An incredible fossil haul unearthed in Colorado could finally bridge the gap between the extinction of the dinosaurs and the reboot of life after that epoch-ending asteroid impact. Helping to answer questions which have long stumped scientists, the new findings pinpoint nature's mysterious recovery immediately after three out of every four living organisms was suddenly killed.
There's a new LEGO Ideas set heading to stores that'll cost around $60 that's all about dinosaur bones. This set is called Dinosaur Fossils, and it's been a long time coming. LEGO Fans have been creating masterpieces like these for decades, but this is the first time LEGO's really dropped in and made a full set dedicated to the art of making bricks look like bones.
A study headed by marine geophysicist Sean P. S. Gulick described a clear timeline for asteroid impact that destroyed the dinosaurs here on Earth. This event was the end of the Cretaceous period, soon the Cenozoic, the crossover into which we'll be running down today. Information comes from none other than the Chicxulub impact crater in Mexico.
Scientists have discovered a new type of duck-billed dinosaur. The nearly complete skeleton was unearthed in 72 million-year-old marine deposits in Mukawa Town in northern Japan. The scientists say that the new dinosaur belongs to a new genus and species of herbivorous hadrosaurid. The dino has been named Kamuysaurus japonicus.
You might think missing a dinosaur when it was right in front of you would be impossible, but researchers have unexpectedly discovered a new species of early dino that had already been on display for more than 30 years. Misidentification and faulty conclusions have been blamed for what's now believed to be an incredibly rare Ngwevu intloko skeleton being confused for something a lot less impressive.
The most famous of all the dinosaurs is the Tyrannosaurus rex or T-rex. Virginia Tech paleontologist Sterling Nesbitt discovered the fossilized remains of a relative to the T-rex when he was 16-years-old and participating in a dig expedition in New Mexico in 1998. Nesbitt is now an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences at Virginia Tech.
For more than half a decade at a North Dakota site called Tanis in the Hell Creek Formation, paleontologist Robert DePalma has worked to unearth evidence of what is believed to be a 'killing field' established shortly after the impact of the asteroid that ushered in Earth's last mass extinction event. The site is home to the fossilized remains of many dead creatures ranging from fish to a dinosaur.
The crown for most massive T. rex ever found was changed this week as "Scotty" was unveiled in Canada. This hunk of a hunter lived 66 million years ago in prehistoric Saskatchewan. The bones were first unearthed all the way back in the year 1991, which seems not that long ago compared to the time it was last above the dirt - but it's still been covered in sandstone for another decade. Now that the full picture is seen, analysis can commence.
A new species of dinosaur was identified in research published this week. This dinosaur is called Galleonosaurus dorisae, and it's a small-bodied ornithopod. Identification of this dinosaur was focused on a set of jawbones recovered in the Southwestern region of Australia. This wallaby-sized creature was most likely living in the region that connected Australia and Antarctica before the one land mass was split into two.
A new unique dinosaur is helping scientists put together what they call a "a four-dimensional connect the dots." This is Mnyamawamtuka moyowamkia (Mm-nya-ma-wah-mm-too-ka mm-oh-yo-wa-mm-key-ah), a dinosaur with a tail with a set of bones shaped like hearts. With skin, it's likely this dinosaur kept its heart shapes largely hidden - much like most people on this day, Valentine's Day 2019.
So you say you know what dinosaurs look like. You know all the superstars - the big, powerful, Jurassic Park monsters you learned about in the 90s. Take a look at the recently uncovered Bajadasaurus pronuspinax and you might well be thrown for a loop. This dinosaur doesn't look like any sort of dinosaur I knew as a kid. And why would I? All I knew (before Spielberg's blockbuster) was what I saw in books - and those dinosaurs looked a lot like lumpy hippos, really.
The feather-laden dinosaur Archaeopteryx lithographica* was a flying dinosaur. The first fossil feather ever found was once believed to have originated from Archaeopteryx. In a study published this week, doubts have surfaced that this feather belonged to said creature. This study also made clear the value of Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF) on old fossils. Using LSF on old fossils, new information can be found.