Image of SN Eos supernova taken by the James Webb Space Telescope
Astronomers have identified a colossal star’s explosion shortly after the universe emerged from the Cosmic Dark Ages, offering insights into the birth and demise of the first stars.
When a star exhausts its fuel, it explodes in a spectacular event known as a supernova. While nearby supernovae are exceedingly bright, the light from ancient explosions takes billions of years to reach Earth, fading into invisibility by the time it arrives.
This is why astronomers typically detect distant supernovae only during exceptional circumstances, such as Type Ic supernovae, which are the remnants of stars stripped of their outer gas and producing intense gamma-ray bursts. However, the more common Type II supernova, the predominant explosion observed in our galaxy, occurs when a massive star depletes its fuel but remains too faint for casual observation.
Notably, David Coulter, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and his team utilized the James Webb Space Telescope to discover a Type II supernova named SN Eos, dating back to when the universe was only 1 billion years old.
Fortunately, the supernova’s explosion took place behind a vast galaxy cluster, whose potent gravity amplified the light, rendering SN Eos dozens of times brighter than it would typically appear, facilitating detailed studies.
Researchers meticulously analyzed the light spectrum from SN Eos, confirming it as the oldest supernova detected via spectroscopy. Their findings denote it as a Type II supernova, attesting to its origins from a massive star.
Additionally, evidence suggests that the progenitor star contained remarkably low quantities of elements beyond hydrogen and helium—less than 10% of the elemental abundance present in the Sun. This aligns with theories about the early universe, where multiple stellar generations hadn’t existed long enough to create heavier elements.
“This allows us to quickly identify the type of stellar population in that region. [This star] exploded,” stated Or Graul from the University of Portsmouth, UK. “Massive stars tend to explode shortly after their formation. In cosmological terms, a million years is a brief interval, making them indicators of ongoing star formation within their respective galaxies.”
Light from such vast distances is typically emitted by small galaxies, allowing astronomers to infer the average characteristics of the stars within these galaxies. However, studying individual stars at these distances tends to be unfeasible. As noted by Matt Nicholl of Queen’s University, Belfast, UK, “This discovery provides us with exquisite data on an individual star. [Distance] has kept us from observing an isolated supernova here, but the data confirms this star’s uniqueness compared to others in the local universe.”
This observation occurred just a few hundred million years following the Era of Reionization, a pivotal period in the universe’s history. During this time, light from the inaugural stars began ionizing neutral hydrogen gas, transitioning it into translucent ionized hydrogen. This relates to SN Eos, as it serves as a supernova from a time we would expect to see.
“This discovery closely coincides with the reionization era when the universe emerged from darkness, permitting photons to travel freely once more and allowing us to observe,” said Graul.
A magnetar, a type of neutron star, can be the source of fast radio bursts
Science Photo Library/Alamy
A peculiar burst of light from the early universe aids astronomers in mapping elusive gases found between galaxies, much like flashlights in dark spaces.
The Fast Radio Burst (FRB) is an extremely brief yet potent burst of radio frequency emissions that has puzzled astronomers since its discovery in 2007. Currently, we know of only a few thousand instances in the universe, leaving much still to be understood about them, especially as most originate from galaxies neighboring the Milky Way.
Now, Manisha Kaleb from the University of Sydney, Australia, along with her research team, has identified a remarkably distant FRB, tracing back to a galaxy that existed merely 3 billion years post-Big Bang.
Kaleb and her collaborators first detected a burst designated 20240304B using the South African Meerkat Radio Telescope in March 2024, corroborating their findings with observations from the James Webb Space Telescope. They determined that the burst originated from a small, faint galaxy that appeared relatively youthful, characterized by rapid star formation.
“This discovery is extraordinarily distant,” stated Jason Hessel from the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The FRB 20240304B is from an epoch in the universe’s timeline known as the ‘midday’ of the universe, a period when the rate of new star formation peaks. This hints that during the galaxy’s formative years, this FRB—and possibly others—may have stemmed from a young star that underwent a supernova and collapsed into a magnetar, according to Hessel.
A key reason astronomers focus on FRBs lies in their ability to shine a light on ionized gases and lost electrons from radiation emitted by stars, which constitute most of the universe’s matter. Understanding its distribution is crucial for unraveling how larger structures—such as stars and galaxies—form. However, like the FRB, this gas remains largely invisible unless illuminated by a light source.
“This luminous flash reveals all the ionized material between us and the origin of the flash, allowing us to map both the gas and the magnetic fields amidst the stars and galaxies,” Hessel added.
The discovery of FRB 20240304B implies that the universe’s first stars were actively ionizing their surroundings, which can help establish a timeline of when these stars first ignited, according to Anastasia Fialkov from Cambridge University. The insights gleaned will only enhance with the detection of even more distant FRBs.
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Lava planets are rocky exoplanets that orbit extremely close to their host star, allowing for conditions that melt silicate rocks daily.
Boucale et al. We introduce a straightforward theoretical framework to explain the evolution of lava planets’ internal atmospheric systems. Image credit: Sci.News.
A lava planet is typically a super-Earth to Earth-sized world, orbiting its star in less than one Earth day.
Similar to the Earth’s moon, these planets are expected to be tidally locked, displaying the same hemisphere to their stars at all times.
With extreme surface temperatures, their rocks can reach melting or even evaporating points, creating a distinctive state within our solar system.
These unusual worlds are easily observable due to their pronounced orbital dynamics, offering valuable insights into the fundamental processes that drive planetary evolution.
“Due to the extreme orbital characteristics of lava planets, our understanding of rocky planets in the solar system does not apply directly, which leaves scientists uncertain about expected observations,” states Dr. Charles Eiduard Bukare from York University.
“Our simulations provide a conceptual framework for understanding their evolution and a way to investigate internal dynamics and chemical transformations over time.”
“While these processes are greatly intensified on lava planets, they fundamentally mirror those shaping rocky planets in our solar system.”
As rocks melt or evaporate, elements like magnesium, iron, silicon, oxygen, sodium, and potassium partition differently across vapor, liquid, and solid states.
The unique orbital dynamics of lava planets maintain vapor-liquid and solid-liquid equilibria for billions of years, facilitating long-term chemical evolution.
Using cutting-edge numerical simulations, the researchers predict the evolutionary status of two distinct categories.
(i) Fully melted interior (likely a younger planet): The atmosphere reflects the planet’s overall composition, with heat distribution within the melt ensuring a hot and dynamic nightside surface.
(ii) Nearly solid interior (likely an older planet): Only shallow lava oceans persist, while the atmosphere becomes depleted of elements such as sodium, potassium, and iron.
“We sincerely hope that with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, we will be able to observe and differentiate between young and old lava planets,” Dr. Boukaré expressed.
“Demonstrating this capability would signify a significant advancement beyond conventional observational methods.”
study was published today in the journal Natural Astronomy.
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cé. Boucale et al. The significance of internal dynamics and differentiation in the surface and atmosphere of lava planets. Nut Athlon Published online on July 29th, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41550-025-02617-4
This artist’s impression illustrates masses of star-forming galaxies in the early universe, featuring dark dust marked in red and carbon gases depicted in black. These details have been extensively documented across multiple galaxies in Alma’s Cristal Survey. Image credits: NSF/AUI/NRAO/B. SAXTON.
“Alma’s remarkable capability to penetrate dust and gas enabled us to observe these distant galaxies with astonishing detail,” stated Dr. Rodrigo Ignacio Herrera Camus.
“We’re not merely examining the light emissions. We’re investigating the internal structures of these galaxies and uncovering the processes that transpire within them.”
In the Cristal Survey, astronomers concentrated on a sample of star-forming galaxies exhibiting a conventional relationship between galaxy mass and star formation rate.
Alma’s observations indicated that some galaxies displayed signs of organized rotation, hinting at the formation of early discs, while others exhibited chaotic movements and distorted shapes, indicative of collisions and mergers.
Alma also identified clouds of gas revealed through specific light emissions from ionized carbon, extending far beyond the stellar formation regions. This suggests that the galaxies are enveloped by expansive gas reservoirs, possibly fueling future star formation or being ejected by powerful outflows.
Numerous galaxies displayed star formation occurring in distinct clumps, providing deeper insights into the birth of stars within these early systems.
A portrait of an early galactic layer family, as detailed in a study of the Cristal program. Image credit: Cristal large program.
One particularly intriguing discovery was the identification of an early galaxy known as Cristal-10.
This galaxy shows a significant deficiency in ionized carbon emissions in comparison to its distant light, similar to the characteristics observed in ARP 220, one of the brightest and most concealed galaxies in the local universe.
Subsequent investigations into this galaxy may illuminate the nature and physical state of early interstellar media in the universe.
“Cristal offers detailed data that was unattainable before Alma,” Dr. Herrera Camus remarked.
“I’ve gained a new family portrait of early galactic evolution.”
“These findings challenge existing galaxy formation models and open up new research avenues.”
“The Cristal investigation highlights Alma’s power in studying galaxy evolution during the early universe.”
“By tracing the cold gases and dust that fuel star formation, Alma assists scientists in constructing narratives of how our own Milky Way galaxy developed.”
Currently, only two species of sloths exist, but in the past, numerous species roamed the Earth, including one with a nose resembling a bottle and another akin to the ancestors of modern armadillos. Most of these extinct sloths were too massive to inhabit trees. The largest of them all – a member of the genus Megatherium – reached the size of an Asian bull elephant, weighing around 3.63 tons (8,000 pounds).
The ancient sloths inhabited a variety of environments – trees, mountains, deserts, northern forests, and open savannas – leading to wide differences in size among sloth species. Image credit: Diego Barletta.
“They resembled Grizzly Bears but were five times larger,” noted Dr. Rachel Nalducci, collection manager for vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
In a recent study, Dr. Nalducci and her team examined ancient DNA and compared over 400 fossils from 17 museums to explore how and why extinct sloths achieved such sizes.
The size difference ranges significantly between the massive Megatherium and the more modestly sized Shasta Sloth, which thrived on cacti in the arid regions of North America.
Conversely, the sloths adapted for tree climbing were uniformly small, averaging around 6 kg (14 lbs), with ground-dwelling sloths like them averaging about 79 kg (174 lbs).
Ground sloths had a strong affinity for caves, where their size played a crucial role in finding and creating shelters.
The moderately sized Shasta Sloths ventured into the depths of geological lungs formed by wind and water, creating magnificent canyons.
The larger sloths were not limited to pre-existing caves; using their sizeable claws, the largest known mammalian claws (whether extinct or extant), they could carve out their shelters from bare earth and rock. Evidence of their nests can still be found today, with claw marks adorning the cave walls.
Other factors influencing size variations likely include climate, interspecies interactions, and metabolic rates.
To accurately analyze these factors, a substantial amount of diverse data was required.
The authors integrated fossil shape data with DNA from both living organisms and extinct species to construct sloth lineages dating back over 35 million years.
With this foundation established, they incorporated findings from decades of research about the habitats sloths occupied, their diets, and their behavioral patterns.
Paleontologists maintain a keen interest in the evolution of size, collecting extensive data from numerous museum fossils for their analyses.
Sloth size differences are significantly shaped by the habitats they inhabited, which were also influenced by climate change.
“This research, employing evolutionary models across various scenarios and accounting for all these factors, is a considerable undertaking unlike anything previously attempted,” remarked Dr. Nalducci.
The sloth lineage witnessed dramatic life-altering changes as Earth’s climate evolved.
The earliest recognized sloth, Pseudoglyptodon, inhabited Argentina around 37 million years ago.
Analysis from the research team suggests that early sloths were likely small, ground-dwelling creatures, about the size of a Great Dane.
Throughout evolution, sloths occasionally adopted semiarboreal lifestyles.
However, not all sloths remained tree dwellers; the largest species, including Megatherium and Mylodon, likely evolved from tree-adapted ancestors but ultimately thrived on the ground.
Amidst this mixture of arboreal and terrestrial creatures, sloth size remained relatively stable for about 20 million years, regardless of their activity preferences until a significant geological event occurred.
A great rift opened between present-day Washington and Idaho, extending through parts of Oregon and Nevada, releasing magma.
This process left a staggering 600,000 cubic miles of volcanic material in the Pacific Northwest, still observable today along the Columbia River, where flowing water has sculpted basalt into distinct columns.
These formations exhibit a unique hexagonal shape, resulting from the magma’s cooling and cracking processes.
The volcanic activity that formed these structures occurred over a slow burn spanning approximately 750,000 years, aligning with a period of global warming known as the mid-Miocene climate optimum.
Greenhouse gases released by these volcanic eruptions are presently thought to be a primary factor in that period of warming.
As a response, sloths began shrinking in size, possibly due to warmer temperatures leading to increased rainfall, which expanded forest habitats, offering more room for smaller species.
Size reduction is a common adaptive strategy among animals coping with heat stress, as recorded in various fossil records.
After volcanic activity ceased, the world remained warm for nearly a million years before returning to a longstanding cooling trend that persists today. Sloths also adapted, growing bulkier as temperatures decreased.
Arboreal and semiarboreal sloths were inherently limited by their need for tree proximity, but ground-dwelling sloths roamed freely in diverse terrains.
They trekked up the Andean mountains, traversed open savannas, migrated through deciduous forests in North America, and built homes in Canada and Alaska’s boreal forests.
There were even sloths adapted to marine environments. Thalassocnus thrived on dry land between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, sourcing food from the ocean to survive in such harsh conditions.
“They developed adaptations analogous to those of the Manatee,” Dr. Nalducci explained.
“Their dense ribs aided buoyancy, and elongated noses facilitated foraging for sea grass.”
These varied environments posed unique challenges that ground sloths creatively navigated.
“Such adaptations would have conserved energy and water, enabling more efficient movement through resource-limited habitats,” Dr. Nalducci remarked.
“In open grasslands, protection is crucial, and increased size offers some degree of safety.”
“Some ground sloths also had sparse bone structures embedded in their skin, akin to pebbles.”
Moreover, larger body sizes played a vital role in helping sloths endure the cooling climate.
They reached their peak size during the Pleistocene Ice Age, just before their eventual disappearance.
“Around 15,000 years ago is when notable population declines began,” Dr. Nalducci observed.
While debates continue regarding the reasons for sloth extinction, it coincided with human arrival in North America around the same time, leading to significant declines in sloth populations.
Ironically, the very size that provided protection from typical predators and insulated them from cold climates also contributed to their downfall.
Fast but well-defended, ground sloths proved difficult prey for early humans.
Tree-dwelling sloths observed the devastation unfold below from the safety of their heights, yet they too faced losses.
Two Caribbean sloth species managed to survive until about 4,500 years ago, after their terrestrial relatives had vanished elsewhere.
Humans reached the Caribbean around the same time the Egyptians were constructing pyramids, resulting in the quick extinction of Caribbean sloths.
“Paleoclimate changes cannot solely account for the rapid extinction of ground sloths beginning around 15,000 years ago,” the researchers asserted.
“Their sudden disappearance indicates human-driven factors were likely at play in the decline and extinction of sloths on Earth.”
Study published in the May 22nd, 2025 edition of the journal Science.
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Alberto Boscani et al. 2025. The appearance and end of giant sloths. Science 388 (6749): 864-868; doi: 10.1126/science.adu0704
This article is based on a press release from the Florida Museum of Natural History.
New research led by scientists at the University of Bristol shows how lepidosaurs, the most diverse clade of quadrupeds that includes lizards and snakes, evolved an astonishing variety of jaw shapes and He revealed what has brought him extraordinary success.
The rate of evolution of lepidosaur jaw morphology. Image credit: Ballell others., doi: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2052.
Lepidosauria is a clade of lizards, snakes, and tuataras with over 11,000 species, representing the most specialized group of today's tetrapods.
Since their origin over 240 million years ago, lepidosaurs have diversified into countless sizes and body shapes.
Among extant species, body size ranges over three orders of magnitude, typified by body lengths of approximately 1.7 cm. Sphaerodactylus Geckos and giant anacondas that are about 10 meters long.
The extreme size becomes even more dramatic when you consider extinct mosasaurs (up to 17 meters long).
Differences in body shape are reflected in different degrees of body elongation and reductions or modifications of limb elements in multiple lineages, and snake-like body shapes have evolved independently at least 25 times.
Similarly, lepidosaurs exhibit rich diversity in skull composition, shaped by the loss and gain of cranial bones over their evolutionary history and the acquisition of varying types and degrees of cranial motion.
As a result of this morphological diversification, Lepidosaurus conquered diverse ecological niches in most regions of the planet.
In a new study, University of Bristol researcher Antonio Barrel-Mayoral and his colleagues show that the evolution of jaw shape in lepidosaurs was influenced by ecological factors, including phylogeny (evolutionary relatedness) and allometry (scaling of shape with size). They found that it is influenced by a complex interaction of factors that go beyond science.
In terms of jaw shape, the snake was found to be a morphological outlier, exhibiting a unique jaw morphology. This is probably due to the snake's highly flexible skull and extreme mechanism that allows it to swallow prey many times larger than its head.
“Interestingly, we found that jaw shape evolves particularly rapidly in ecologically specialized groups, such as burrowing, aquatic, and herbivorous lizards. This may be due to evolutionary innovations in the lower jaw. “We suggest that this is the key to achieving these unique ecologies,” said Dr. Barrel-Mayoral. Said.
“Our research shows how lizards and snakes have evolved different jaw shapes to adapt to their wide range of ecology, diets and habitats, driving their extraordinary diversity. ”
This study highlights the important role of morphological innovations in promoting diversification in highly biodiverse groups such as lepidosaurs.
“The mandible, an important component of the vertebrate feeding apparatus, has been an important element in vertebrate ecological experimentation and adaptation.”
Looking ahead, the research team plans to further investigate the evolution of lepidosaur heads.
“The lower jaw is important because it works with the muscles that close the jaw to support important functions such as feeding and defense,” Dr. Barrel-Mayoral said.
“We are investigating the relationship between the shape of the skull and the placement of the jaw-closing musculature throughout evolution, and how this influenced the diversification of feeding mechanisms and habits.”
team's work Published today on Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
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antonio barrel others. 2024. Ecological factors in the evolution of jaw morphology in lepidosaurs. Procedure R. Soc. B 291 (2036): 20242052;doi: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2052
The end-Triassic extinction is, along with the end-Permian and end-Cretaceous events, the most severe mass extinctions of the past 270 million years. The exact mechanism of the end-Triassic extinction has long been debated, most notably because the carbon dioxide that had accumulated over thousands of years and appeared on the surface from volcanic eruptions was a persistent This caused temperatures to rise to impossible levels and seawater to become more acidic. but, new paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences I say the opposite. The main cause is not warmth, but cold.
Outcrop areas of Pangea's CAMP rocks are located at the time of CAMP (201 million year ago). and the Central High Atlas (CHA) Basin of Morocco. Image credit: Kent others., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2415486121.
The end-Triassic mass extinction occurred 201,564,000 years ago, resulting in the extinction of approximately 76% of all marine and terrestrial species.
This mass extinction coincided with a massive volcanic eruption that split the supercontinent Pangea.
millions of kilometers3 Over 600,000 years, lava erupted and separated what is now the Americas, Europe, and North Africa.
This event marked the end of the Triassic period and the beginning of the Jurassic period. The Jurassic period was the period when dinosaurs appeared to replace the Triassic period creatures and dominated the Earth.
A new study provides evidence that the first lava pulses that ended the Triassic period were extraordinary events that each lasted less than a century, rather than hundreds of thousands of years.
During this condensed time frame, sunlight-reflecting sulfate particles spewed into the atmosphere, cooling the Earth and freezing many of its inhabitants.
A gradual rise in temperature in an already hot environment (carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during the Late Triassic was already three times higher than today's levels) may have finished the job later, but it caused the most damage. It was a volcanic winter.
“Carbon dioxide and sulfate not only act in opposite ways, but in opposite time frames,” said Dr. Dennis Kent, a researcher at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
“While it takes a long time for carbon dioxide to build up and heat up objects, the effects of sulfates are almost instantaneous. It takes us into the realm of human grasp. These The events happened in a lifetime.”
The Triassic-Jurassic extinction has long been thought to be related to so-called atmospheric eruptions. mid-atlantic magma zone (camp).
In their study, Dr. Kent and colleagues correlated data from CAMP deposits in the mountains of Morocco, along the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, and in New Jersey's Newark Basin.
A key piece of evidence is the arrangement of magnetic particles in rocks that record the past drift of Earth's magnetic poles during eruptions.
Through a complex series of processes, this pole is offset from the planet's fixed axis of rotation, or true north, and its position changes by a tenth of a degree each year.
Because of this phenomenon, magnetic particles in lava that are placed within decades of each other all point in the same direction, but those placed, say, thousands of years later, point in different directions by 20 or 30 degrees.
What the researchers discovered were five consecutive early CAMP lava pulses spread over about 40,000 years. Each magnetic grain is aligned in a single direction, indicating that the lava pulse appeared less than 100 years before magnetic drift appeared.
These large eruptions released so much sulfate so quickly that it blocked most of the sun and lowered temperatures.
Unlike carbon dioxide, which lingers for centuries, volcanic sulfate aerosols tend to rain out of the atmosphere within a few years, so the resulting cold snaps don't last very long.
However, due to the speed and scale of the eruptions, these volcanoes' winters were devastating.
Scientists compared the CAMP series to sulfates produced in the 1783 eruption of Iceland's Laki volcano, which caused widespread crop failure. Only the first CAMP pulse was several hundred times larger.
Triassic fossils lie in the sediments just below the CAMP layer. This includes large terrestrial and semi-aquatic relatives of crocodiles, strange tree lizards, giant flat-headed amphibians, and many tropical plants. After that, it disappears with the eruption of CAMP.
Small feathered dinosaurs existed for tens of millions of years before this, surviving along with turtles, true lizards, and mammals, and eventually thriving to become much larger. This is probably because they are small and able to survive in burrows.
“The magnitude of the environmental impact is related to the concentration of events,” said Dr. Paul Olsen, also of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
“A small event spread over tens of thousands of years has a much smaller impact than the same amount of volcanic activity concentrated over less than a century.”
“The most important implication is that CAMP's lava represents an unusually concentrated event.”
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Dennis V. Kent others. 2024. Correlation of sub-centennial-scale pulses of early mid-Atlantic magmatic field lavas and the end-Triassic extinction. PNAS 121 (46): e2415486121;doi: 10.1073/pnas.2415486121
Archaeological sequence Abrik Pissarro ruins The southeastern Pre-Pyrenees About MIS4 (about 71,000 years ago), a little-known period in Neanderthal history.
Iberian Neanderthals sampled wild mushrooms, pine nuts, and forest moss. Image by Abel Grau, CSIC Communication.
A team of archaeologists led by the Australian National University has collected hundreds of thousands of artefacts at the Abric Pizarro site, including stone tools, animal bones and other evidence, providing crucial data about Neanderthal lifestyles.
The discovery reveals that Neanderthals were able to adapt to their environment, calls into question archaic humans' reputation as slow-footed cavemen, and sheds light on their survival and hunting abilities.
“Our results show that Neanderthals knew how to best exploit their area and territory, and were able to withstand harsh climatic conditions,” said archaeologist Sophia Samper-Caro of the Australian National University.
“The amazing finds at Abric Pizarro show how adaptable the Neanderthals were. The animal bones we found show that they made good use of the fauna around them, hunting red deer, horses and bison, but also eating freshwater turtles and rabbits. This suggests a level of planning that is rarely associated with Neanderthals.”
“These new findings call into question the widely held belief that Neanderthals only hunted large animals such as horses and rhinos.”
“The bones we found contain cut marks, providing direct evidence that Neanderthals were able to hunt small animals.”
“The bones at this site are so well preserved that you can see traces of how the Neanderthals handled and butchered these animals.”
“Analysis of stone tools also shows a great deal of diversity in the types of tools made, indicating that Neanderthals were capable of exploiting the resources available in their region.”
By uncovering this critical transition period, archaeologists are one step closer to solving a mystery that has vexed researchers for decades: what caused the Neanderthals to go extinct?
“The discovery of sites like Abric Pizarro from this particular, poorly documented period gives us information about how Neanderthals lived and shows that they were thriving at a time when modern humans were not yet in the area,” Dr Samper-Caro said.
“The unique site of Abric Pissarro offers us a glimpse into the behaviour of Neanderthals in the landscape they roamed for hundreds of thousands of years.”
“The Neanderthals disappeared about 40,000 years ago. All of a sudden, we modern humans showed up in this part of the Pyrenees and the Neanderthals disappeared. But before that, the Neanderthals had been living in Europe for almost 300,000 years.”
“They obviously knew what they were doing. They knew the area and they knew how to survive for a long period of time.”
“One of the most fascinating aspects of this site is that it provides unique information about a time when Neanderthals lived alone in harsh conditions and how they thrived before the arrival of modern humans.”
Thanks to modern excavation techniques, Abric Pizarro and other nearby sites provide detailed data for understanding Neanderthal behavior.
“We make a 3D plot of each and every bone found that is larger than one or two centimetres,” Dr Sampar Karo said.
“This slows down the work – excavations at some sites have been going on for over 20 years – but the result is that the sites are documented with unparalleled accuracy.”
“We're interested in how all these different pieces of data, from stone tools to bones to hearths, relate to each other.”
“This more thorough excavation will provide archaeologists with information about how Neanderthals lived and how long they were in the area.”
“It's not just the individual item that gives us clues, but knowing where it is found in relation to other items at the site helps us understand how and when Neanderthals visited these sites. Did they settle there or were they just passing through?”
of result Appears in Journal of Archaeological Sciences.
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Sophia C. Samper-Caro others2024. Living dangerously: Abrik Pissarro, a MIS 4 Neanderthal site in the lowermost foothills of the southeastern Pre-Pyrenees (Lleida, Iberian Peninsula). Journal of Archaeological Sciences 169: 106038; doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2024.106038
Euchericherata A large group of arthropods that includes horseshoe crabs, scorpions, spiders, mites, ticks, and the extinct sea scorpions and snails. Abundant cetapedites The new species of Euchelycerate, which lived in what is now Morocco during the Early Ordovician period 478 million years ago, bridges the gap between modern and Cambrian species.
rebuilding the life of Abundant cetapedites. Image credit: Elissa Sorojsrisom.
“Modern scorpions, spiders, and horseshoe crabs belong to a vast lineage of arthropods that appeared on Earth about 540 million years ago,'' said Lorenzo Lustri, a paleontologist at the University of Lausanne. Ta.
“More precisely, they belong to the subphylum, chelicerates, which includes organisms equipped with pincers used specifically for biting, grasping prey, and injecting venom, and therefore chelicerates ( Euchelicerata+Pycnogonida). But what is the ancestor of this very special group?
“This question has puzzled paleontologists ever since the study of ancient fossils began.”
“Among early arthropods, it has been impossible to identify with certainty which forms share enough similarities with modern species to be considered ancestral.”
“The mystery is further complicated by the dearth of available fossils from the critical period between 505 million and 430 million years ago. This has made genealogical research easier. must.”
Dr. Rustri and his co-authors collected fossils of euchelicerate from the 478-million-year-old Fezouata Shale in Morocco, and found that the modern-day euchelicerate and the Cambrian (505 million-year-old) We identified a new species that binds the eucheris cerate.
with scientific name Abundant cetapeditesthe body length of this species was 0.5-1 cm.
“This animal makes it possible for the first time to trace the entire lineage of Euchelicerates, from the appearance of early arthropods to modern spiders, scorpions and horseshoe crabs,” Dr Rustri said.
“Initially, we just wanted to describe this fossil and give it a name.”
“I had no idea it would hold so many secrets.”
“It was therefore an exciting surprise to discover, after careful observation and analysis, that it also fills an important gap in the evolutionary tree of life.”
“Yet, this fossil has not yet revealed all its secrets,” he added.
“Indeed, some of its anatomical features allow for a deeper understanding of the early evolution of the eucherycerate group and perhaps link other fossil forms to this group, the similarities of which are still hotly debated. It is even possible.”
of result appear in the diary nature communications.
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L. Rustri other. 2024. Late Ordovician syndiphosrines reveal the diversity and evolution of early euchelicerates. Nat Commune 15, 3808; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-48013-w
In a new study, a team of paleontologists examined the structure of teeth. Feredkodon Chowi aims to better understand the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary paths of a new species of Xuozalaid mammal that lived in what is now China during the Jurassic period.
rebuilding the life of Feredkodon Chowi (right) and Dianoconodon Yonggi (left). Image credit: Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Professor Patricia Vickers-Rich, a researcher at Monash University and Museums Victoria, said: “Our study challenges current theory and provides a new perspective on the evolutionary history of mammals.”
“By describing the complex tooth shapes and occlusal patterns, we provide important insights into the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary trajectory of the family Xenodiaceae, which was largely unknown until its recent discovery in China. ”
Shoeteraid a mammal-like animal from the Jurassic period, has baffled scientists because of its unique dental features.
These creatures have so-called pseudoclaws (basin-like structures) located in front of the triangular teeth of the mandibular molars, and the claws seen in modern therian mammals are similar to the triangular teeth of the lower molars. It is different from the claw-like pattern located at the back.
“This unique tooth pattern hinders our understanding of schootelid relationships and the first steps in the evolution of mammalian species,” Professor Vickersrich said.
Professor Vickers Rich and her colleagues examined the pseudotribosphene tooth of a new Jurassic schiotelid. Feredkodon Chowi represented by two skeletal specimens.
They were able to more completely dissect the tooth structure using a variety of analyses, and the results suggested that the tooth structure of schootherids is very similar to that of docodontans. Ta.
This study suggests that there are no true trigonids present in the basal teeth of Xuozalidae, indicating that they are more closely related to Docodontans than previously thought.
This reassessment of tooth structure not only resolves outstanding interpretations but also triggers a reconsideration of evolutionary connections within mammals.
“In 1982, a single small Jurassic mandible with four teeth was placed at a single point in the mammal family tree,” said Dr Thomas Rich, also from Monash University and Museums Victoria.
“We now have two virtually complete specimens analyzed in different ways, all of which place them in very different positions on the mammal family tree.”
“Additional specimens and different methods suggest different interpretations. Science often works like this.”
Based on new data, the Xuozidae appears to belong to a separate clade, the Docodontiformes, separate from the Auscutolibospheniformes, and are therefore grouped as follows: docodontance.
This finding highlights the importance of pseudotribosphenic characters in elucidating the initial diversification of mammals.
“This study highlights the presence of a huge variety of tooth morphologies in early mammals, demonstrating unique ecomorphological adaptations throughout the evolutionary development of mammals,” Professor Vickersrich said. Ta.
F. Mao other. The Jurassic family Xenotheliidae represents the earliest dental diversification of mammals. Nature, published online on April 3, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07258-7
A giant Jurassic pliosaur skull pulled from a cliff in Dorset, England, is providing scientists with a wealth of new information about these sea reptiles. “This is very likely a new species,” says Judith Sassoon from the University of Bristol, UK.
This fossil is the subject of a new documentary, attenborough and the giant sea monster, which will premiere on BBC One on January 1st and air on PBS in the US in February. The skull is extremely well preserved, and CT scans show that the sensory holes in the nose (pictured above) were connected to blood vessels and nerves, allowing Pliosaurus to sense changes in pressure and move through murky water. It is revealed that it can hunt prey (photo below, CGI image from the documentary).
There is hope that the remaining fossils are still intact on the cliff. “There may be evidence in that skeleton of how it died,” said Steve Etches, who led the team that extracted and prepared the skull. Below, a still from the documentary shows Mr Etches having a nose exam with David Attenborough (left).
Sir David Attenborough and Steve Etches investigate Pliosaurus' fossilized nose
bbc studio
Surface scans of the specimen helped scientists estimate the strength of its bite. Emily Rayfield, a paleontologist at the University of Bristol, suggests that its bite would have been twice as powerful as that of a saltwater crocodile, one of the most powerful bites known. Evidence of trihedral teeth with two sharp cutting edges and striped grooves is shown below.
These grooves are thought to have stopped the vacuum that formed when the teeth plunged into prey, allowing Pliosaurus to bite repeatedly and quickly, further cementing its status as one of the most feared predators of its time. Masu. The skull is on display at the Etches Collection in Dorset, England.
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