Extinction
Scientists have determined that Nanotyrannus was a mature, separate species rather than a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex. A new study analyzed a tiny throat bone from the original fossil, revealing growth patterns indicating adulthood. The findings, published in Science, challenge decades of debate over the dinosaur's identity.
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A crushed dinosaur fossil, long forgotten in a drawer, has been reconstructed by a Virginia Tech undergraduate, unveiling a new species of early carnivorous dinosaur. The specimen, named Ptychotherates bucculentus, belonged to the Herrerasauria group and lived near the end of the Triassic period. Its discovery suggests this ancient dinosaur lineage persisted until the end-Triassic extinction.
Scientists have uncovered shocked quartz at key Clovis-era sites, strengthening evidence that a comet explosion around 13,000 years ago contributed to the extinction of mammoths and other megafauna. This cosmic event, linked to the onset of the Younger Dryas cooling period, may also explain the sudden disappearance of the Clovis culture across North America. The findings, published in PLOS One, highlight extreme heat and pressure signatures inconsistent with volcanic or human causes.
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A trove of over 30,000 fossils unearthed on Spitsbergen reveals that ocean ecosystems rebounded swiftly following Earth's worst mass extinction. Just three million years after the event, complex food chains with large predatory reptiles thrived in ancient seas. The discovery challenges long-held views of a gradual recovery process.