A new paper published in the journal Science reveals the discovery of a primitive woolly rhino fossil in the Himalayas, which suggests some giant mammals first evolved in present-day Tibet before the beginning of the Ice Age. The extinction of Ice Age giants such as woolly mammoths and rhinos, giant sloths, and saber-tooth cats has been widely […]
Archive for December, 2011
Woolly Rhino Fossil Discovery in Tibet Provides Important Clues to Evolution of Ice Age Giants
December 31st, 2011 
riffin 
Posted in 
Plant-Eating Dinosaur Discovered in Antarctica
December 29th, 2011 riffin ScienceDaily (Dec. 19, 2011) — For the first time, the presence of large bodied herbivorous dinosaurs in Antarctica has been recorded. Until now, remains of sauropoda — one of the most diverse and geographically widespread species of herbivorous dinosaurs — had been recovered from all continental landmasses, except Antarctica. Dr. Ignacio Alejandro Cerda, from CONICET […]
Tags: Large dinosaurs migrated huge distances, say scientists
December 28th, 2011 riffin The largest dinosaurs to walk the Earth may have embarked on seasonal migrations that covered hundreds of kilometres when local watering holes dried up and food became scarce.The 18-tonne sauropod dinosaur Camarasaurus may have migrated 300 kilometres in search of food and water. Evidence that giant sauropods set off on epic journeys came to light […]
World’s Oldest Fossils Found in Ancient Australian Beach
December 24th, 2011 riffin Old stomping grounds. This landscape in Western Australia is home to these very ancient fossil cells (inset). Credit: David Wacey/University of Western Australia When Martin Brasier discovered what looked like fossil cells in between the cemented sand grains of an ancient beach in Western Australia, he knew he had his work cut out for him. […]
Study of fish fossil shows that ‘head-first’ diversity drives vertebrate evolution
December 21st, 2011 riffin December 20, 2011 Enlarge Two radiations of ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii), Carboniferous forms (facing left) and acanthomorph teleosts (facing right) underwent distinct cranial (feeding) and later postcranial (habitat) stages in trait diversification. Credit: (Photographs by Lauren Sallan and Matt Friedman). The history of evolution is periodically marked by explosions in biodiversity, as groups of species try […]
Prehistoric fossil confirms tusked mammal ancestor
December 21st, 2011 riffin An artist’s impression of the dicynodont, a mammal-like reptile. PALAEONTOLOGISTS have found tantalising evidence that their hunch is right. Dicynodonts – the prehistoric mammal-like reptiles named because of their oversized tusks – did exist in Australia. Fossilised remains of the bull-sized herbivores, which roamed the Earth before dinosaurs, have been found on every continent including […]
