One of the most striking examples of evolutionary transition in all biology history is the evolution of modern birds. Their group of land vertebrates is the most diverse on Earth, with more than 10,000 extant species worldwide (Brusatte et al. 2015). This evolutionary transition from an animal very much alike Tyrannosaurus rex, date back to …
Tag: archaeology
‘Vampire’ Child Discovered in a Grave in Italy
We’ve all heard the legends of vampires, and thanks to Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” we’re usually given the creeps when we think of the undead menace. But while most of us assume that the legends are nothing more than child’s play, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, there are still many cultures around the world …
Dinosaur Chompers May Have Inhibited Their Ability to Chow Down
Carnivorous dinosaurs were thought to have ferocious bites that are unimaginable compared to the animals we see today. However, new research suggests that the bite force of some of these meat eaters was not as threatening as we might perceive. In addition, the formation of their teeth also made the “puncture and pull” method more …
How One Mass Extinction Helped Pave the Way for the Dinosaurs
An asteroid may have hit the planet and caused the mass extinction of the dinosaurs, but what happened to Earth before then? As it turns out, a previous mass extinction may have paved the way for the dinosaurs. Recently, researchers took a look at all of the tetrapod tracks published over the past few decades. …
What Does This 200 million-year-old Dinosaur “Bite” Tell Us?
We know that dinosaurs preyed on one another when they roamed the planet, but we haven’t always had strong evidence of how the food chain may have worked millions of years ago. Now, one dinosaur “bite” is helping researchers gain a glimpse into what it might have been like to live in a “Dog Eat …
Scientists: Ticks Fed on Feathered Dinosaurs in the Prehistoric Age
Could amber hold the key – or tick – to determining how feathered dinosaurs once lived? A new discovery is pushing the boundaries of what we already know. Recently, scientists came across a form of ancient Burmese amber specimens that had been originally purchased online by private collectors (Peñalver et al., 2017). One of the …
Could Archaeologists Have Discovered the Remains of Santa Claus?
Could the remains of Santa Claus have been found by Oxford University researchers? New research now suggests that it’s a possibility. First, it’s worth noting that Santa Claus – the big, jolly man in the red suit that marks the holiday season – is based on a real saint. St. Nicholas was a bishop who …
New Hidden Space Uncovered Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza
When we thought we knew it all, a new discovery comes along and blows our minds. This is what archaeologists are finding now that they have uncovered a new space within the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The royal tomb, which was built back around 2,500 B.C., is considered to be one of the …
Has the World’s Largest Dinosaur Finally Been Unearthed?
Was the world’s largest dinosaur finally unearthed last year? One paper that was just published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. claims that this may be the case. (Phillips, 2017) According to a new report, the Patagotitan might be the largest dinosaur to have ever walked the earth. The name, which was just given …
A Crocodile-like Creature Once Terrorized the Biggest, Baddest Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs were some of the most menacing creatures to ever walk the planet, but what about crocodiles? Believe it or not, there was once a fearsome crocodile-like animal that roamed the Earth and struck fear into the hearts of dinosaurs. The Razanandrongobe sakalavae, or Razana for short, lived during the Middle Jurassic period in Madagascar. …