2012 - 9:44am

Fish-Tetrapod Transition Got A New Hypothesis In 2011

The late Devonian, about 390 million years ago to roughly 360 million years ago, was a time of struggle and escape for fish in a drying environment, theorized paleontologist Alfred Romer.  That circumstances and necessity for continued survival were vital ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 27 2011 - 7:53pm

Ancient Perfection: Dragonflies

Dragonflies, from the order Odonata, have been around for over 250 million years.  I've seen fossil dragonflies from the Eocene some 50 million years ago that would have been exquisite monsters to behold. Huge beasts taking to the skies and enjoying ...

Blog Post - Heidi Henderson - Jan 6 2012 - 12:30pm

Calcium Carbonate: Mother Natures Little Helper

.  Many First Nations sites were inhabited continually for centuries. The discarded shells and scraps of bone from their food formed enormous mounds called middens. Left over time, these unwanted dinner scraps can transform through a quiet process of prese ...

Article - Heidi Henderson - Jan 9 2012 - 2:43pm

Palaeobarbie

This is pretty funny; this is based on (supposedly genuine) letter sent to a well respected US museum. Obviously the names of institutions and individuals have been changed. Dear Mr. Smith: ...

Blog Post - Oliver Knevitt - Jan 27 2012 - 12:02pm