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Old 30-03-2016, 22:29
swingaleg
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Remember the Hobbits......the diminutive hominids found in Indonesia in 2003. The discovery caused a bit of a sensation as the fossils were dated at around 12,000 years old which would have leant a long period of co-existence with modern humans

Well.......the dates have now been revised to 50,000 years old which coincidentally (or not) puts it at around the time that modern humans arrived in the area

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35930979
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Old 31-03-2016, 21:19
TelevisionUser
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The Bible teaches that God created the world around 6000 years ago, so the fossils can be no older than that.
Any more wilful trolling posts in this thread and I make a formal complaint.

In other news, it's ancient arachnid time:

Scientists say a 305 million-year-old fossil is the closest relative to "true spiders" ever discovered - but is not itself a spider. Easily pre-dating the dinosaurs, the 1.5cm creature lived alongside the oldest known ancestors of modern spiders but its lineage is now extinct.
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Old 31-03-2016, 21:39
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A 10 million year old fossil snake (remarkably) reveals it's true colours.

http://www.livescience.com/54244-pig...snakeskin.html

http://phys.org/news/2016-03-fossilized-snake-true.html

More on how we may have wiped out the Hobbit (Homo floresiensis) - just like so many other species that we ever came into contact with.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...older-species/

How many non-avian dinosaur species were there?

http://phys.org/news/2016-03-dinosaurs.html

Finally just stop laughing at rexy's small but perfectly formed arms you nasty buggers!

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...rms-180958615/
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Old 01-04-2016, 08:03
Keyser_Soze1
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Is it a bird?

Is it a plane?

It's a very nice infographic on the massive pseudo-toothed marine bird Pelagornis sandersi (just click to enlarge).

http://www.scientificamerican.com/bl...EFD_source.jpg
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Old 01-04-2016, 22:14
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Marching dinosaurs animated size comparison - make sure to click on 'more' to see the species shown (from the smallest to the real giants).

I was very impressed with this video and the bloke obviously took a lot of time and effort to create it.

I find it really compelling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRiecAmGWHU
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Old 02-04-2016, 12:21
Keyser_Soze1
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More on the saga of Spinosaurus and how CT scans are sparking a revolution in Palaeontology.

http://www.theatlantic.com/science/a...saurus/476286/

https://www.theguardian.com/science/...inosaur-lizard
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Old 04-04-2016, 23:31
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...and now for a really weird swimmy, scorpiony thingy that's 430 million years old:

Bizarre fossil hauled its offspring around 'like kites'. A 430 million-year-old sea creature apparently dragged its offspring around on strings like kites - a baffling habit not seen anywhere else in the animal kingdom.
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Old 05-04-2016, 08:30
Keyser_Soze1
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Evolution really can be utterly bonkers at times!

Another couple of links on the bizarre 'Kite Runner' (Aquilonifer spinosus).

http://www.livescience.com/54294-kit...er-fossil.html

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-prehist...te-runner.html

The evolution of the Ichthyosaurs and just why the fossils remains of the small ceratopsian Protoceratops were almost certainly not the origin of the Griffin legend.

http://www.eartharchives.org/article...-the-mesozoic/

http://markwitton-com.blogspot.co.uk...certainly.html
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Old 08-04-2016, 12:27
Keyser_Soze1
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Various palaeo stories that may be of interest to some.

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-fossil-...predictor.html

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...-york-science/

https://qilong.wordpress.com/2016/04...ping-slipping/

Tyrannosaurus rex - 3-D brain endocast - AMNH 5117

https://sketchfab.com/models/f4303dc...9be241f2b73e04

The top ten evolutionary design 'flaws' in the human body.

http://nautil.us/issue/24/error/top-...the-human-body
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Old 10-04-2016, 18:11
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How Humanity lost the Dodo again - after it was killed off forever.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160...ost-it-as-well

The recently extinct 'giant chickens' of New Caledonia (Sylviornis neocaledoniae) another great triumph for mankind.

http://www.eartharchives.org/article...new-caledonia/

How a very lucky Hesperornis escaped a predation attempt from a small pliosaur.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160...ry-sea-monster

http://www.livescience.com/54335-ple...ater-bird.html

A review of Anthony's Martin's book on trace fossils - 'Dinosaurs Without Bones'.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/...without-bones/
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Old 12-04-2016, 20:04
Keyser_Soze1
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Some recent Palaeo articles.

http://mentalfloss.com/uk/animals/41...r-skin-disease

http://www.eartharchives.org/article...be-a-dinosaur/

http://www.eartharchives.org/article...n-by-a-thread/
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Old 14-04-2016, 01:52
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The mystery still remains as what led to the extinction of the biggest and most formidable predator in this planet's history - Megalodon.

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic....k-of-all-time/

Another paper on the 'Tully Monster' (Tullimonstrum gregarium) this time focusing on the pigment cells in it's eyes (that only vertebrates possess).

http://www.livescience.com/54402-tul...ster-eyes.html

http://www.livescience.com/54070-pho...y-monster.html

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-million...ertebrate.html

Finally just why Neanderthals contracted Herpes (and many other diseases).

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160...t-neanderthals
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Old 16-04-2016, 00:41
CLL Dodge
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Dolphin ancestors have been echo-locating for 26 million years:

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-million...s-dolphin.html
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Old 16-04-2016, 03:26
Keyser_Soze1
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Dolphin ancestors have been echo-locating for 26 million years:

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-million...s-dolphin.html
Good stuff.

A gigantic bone crushing weasel, a dinosaur stomping ground, the latest research is about to begin on the Chicxulub crater, Apatoraptor and another speculative article from Duane Nash - this time on the possible life appearance of old rexy (and other theropods).

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic....ushing-weasel/

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...958774/?no-ist

https://theconversation.com/how-does...inosaurs-57711

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/ap...hers-1.3536313

http://antediluviansalad.blogspot.co...aurus-rex.html
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Old 18-04-2016, 19:19
Keyser_Soze1
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The devastating consequences of the massive asteroid that smashed into the earth and wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs (some birds survived of course).

How strange to think that we (and the rest of the big mammals) owe our very existence to a random hammer blow from space.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160...steroid-struck
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Old 18-04-2016, 20:23
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The evolutionary origins of laughter, what the ideal body size is for a foraging predatory dinosaur to scavenge most efficiently, why fish don't have necks and more on the Caenagnathid Apatoraptor pennatus.

http://theconversation.com/the-evolu...njoyment-57750

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-dino-di...ead-alive.html

http://www.livescience.com/54430-why...ave-necks.html

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-decepti...-dinosaur.html
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Old 20-04-2016, 20:18
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The world's first 3D fossilised heart - perfectly preserved in a 113-119 million-year-old fish from Brazil called Rhacolepis.

http://theconversation.com/the-first...c-animal-57204

The 'Sonic the Hedgehog' (!) gene that reveals that Tetrapod limbs may have evolved from the gill arches of cartilaginous fish.

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-sonic-h...nce-limbs.html

Common misconceptions about Tyrannosaurs.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160...t-tyrannosaurs

Finally a really wonderful article on the top ten amber fossils so far discovered.

http://www.eartharchives.org/article...amber-fossils/
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Old 21-04-2016, 19:29
CLL Dodge
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North America's first monkey:

https://www.newscientist.com/article...-first-monkey/
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Old 21-04-2016, 21:06
Keyser_Soze1
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Good stuff.

Dave Hone's new book 'The Tyrannosaur Chronicles', mammoths mated beyond species boundaries, a baby sauropod (Rapetosaurus krausei) and the very seedy story of why the beak did inherit the earth!

https://archosaurmusings.wordpress.c...icles-is-here/

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-dna-mam...oundaries.html

http://www.livescience.com/54496-bab...tarvation.html

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/20...tists-say.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/techn...ticle29705574/
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Old 24-04-2016, 22:28
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A few more articles on the baby Titanosaur Rapetosaurus.

http://www.macalester.edu/news/2016/...baby-dinosaur/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...l-independent/

A massive new raptorial sperm whale has been discovered from Australian waters (the tooth looks very similar to Livyatan melvillei and is slightly smaller than that species so the 18 metre estimate is probably exaggerated as Livyatan itself has been estimated at between 13.5 and 17.5 metres long).

http://www.earthtouchnews.com/discov...th-to-prove-it

http://www.inquisitr.com/3021695/5-m...-the-americas/

Finally - just how many species of mammoth were there In North America?

https://backyardpaleo.wordpress.com/...many-mammoths/
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Old 26-04-2016, 23:45
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The remarkable discovery of the almost complete skull of the Titanosaur Sarmientosaurus musacchioi which shows just how superb even the mighty sauropod's senses were.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...nosaur-senses/

http://www.livescience.com/54559-rar...iscovered.html

http://www.livescience.com/54558-pho...aur-skull.html

Videos of this interesting addition to our knowledge of these massive animals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyGwsjk5fp0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnZM8krZiIk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb8e5ffEC74

Australian dinosaurs.

http://www.eartharchives.org/article...rs-down-under/
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Old 28-04-2016, 19:55
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In terms of visual appearance, this fossil is probably going to be the most boring ever but it is nevertheless significant in its own way:

A load of old rot”: fossil of oldest known land-dweller identified. The earliest example of an organism living on land – an early type of fungus – has been identified. The organism, from 440 million years ago, likely kick-started the process of rot and soil formation, which encouraged the later growth and diversification of life on land.
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Old 28-04-2016, 22:23
Keyser_Soze1
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All ancient life - however humble is interesting.

'Intelligent' slime that suggests a primitive form of learning may predate the emergence of nervous systems, the evolutionary origins of dreams and will it ever be possible to clone a non-avian dinosaur from ancient DNA?

The short answer is no.

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-intelli...ess-slime.html

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-bearded-dragons-rem.html

http://news.discovery.com/animals/di...urs-160428.htm

http://www.livescience.com/54574-can...dinosaurs.html
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Old 30-04-2016, 23:42
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Evidence that our ancestors were preyed upon by hyenas, a Mexican Centrosaurine and an Alaskan Therizinosaur.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160...-our-ancestors

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic....tery-dinosaur/

http://www.eartharchives.org/article...und-in-alaska/
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Old 02-05-2016, 20:09
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A new species of the famous Whorl-Toothed 'shark' Helicoprion (actually a giant chimaera/ratfish) that may have exceeded 12 metres in length - making it the largest animal of it's day and one of the most formidable predators of all time.

http://www.eartharchives.org/article...-ancient-seas/

Another excellent article from Mark Witton - this time on the pterosaur Rhamphorhynchus muensteri.

http://markwitton-com.blogspot.co.uk...-reptiles.html
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