Paleontology

Blogs about paleontology

The partial rib attributed to a Denisovan

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An article published in the journal “Nature” reports the results of a study of over 2,500 fossils found in the Baishiya Karst Cave, in the Chinese region of Xiahe, on the Tibetan plateau, among which a partial rib attributed to a Denisovan. A team of researchers used an analysis technique called Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) to attribute isolated and often fragmented bones to the right species through collagen characteristics. According to the researchers, the Denisovans may have lived in that cave between 200,000 and 40,000 years ago.

Views of of the Simoniteuthis michaelyi's fossil

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An article published in the “Swiss Journal of Palaeontology” reports the identification of a new species of so-called vampire squid that lived about 183 million years ago, in the Lower Jurassic period, and was named Simoniteuthis michaelyi. Robert Weis, Ben Thuy, and Dirk Fuchs examined a fossil attributed to the order of the vampyromorphs (Vampyromorpha or Vampyromorphida) found at an excavation site in Bascharage, Luxembourg, in 2022. This is a single specimen that died while it was feeding on two small fish and is very well preserved, to the point that even the soft tissues fossilized.

Forelimb bones of one of the Bustingorrytitan shiva specimens discovered.

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An article published in the journal “Acta Palaeontologica Polonica” reports the identification of a species of titanosaur that lived about 95 million years ago, in the Cretaceous period, in today’s Argentina and was named Bustingorrytitan shiva. María Edith Simón and Leonardo Salgado examined the partial skeletons of four specimens discovered in the village of Villa El Chocón, in the Neuquén province of Patagonia. This area of Argentina was home to various species of titanosaurs, the largest animals to have lived on land.

Skeleton of the Thescelosaurus neglectus nicknamed Willo (Photo J. Spencer)

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An article published in the journal “Scientific Reports” offers new information on the sensory capabilities of the Thescelosaurus neglectus, a small dinosaur that lived just before the great extinction that wiped out non-avian dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period. Paleontologists David Button and Lindsay Zanno submitted a Thescelosaurus skull to a CT scan to reconstruct its interior to create a 3D representation of its brain and inner ear. The conclusion is that this species had some very developed senses, useful for living in burrows.

Homo sapiens and Neanderthal skulls

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An article published in the journal “Science Advances” reports the results of a genetic analysis that reconstructs the interbreeding between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals that occurred during the migrations of populations of these two species. A team of researchers from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, analyzed the DNA of over 4,000 Homo sapiens who lived in Eurasia over the last 40,000 years. The results show variations in the presence of genes inherited from Neanderthals following various interbreedings in different populations and at different times.