Tag Archives: predator

Ancient Bite Marks Reveal Tyrannosaurus: The Multifaceted Behavior of a Legendary Predator

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A transformative study conducted by paleontologists at Aarhus University challenges the long-held belief that tyrannosaurs were exclusively apex predators. By analyzing 16 meticulously mapped bite marks on the bones of a 75-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex, researchers found that smaller Tyrannosaurs scavenged on their larger tyrannosaurid relatives.

Visualization of a small Tyrannosaurus rex eating the carcass of a larger Tyrannosaurus. Image credit: Yu Xin, Shen Li, Liang Junwei, Aarhus University.

“Tyrannosaurus was the apex terrestrial predator in the Northern Hemisphere during the Late Cretaceous period,” stated lead author Josephine Nielsen, a master’s student at Aarhus University, alongside her research team.

“Species found in the Campanian region of the northern interior of western North America include Daspletosaurus and Gorgosaurus.”

“Tyrannosaurs were substantial predatory carnivores with massive skulls capable of enduring extreme bite forces and stresses.”

“Bites can crush and process bones, even from prey significantly larger than themselves, as evidenced by coprolites containing bone fragments.”

“However, such fossils do not provide direct evidence of biting strength, and debates continue concerning the feeding strategies of Tyrannosaurus and their ecological interactions.”

Nielsen and her colleagues utilized advanced 3D scanning technology to identify 16 bite marks on a fossilized metatarsal (foot bone) of a giant tyrannosaur.

“By examining the depth, angle, and position of the bite marks in a virtual 3D setting, we demonstrated that these marks were not incidental,” Nielsen remarked.

“These distinct tooth impressions of a smaller tyrannosaurus indicate scavenging on much larger relatives.”

This groundbreaking study sheds light on the recycling of resources in the age of dinosaurs, revealing their behaviors as scavengers.

The robust leg bones may have been consumed late in the decomposition phase, after most of the flesh had been stripped away.

“The bone lacks signs of healing after a bite from a smaller dinosaur,” Nielsen noted.

“The marks were found on a foot that had minimal flesh, indicating the dinosaur was possibly ‘sweeping’ and scavenging the last remnants of a carcass.”

The authors conducted their research using digital models and 3D printed replicas instead of original bones.

The metatarsals measured 10 cm in length and belonged to a tyrannosaurid estimated to be between 10 to 12 meters long and weighing several tons during its lifetime.

The bones were uncovered by amateur fossil hunters in the Judith River Formation in Montana. This region is an eroded landscape that acts as a geological archive of a 75-million-year-old ecosystem, teeming with dinosaur fossils.

“What makes this study exceptional is not only the insight into ancient dinosaur food chains, but also the innovative technology employed to extract these details.”

“By developing a digital version, we can now zoom in on intricate details.”

For more in-depth findings, visit this study published in the journal Evolving Earth.

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Josephine Nielsen et al. 2026. Investigating size-asymmetric feeding in tyrannosaurids using metatarsal tooth impressions from the Judith River Formation, Montana, USA. Evolving Earth 4:100107; doi: 10.1016/j.eve.2026.100107

Source: www.sci.news

Massive Kraken-Like Octopus: The Apex Predator of Cretaceous Oceans

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The colossal soft-bodied cephalopod, reaching lengths of up to 19 meters (62 feet), once rivaled the most ferocious reptiles of the Cretaceous seas and was likely preyed upon, according to a groundbreaking study led by paleontologists at Hokkaido University.

Artist’s impression of an ancient giant octopus. Image provided by: Yohei Utsugi, Hokkaido University

For hundreds of millions of years, it was believed that marine ecosystems were dominated by large vertebrate apex predators, relegating invertebrates to minor prey roles.

However, unlike their shelled counterparts, octopuses have carved out a unique evolutionary path.

These fascinating creatures have evolved soft bodies, which allow for remarkable mobility, vision, and intelligence.

Some octopus species have grown to enormous sizes, serving as apex predators, yet their precise ecological roles have remained unclear due to limited fossil records.

“Our discoveries suggest that the earliest octopuses were giant predators at the apex of the marine food chain during the Cretaceous period,” stated paleontologist Professor Yasuhiro Iba from Hokkaido University.

“Based on exceptionally preserved jaw fossils, we determined that these animals may have reached nearly 19 meters in total length, surpassing the size of modern large marine reptiles.”

“The most astonishing finding was the extent of wear on the jaws.”

This wear, indicative of biting into hard prey, leaves distinctive marks similar to those found in contemporary shell-crushing cephalopods. Measurements of octopus jaws can also estimate the overall body size.

In the study, Professor Iba and colleagues documented evident signs of wear on 15 large jaw fossils of ancient octopus relatives previously collected from Cretaceous deposits in Japan and Vancouver Island.

Moreover, through digital fossil mining techniques, they uncovered 12 flat-tailed octopus jaws entrapped in Cretaceous rocks in Japan.

The analysis categorized two major species: Nanaimoteti Zeretsky and Nanaimoteutis hagarti.

This finned octopus, Nanaimoteutis hagarti, remarkably grows to exceptional sizes ranging from 7 to 19 meters (23 to 62 feet), comparable to contemporary giant marine reptiles, and may represent the largest described invertebrates to date.

Additionally, the jaws of the largest specimens exhibit considerable wear, with the once sharp features of smaller juveniles dulled and rounded over time.

The wear patterns indicate that these creatures were active carnivores, routinely crushing hard shells and bones with powerful bites.

They used their long, flexible arms to capture prey while skillfully dissecting it with their strong beaks—behaviors associated with advanced intelligence.

“This study presents the first direct evidence that invertebrates can evolve into large, intelligent apex predators in an ecosystem largely dominated by vertebrates for approximately 400 million years,” Professor Iba noted.

“Our findings indicate that robust jaws and the absence of a superficial skeleton, a characteristic common to both octopuses and marine vertebrates, were crucial for their evolution into large, intelligent marine predators.”

These findings were published in the Online Journal on April 23, 2026, in Science.

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Arata Ikegami et al. 2026. The earliest octopuses were giant top predators of the Cretaceous oceans. Science 392 (6796): 406-410; doi: 10.1126/science.aea6285

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists Uncover Terrifying ‘Kraken’: The True Apex Predator of the Dinosaur Era

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Scientists have recently uncovered that giant octopuses, reaching lengths of up to 19 meters (62 feet), were the true apex predators of the ocean during the dinosaur era.

In a groundbreaking study published in the magazine Science, researchers examined the fossilized jaws of two octopus species: Nanaimoteutis Zeretsky and N. Hagarty. These fossils were recovered from Late Cretaceous deposits dating back 100 million to 72 million years ago.

The extensive wear observed on the jaws of these adult specimens indicates that these colossal creatures were powerful, active carnivores, capable of crushing hard shells and bones. The largest octopuses of this time rivaled the size of the ocean’s largest marine reptiles.

According to Yasuhiro Iba, an associate professor at Hokkaido University, “They lived in the oceans during the age of the dinosaurs, alongside marine reptiles, large fish, sharks, ammonites, and large-shelled animals” as reported by BBC Science Focus.

Nanaimoteutis likely utilized its impressive size and extended arms for capturing prey while employing its powerful jaws to crush shells and bones, making it a formidable, intelligent predator at the top of the ocean food web.

In their research, scientists discovered 12 previously hidden octopus jaws through an innovative technique called digital fossil mining. This method transforms the interiors of rocks into high-resolution image datasets, allowing AI to create 3D models of fossils.

Unlike sharks and reptiles, this giant was at the top of the food chain despite its soft body – Photo courtesy of Hokkaido University

According to Iba, this advanced method can enhance fossil discovery rates by over 10,000 times compared to traditional techniques.

The asymmetrical wear on these jaws suggests a potential unilateral preference, indicating that these ancient octopuses may have exhibited behaviors similar to modern species, such as arm and eye preference, implying a remarkable level of intelligence.

These remarkable creatures might be the largest invertebrates ever recorded, earning Iba’s team the nickname “Cretaceous Kraken.”

However, the descendants of these octopuses now inhabit the depths of the ocean, having been displaced by newer generations of apex predators.

As Iba noted, “It was probably overtaken by a modern predator, such as a whale.”

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The Great White Shark: The Largest Invertebrate Predator in History

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Giant octopus sketch

Restoration of a Giant Octopus

Yohei Utsugi / Graduate School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hokkaido University

The Cretaceous seas were once dominated by a formidable giant octopus species, potentially reaching lengths of up to 19 meters, rivaling the era’s most intimidating predators, including sharks and marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs and mosasaurs.

According to Yasuhiro Iba from Hokkaido University, these octopuses acted as apex predators in their ecosystem. “They can be likened to the killer whales or great whites of the invertebrate realm—large, intelligent, and proficient hunters,” states Iba. These colossal beings boasted over 10 meters in length with robust arms and powerful jaws designed to crush hard prey, likely displaying complex behaviors.

Researchers, including Iba and his colleagues, analyzed 27 large octopus jaw fossils dating from 100 million to 72 million years ago, discovered in Japan and Vancouver Island, Canada. Remarkably, over a dozen of these jaw fossils, previously unseen by science, were unearthed through “digital fossil mining,” leveraging advanced scanning technology and AI to reveal the octopus remains embedded within stone.

The jaw, or beak, is often the only surviving fossil component of an octopus, made primarily of durable chitin, while the softer parts decay.

Initially thought to comprise five Cretaceous octopus species, recent research indicates that only two have been identified to date: Nanaimoteutis zeretskyi and N. hagarti.

Iba notes, “We quickly observed the jaw’s unusual size, especially that of N. hagarti. It stood out even among modern large cephalopods.” The true scale emerged from correlating the jaw’s size to the length of the mantle in contemporary long-bodied octopuses, estimating that N. hagarti may have reached overall lengths between 6.6 and 18.6 meters, marking it as one of Earth’s largest invertebrates.

John Long, a professor at Flinders University in Australia, expressed that he was unsurprised by this finding. “Many creatures during the Cretaceous period exhibited gigantism, including sharks, marine reptiles, and ammonites, filling the ocean with ample prey for large predators,” he said, while acknowledging the surprising nature of finding giant killer octopuses as apex predators of the Cretaceous seas.

Comparative Size of Ancient Octopuses and Cretaceous Marine Predators

Yohei Utsugi / Graduate School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hokkaido University

Notably, ancient octopuses bore a resemblance to modern giant squids (Architeuthis dux), which can grow beyond 12 meters. However, as Iba points out, they possessed distinct traits. Squids feature eight arms and two long tentacles for captures, while octopuses utilize all eight arms effectively to ensnare prey.

Nanaimoteutis likely did not pursue prey like squids but rather employed their lengthy, flexible arms for capture, complemented by their formidable jaws for processing.” The researchers also scrutinized wear patterns on ancient jaws, indicating substantial “hard material processing,” implying they preyed on robust organisms like large bivalves, ammonites, crustaceans, fish, or other cephalopods.

While the intuition might suggest they hunted massive creatures, careful consideration is warranted. “No direct evidence,” says Iba, “indicates predation on marine reptiles or sharks, such as stomach contents or bite marks on vertebrate bones.”

Fossil Jaws of Nanaimoteutis hagarti (top) and N. zeretskyi (bottom)

Hokkaido University

Another noteworthy observation was the uneven wear on the jaws, suggesting a phenomenon known as “lateralization.” This behavioral preference for one side of the body may indicate a level of intelligence, echoing characteristics seen in modern octopuses.

Overall, lateralization is linked to sophisticated brain function and efficient information processing. “The asymmetrical wear on our fossil jaws implies these octopuses had individual feeding preferences,” asserts Iba, highlighting their physical strength, behavioral complexity, and possible unique tendencies.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Research: Early Drivers of Fire Use for Meat Preservation and Predator Protection, Not Cooking

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The advent of fire marks a significant point in human evolution, though scholars continue to debate its primary function. While cooking is frequently regarded as a key factor, researchers from Tel Aviv University propose that the protection of meat and fat from predators is more plausible. Homo Erectus lived during the Lower Paleolithic era, approximately 1.9 to 0.78 million years ago.

Homo Erectus.” width=”580″ height=”435″ srcset=”https://cdn.sci.news/images/2018/07/image_6228_1-Neanderthal-Fire-Use.jpg 580w, https://cdn.sci.news/images/2018/07/image_6228_1-Neanderthal-Fire-Use-300×225.jpg 300w” sizes=”(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px”/>

Miki Ben-Dor & Ran Barkai’s research highlights the nutritional value of meat and fat from large prey in the Lower Paleolithic, questioning the significance of culinary practices in shaping human dietary evolution and offering new insights into adaptations in Homo Erectus.

“The origins of fire usage is a ‘burning’ question among prehistoric researchers globally,” stated Professor Barkay, a co-author of the study.

“By around 400,000 years ago, it was widely accepted that fire was commonly used in domestic settings. I concur with the idea of meat roasting, as well as its use for lighting and heating.”

“However, there remains a debate concerning the past million years, with various theories put forth to explain early human interactions with fire.”

“This study aimed to approach this issue from a new angle.”

“For early humans, the use of fire wasn’t a given; most archaeological sites dated around 400,000 years ago show no signs of fire usage,” explained Dr. Miki Ben-Dor, lead author of the study from Tel Aviv University.

“However, in many early locations, there are clear indications of fire usage, even if there’s no evidence of burnt bones or roasted meat.”

“We see early humans—nearly Homo Erectus—utilizing fire sporadically for specific purposes rather than regularly.”

“Collecting fuel, igniting a fire, and maintaining it involved substantial effort, requiring a compelling energy-efficient reason.”

“We propose a new hypothesis for that motivation.”

In their research, the authors reviewed existing literature on all identified prehistoric sites between 1.8 million and 800,000 years ago where fire evidence has been found.

They identified nine sites globally, including Gesher Benot Ya’aqov and Evron Quarry in Israel, six sites in Africa, and one site in Spain.

The study also drew from ethnographic research on contemporary hunter-gatherer societies, relating their behaviors to ancient conditions.

“We examined the common features of these nine ancient sites and found they all contained a significant number of bones from large animals, mainly elephants, hippos, and rhinoceroses,” Dr. Ben-Dor noted.

“Previous research has shown these large animals were critical to early human diets, providing a substantial portion of their caloric needs.”

“For instance, the meat and fat from a single elephant can supply millions of calories, enough to sustain a group of 20 to 30 people for over a month.”

“Thus, hunting elephants and hippos was highly valuable—essentially a ‘bank’ of meat and fat that required protection and preservation, as it was sought after by predators and susceptible to decay.”

Through their analysis of findings and assessments of energetic benefits of preserving meat and fat, the researchers arrived at new conclusions that challenge previous theories. Early fires served dual purposes: first, to safeguard valuable resources from predators, and second, to facilitate smoking and prevent spoilage.

“This study introduces a novel perspective on the motivations behind early human fire use: the necessity to protect large game from other predators and the long-term preservation of substantial meat supplies,” Professor Barkay explained.

“Cooking may have occurred occasionally after fire was established for these protective purposes.”

“Such usage could elucidate evidence of fish roasting around 800,000 years ago found at Gesher Benot Ya’aqov.”

“Our approach aligns with evolving global theories that characterize major prehistoric trends as adaptations to hunting and consuming large animals, followed by a gradual shift to smaller prey exploitation.”

Survey results were published in the journal Nutrition Frontier.

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Miki Ben-Dor & Ran Barkai. 2025. The bioenergy approach supports the conservation and protection of prey, rather than cooking, as a primary driver for early use of fire. Front. Nutr. 12; doi:10.3389/fnut.2025.1585182

Source: www.sci.news

An ancient saber-toothed predator roamed 270 million years ago

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Reconstruction of the oldest known gorgonopsian

henry sutherland sharpe

The earliest known sabertooths hunted large prey 270 million years ago. The newly discovered remains could help explain how early mammal relatives became warm-blooded animals.

The first land predators usually hunted relatively small prey. But things changed about 273 million years ago, when an event known as the Olson extinction shook ecosystems around the world. Then, much larger terrestrial herbivores began to appear, and predators needed new weapons to dispatch such large prey. Josep Fortuny At the Miquel Cursafont Catalan Institute of Paleontology, Barcelona, ​​Spain.

This may help explain why the fossilized partial skeleton of an ancient predator that Fortuny and his colleagues just discovered on the Spanish island of Mallorca had saber-shaped teeth. These fangs are better suited for injuring larger prey than for grabbing and holding small animals. “This was the first time we had access to this kind of tool for preying on herbivores,” Fortuny said.

Dating back an estimated 270 million years, this predator is the oldest known member of a group of carnivores known as gorgonopsians, all of whom had saber-shaped teeth. The largest gorgonopsids grew to several meters in length, with canine teeth reaching 15 centimeters in length. The Mallorca gorgonopsian was smaller, measuring about 1 meter long and its canine teeth only 5 centimeters long. Fortuny said researchers are waiting to name the new gorgonopsian until they have analyzed the bones and teeth in more detail.

Ancient predators are important not only because of their age. At the time they roamed Mallorca, the island was part of a tropical supercontinent called Pangea, but all known fossils of gorgonopsids date back 270 million years. They come from areas of the world that were at high latitudes. The new discovery suggests that the gorgonopsian actually originated near the equator.

Perhaps adaptations developed there, such as the ability to efficiently hunt large prey, may have allowed them to regulate their body temperature in order to spread into cooler habitats away from the equator.

Fortuny says it’s important to better understand this process because gorgonopsids belonged to the therapsids, a group of animals that also includes mammals. “There’s a lot of debate about the first steps in thermoregulation in this group,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Namibia was home to a massive salamander-like predator 280 million years ago

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A newly described trunk tetrapod exceeding 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) in length Gaiacia geniae It was probably the largest organism of its kind.

Reconstructing your life Gaiacia geniaeImage courtesy of Gabriel Lio.

Gaiacia geniae It lived in what is now Namibia during the Early Permian period, about 280 million years ago.

“Most of our ideas about the early evolution of tetrapods come from fossils found in the vast coal-producing ancient equatorial wetlands of what is now Europe and North America,” said paleontologist Claudia Marsicano of the University of Buenos Aires and her colleagues.

“but Gaiacia geniae They come from far south and live in the area of ​​the southern supercontinent Gondwana, around 55 degrees south latitude.”

The structure of the skull and jaw Gaiacia geniae It had a powerful bite that allowed it to catch large prey.

“Gaiacia geniae “This dinosaur was significantly larger than a human and likely lived near the bottom of a swamp or lake,” said Dr Jason Pardo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Field Museum of Natural History.

“It has a big, flat, toilet seat-shaped head with an open mouth so it can suck in prey. It has huge fangs, and the whole front of its mouth is made up of giant teeth.”

“It's a large predator, but it could also be a relatively slow-moving ambush predator.”

Nearly complete skeleton Gaiacia geniae After preparation. Image courtesy of Claudia Marsicano.

At least four fossils Gaiacia geniaeRemains were found, including skull fragments and an incomplete spinal column. Gaias Layer Northwestern Namibia.

“When we found this enormous specimen lying in the outcrop as a giant concretion, we were truly shocked,” Dr Marsicano said.

“As soon as we saw it we knew it was something completely different. Everyone was so excited,” he said.

“When I examined the skull, the structure at the front of the skull caught my attention.”

“That was the only part that was clearly visible at the time, and it showed large tusks that interlocked in a very unusual way, creating a biting technique that was so typical of early tetrapods.”

“We had some really amazing material, including a complete skull, which allowed us to compare it to other animals from this period and learn what kind of animal it was and what makes it unique. We could see there's a lot that's special about this creature,” Dr Pardo added.

Gaiacia geniae They are related to the extinct family of amphibian-like animals called colosteids. Colostacea) are thought to date back even further, having been replaced by more modern amphibians and reptiles during the Late Carboniferous period, about 307 million years ago.

“There are ancient animals that survived 300 million years ago, but they were rare, small and had unique behaviours,” Dr Pardo said.

“Gaiacia geniae They are large, they are numerous, and they appear to be the primary predators in their ecosystem.”

“This shows that what was happening in the far south was very different from what was happening at the equator.”

“This is really important because we don't really know where a lot of the animal groups that showed up during this time came from.”

“What we discovered is Gaiacia geniae “This tells us that there must have been a rich ecosystem in the oceans far to the south that could support these very large predators.”

“The more we look, the more answers we may find about the major animal groups that interest us, such as the ancestors of mammals and modern reptiles.”

Team Investigation result Published in the journal Nature.

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CA Marsicano othersGiant trunk tetrapods were apex predators during the Late Palaeozoic glacial stages of Gondwana. NaturePublished online July 3, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07572-0

Source: www.sci.news

The Gaiasia geniae: Namibia’s Prehistoric Giant Salamander Predator from 280 Million Years Ago

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Reconstruction of Gaiasia geniae

Gabriel Rio

280 million years ago, the cold swamps of what is now the Namib Desert were home to giant salamander-like predators that sucked prey into their mouths and captured them with their enormous fangs.

The fossil creature was first discovered in Namibia in 2015. Researchers found a total of four incomplete specimens, which they estimate to have measured 2.5 metres in body length and a skull length of 60 centimetres, making it the largest of its kind yet found.

Claudia Marsicano Researchers from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina have now described the fossils in detail and given them species names. Gaiacia geniae Paleontologist Jennifer Kluck with later strata of the Gaius Formation in Namibia.

nevertheless G. geniae It may have resembled a dangerous, extremely over-scaled salamander, like the giant axolotl, but it wasn't a true amphibian. Rather, the animal belonged to an ancient group of tetrapods that eventually gave rise to amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

A specimen of Gaiasia geniae found in the wild

Roger M. H. Smith

Marsicano said the animal probably hunted by lying in wait, much like a crocodile, for prey to pass by.Gaiacia “It was an aquatic animal with a very elongated body that probably swam like an eel, but had very short limbs that would have made it very difficult for it to move around on land,” she says.

The discovery reshapes our understanding of the distribution of early tetrapods, most of whose fossils have been found in the Northern Hemisphere, which had a tropical climate centered on the equator 280 million years ago.

But at the time, Marsicano said, what is now Namibia would have been at a much higher latitude, around 55 degrees south. Gaiacia The fossils were discovered during the Ice Age. [at the time] Severe cold climatic conditions prevailed.”

Despite the cold, Gaiacia This suggests the area was relatively populated, with “a rich vertebrate community thriving,” Marsicano says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Origami assists single-celled predator in elongating its ‘neck’

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Two micropipettes hold the organism and extend its “neck”

Elliot Flaum and Manu Prakash/Stanford University

Imagine if your neck could stretch long enough to reach your local store while sitting on the couch. That would be a human representation of what a single-celled predator can do. And now, a long-standing mystery has been solved: how that animal can stretch its “neck” to more than 30 times the length of its “body.”

The organism’s cell membrane is folded into a series of folds that can only unfold and fold in one direction. Elliot Flaum Stanford University and her colleagues Manu Prakash They found ways to stretch and fold the paper without it getting tangled. “Most of this came from just playing with paper,” Prakash says.

Lacrimaria Aurore It is a single-celled organism, or protist, that lives in freshwater and hunts prey with a highly extensible neck-like protrusion. Its name means “swan’s tears” after its swan-like neck and teardrop-shaped body.

The cell membrane is very flexible, but it is not elastic and does not stretch. L. Aurore Why their necks stretch so far has remained a mystery since they were first observed under a microscope in the 16th century. “Compared to a lot of other organisms, the neck stretches by an order of magnitude,” Prakash says. “That’s the mystery.”

He and Flaum L. Aurore To solve this mystery, samples taken from the swamp six or seven years ago were studied. Flaum used a variety of techniques to L. Aurore And inside that cytoskeleton is made up of structures called microtubules. “We looked at it in a variety of different ways to try to understand what was going on,” she says.

This means: L. Aurore It is folded into 15 pleats, with each pleat spiralling around the cell to form a helical structure, a folding pattern Prakash calls “curved crease origami,” or “lacrigami.”

but, L. Aurore How can such a vast region of the cell membrane unfold and fold without getting tangled? What Prakash and Flaum discovered is that because the pleats are stabilized by bands of microtubules connected to them, the entire fold cannot unfold at once. Instead, only a single point of the fold can unfold or fold at any one time.

As these points move in parallel along each of the 15 wrinkles, the cell membrane unfolds in an orderly fashion, lengthening the neck. Reversing this process shortens the neck.

“Instead of folding randomly like you would when crumpling a sheet of paper, it has guide rails that help you fold it the same way every time,” Flaum says.

The folding and unfolding of cells is driven by the beating of cilia that cover the entire surface of the cell, Prakash said. Unlike springs, cilia require energy to refold and unfold, whereas cell membranes bend easily and require very little energy.

As far as he knows, no one has discovered this origami technique before. “When I discovered this, I always assumed that someone playing with paper would have discovered this origami,” Prakash says. “It’s so easy.” He says anyone with paper and tape can make it.

“The neck’s ingenious origami-like design makes the cilia effective for high-speed, long-distance hunting,” they write. Leonardo Gordillo and Enrique Cerda At the University of Santiago in Chile Accompanying Articles“The origami-like protrusion mechanism identified by Flaum and Prakash has the potential to inspire new strategies in soft-matter engineering.”

In fact, Prakash and Flaum are currently working on developing a medical robot based on Rakurigami. “If you had a tiny microrobot in a very tight space, and it could suddenly stretch, that would be very useful for microsurgery,” he says. “But we did this research because it’s just beautiful and a mystery to solve. We didn’t expect it to be useful in any way.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

A ‘Giant’ Predator Roamed the Waters of Greenland 518 Million Years Ago

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It has fins on the sides of its body, a unique head with long antennae, a huge jaw structure in its mouth, and can grow to over 30 cm (11.8 inches) in length. Timole Bestia Copley It was one of the largest animals in the ocean during the early Cambrian period.

reconstruction of Timole Bestia Copley Among the pelagic ecosystems preserved in Sirius Passet. Other species shown in the foreground are key salt kia, silicalis, Kerygmacella, Paulo end point, Kleptosurand Isoxis; There are also two radioactive substances in the background. Tamisiocharis And Unplected Belid. Image credit: Robert Nicholls/BobNichollsArt.

Timole Bestia Copley They lived in the early Cambrian oceans over 518 million years ago.

The fossilized remains of this animal were discovered in Fossil locality of Sirius Passet in northern Greenland.

“We previously knew that the main predators of the Cambrian were primitive arthropods, including the bizarre-looking anomalocariids,” said Dr Jacob Binther, a palaeontologist at the University of Bristol.

“but, Timole Bestia Copley is a distant but close relative of a living caterpillar; or Chetognath. These are much smaller marine predators today, feeding on small zooplankton. ”

“Our study shows that these ancient marine ecosystems were fairly complex and had food chains that tolerated multiple layers of predators.”

“Timole Bestia They were the giants of their time and would have been near the top of the food chain. As such, they are as important as major carnivores in the modern ocean, such as Cambrian sharks and seals. ”

Inside a fossilized digestive system Timole Bestia CopleyDr. Vinther et al. Isoxis.

“We can see that these arthropods were a food source for many other animals,” says palaeontologist Dr Morten Lunde Nielsen of the Korean Polar Research Institute, the University of Bristol and the British Geological Survey.

“They were very common in Sirius Passet and had long protective spines pointing both forward and backward.”

“But it is clear that they could not completely avoid that fate. Timole Bestia I munched on them in large quantities. ”

holotype of Timole Bestia Copley.Image credit: Park other., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adi6678.

“Arrowworms are one of the oldest animal fossils from the Cambrian period. Arthropods appear in the fossil record about 521 to 529 million years ago, but arrowworms appear in the fossil record at least 500 million years ago. It can be traced back to 38 million years ago,” Dr. Vinter said.

“Both arrowworms and more primitive arrowworms, Timole Bestia, was a swimming predator. Therefore, we can infer that they were likely predators that dominated the oceans before arthropods took off. ”

“They probably had a dynasty for about 10 to 15 million years before being replaced by other more successful groups.”

“Timole Bestia “This is a hugely important discovery for understanding where these jawed predators came from,” said Dr Luke Parry from the University of Oxford.

“Today, the caterpillar has formidable setae on the outside of its head to catch prey, but Timole Bestia There is a jaw in the head. ”

“This is the bearded bug that we can see under a microscope today, and it is an organism that shared an ancestor with the bearded bug more than 500 million years ago.”

“Timole Bestia And other fossils like it provide a link between closely related organisms that look very different today. ”

“Our discovery confirms how the beetles evolved,” said Dr. Taeyoon Park, a paleontologist at the Korea Polar Research Institute.

“The abdomen of living arrowworms has a unique nerve center called the ventral ganglion. It is completely unique to these animals.”

“I found this saved. Timole Bestia and another fossil called Amiskwia”

“People are, Amiskwia As part of the evolutionary stem lineage, it was closely related to the caterpillar. ”

“The preservation of these unique ventral ganglia gives us even more confidence in this hypothesis.”

team's work It was published in the magazine scientific progress.

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Taeyoon S. Park other. 2024. Chaetognus in the giant stem group. scientific progress 10(1); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adi6678

Source: www.sci.news