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How One Man Thrived for 555 Days Without a Heart

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The chronicles of medical history demonstrate that the human body is remarkably resilient. Numerous documented cases illustrate this, including that of a French man who was discovered alive in 2007 with 90 percent of his brain missing.

This 44-year-old man was leading a typical life when it was revealed that he had severe hydrocephalus, a condition where cerebrospinal fluid replaces brain tissue.

His case exemplifies biological redundancy and adaptability, as remaining tissues compensate for lost functions (primarily through neuroplasticity).

Similar adaptations can occur with paired organs, like the lungs, kidneys, and testicles. When one organ fails, the remaining one can assume both functions.










In many instances, even after critical organ loss, advanced medical techniques can keep individuals alive.

For instance, a young American man carried a functioning artificial heart in his backpack for 555 days awaiting a transplant after his own was removed.

In some “pneumothorax cases,” surgeons can remove a patient’s heart and lungs, substituting them with a life support system known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

There are instances of individuals living without several organs.

The chronicles of medical history illustrate the incredible resilience of the human body – Image courtesy of Robin Boyden

Some patients with stomach cancer may need multiple digestive organs removed, including the full stomach, spleen, pancreas, small intestine, and colon.

Survival is possible in these situations through a combination of enzyme supplements, a tailored diet, parenteral nutrition, and sometimes insulin supplementation.

Additional internal organs that can be lived without include the gallbladder, bladder, thyroid, and appendix.

While it’s uncertain if there’s a maximum number of organs one can live without simultaneously, losing several organs in a single incident often leads to death due to blood loss, infection, or severe trauma.

This article is in response to Miriam Russell of Hull’s inquiry: “How many organs can you live without?”

If you have questions, please email us at: questions@sciencefocus.com or reach out via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram Page (please include your name and location).

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Was There an Overlooked Culture in Bronze Age Türkiye that Thrived?

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The remnants of Seyitömer Höyük in western Turkey exemplify a classic Luwian settlement.

Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, Department of Excavations; Luwian Studies #0255

Surveys of archaeological locations in western Turkey have uncovered numerous significant towns that thrived during the Bronze Age. This lends credence to the contentious theory that this area hosted influential political entities which contributed to the upheaval in the eastern Mediterranean around 3,200 years ago.

Historically, scholars have recognized several prominent Bronze Age civilizations coexisting in the Eastern Mediterranean from approximately 2000 to 1200 BC, including the ancient Egyptians, the Mycenaean Greeks, and the Hittites of present-day central Turkey.

Yet, President Eberhard Sanger, Luwian research, has long thought that critical elements might be missing from the current understanding. He theorizes that there existed a number of formidable states in western Turkey, positioned between the Hittites on the eastern side and the Mycenaeans on the western side.

A decade ago, Sanger revealed findings based on satellite imagery suggesting that western Turkey was home to archaeological sites supporting his theory. However, the timelines of occupation at these locations remained unclear from the images alone.

In the ensuing years, Sanger and his team have analyzed excavation reports from various Turkish sites and personally visited many locations to deepen their knowledge of their historical context.

The focus has been on large sites exceeding 100 meters in diameter, where archaeologists uncovered Bronze Age pottery. The newly published database catalogs 483 archaeological sites across western Turkey fulfilling these criteria. “We are studying settlements that hosted hundreds of individuals over centuries,” Sanger noted.

He speculates that these settlements were organized into a network of small states, which he collectively refers to as the Ruwian states. This evokes parallels to Mycenaean civilization, which also appeared to be comprised of several small states, each with its respective palace and king. Sanger remarked that these provinces remain largely unrecognized due to the tendency of Turkish excavators to focus on individual site contexts rather than regional interactions.

The notion that a small yet significant state existed in this region isn’t entirely inconsistent with current evidence. “There was a substantial kingdom known as Arzawa in western Anatolia,” states Guy Middleton from Newcastle University, UK, who did not participate in the study. “The king of Arzawa communicated with the pharaoh.” [Amenhotep III] During a period when the neighboring Hittite kingdom was waning, he was referred to as the “Great King,” akin to one of the gangsters.

However, much archaeological evidence pertaining to Arzawa and additional Ruwian provinces remains elusive, according to Sanger. He attributes this partly to the fact that many sites associated with these states experienced continued occupation well after the Bronze Age, effectively burying the Ruwian layers under more recent archaeological layers. “It can take years or even decades of excavation to reach Bronze Age strata,” he remarked.

Ian Rutherford, a researcher from the University of Reading in Britain, states that “Luwian” was a term used by the Hittites to refer to the people of western Anatolia, but without additional evidence, it’s challenging to ascertain if everyone there was Luwian or if non-Luwian cultures were also present. “I remain skeptical,” he commented.

Most provocatively, Sanger posits that the Luwian states occasionally formed extensive political coalitions that could contend with the more recognized Bronze Age civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean. He even suspects that a Luwian confederacy played a role in the collapse of Hittite civilization approximately 3,200 years ago, instigating an assault on ancient Egypt at that time. A mysterious group known as the Sea Peoples often features in these historical events, and Sanger believes they were Luwians. Many researchers, including Middleton, contend that the narrative surrounding the collapse of the Sea Peoples and Bronze Age civilizations is considerably more intricate and nuanced.

Nevertheless, Sanger finds support for his theories in unexpected sources. One such source is the myth of the Trojan War in ancient Greece, set during the late Bronze Age. In this narrative, vast numbers of Mycenaean Greeks purportedly engaged in a protracted ten-year conflict at Troy, which Sanger identifies as one of the proposed Luwian states.

He points out that the account appears odd, given that it reportedly took ten years for such a large Greek army to seize a relatively modest city. He theorizes that the tale gained traction in the centuries following the Bronze Age as audiences at that time interpreted it to depict a significant clash between the Greeks and a robust coalition of warriors from various Luwian provinces. “Fiction must resonate,” remarks Sanger.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Newly Identified Freshwater Turtle Species Thrived During Dinosaur Extinction

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Paleontologists have introduced a new genus and species of stem cell turtles, based on complete fossil shells discovered in the early Ale Holocene Denver Formation in Colorado.

Reconstruction of Tavachelydra stevensoni in a water environment with logs. Image credit: Andrey Atuchin.

Tavachelydra stevensoni existed in present-day US during the late Ale Holocene, approximately 66-65 million years ago, shortly after the mass extinction event.

The species is part of the Chelydridae family of freshwater turtles, which includes at least seven extinct species and two extant genera.

“The clade of extant Chelydrid turtles (Chelydridae) comprises five species native to the New World,” stated Dr. Tyler Lyson from the Denver Museum of Natural Sciences and his team.

“Though not a varied clade, Chelydrid turtles are commonly found in most North American freshwater ecosystems.”

“The broader group of Chelydrids (i.e., Pan-Chelydridae) is present throughout Laurasia, but their fossil records are notoriously fragmented.”

Fossilized shells and two skulls of Tavachelydra stevensoni were found in the Corral Bluffs survey area in El Paso County, southern Colorado, east of Colorado Springs.

“The straight shell measures nearly 50 cm in length, making Tavachelydra stevensoni one of the larger turtles from the early Ale (Puercan) of the Denver Basin,” remarked the paleontologist.

“Interestingly, two Pan-Chelydrid turtles coexisted during the early Middle Age of this formation: Tavachelydra stevensoni and Denverus middletonii.

“The size difference is significant, with Tavachelydra stevensoni being at least four times larger than Denverus middletonii, which may have reduced competition between the two species in overlapping geographical ranges.”

Although little is known about the paleoenvironment of the single known specimen of Denverus middletonii, the yellow sandstone of fine to medium grain was initially interpreted as channel fill.

In contrast, the two specimens of Tavachelydra stevensoni suggest that they were likely found in ponded waters or sediments, indicating they lived in sediment-rich areas such as overbank deposits.

“While little can be said about the diet of Denverus middletonii due to the lack of skull preservation, the skulls of Tavachelydra stevensoni show large, wide, flat surfaces, likely used to consume hard-shelled organisms such as corals, shelled mollusks, and crabs,” noted the researchers.

“Thus, it seems plausible that Denverus middletonii and Tavachelydra stevensoni occupied distinct ecological niches, with Tavachelydra stevensoni preferring a pond habitat and a durophagous diet.”

“Remarkably, turtle species with a durophagous diet have shown higher survival rates during mass extinction events compared to those with softer diets.”

In addition to the presumed dietary habits of Tavachelydra stevensoni, other common reptiles from the same sedimentary formation include the button-toothed crocodile Cf. Wangonacosuchus and Baenid turtles such as Paratabena nerrellum, Succersies gilberti, and Cedrobaena putrius.

“This indicates that durophagy was a significant life history trait for the earliest Ale-Holocene freshwater vertebrates in North America.”

The discovery of Tavachelydra stevensoni is detailed in a paper published in the Swiss Journal of Palaeontology.

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TR Lyson et al. 2025. New pan-chlydrid turtle, Tavachelydra stevensoni gen. et sp. from the Coral Bluffs area, Lower Aleapione (early Danian, Puercan), Denver Basin, Colorado. Swiss J Palaeontol 144, 46; doi:10.1186/s13358-025-00375-4

Source: www.sci.news

Research Suggests Early Primates Thrived in Cold and Temperate Climates

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Textbooks frequently depict primates as having evolved and dispersed exclusively in warm tropical forests, largely based on fossil evidence found in tropical regions. However, a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Reading indicates that the earliest primates may have thrived in North America’s cold climate, experiencing hot summers and frozen winters.

Primates have transitioned to historically diverse climates: (a) For all primates, transition between the main climates of temperate (top), arid (left), tropical (bottom), and cold (right). The size of the arrows represents the percentage of phylogenetic branches with each transition. (b) Climate transition of early primates living between 650,780,000 years ago. (c) Climate transition of species that lived between 47.8 and 2303 million years ago. (d) Climate transition of species that have lived from 2,303 million years ago to the present. Image credit: Avaria-llautureo et al. , doi: 10.1073/pnas.2423833122.

In this research, Jorge Avalia Lautulo from the University of Reading and his team harnessed statistical modeling alongside fossil data to reconstruct ancient environments and trace where the common ancestors of modern primates existed.

“For decades, the prevailing belief was that primates evolved within warm tropical forests,” stated Dr. Abaria Lautzleo.

“Our findings dramatically overturn this narrative. We discovered that primates did not originate in the lush jungles but in the cold, seasonal environments of the Northern Hemisphere.”

“Understanding how ancient primates adapted to climate change offers insights into how current species might respond to modern shifts in climate and environment.”

Primates, capable of relocating swiftly in response to rapid weather changes, excelled at reproducing, ensuring that offspring survived to establish new species.

As they migrated, primates moved towards entirely different, more stable climates. On average, those remaining in similarly unstable regions were about 561 km apart.

Early primates might have hibernated through the frozen winters, much like today’s bears, sleeping through the coldest months to slow their heart rates and conserve energy.

Some small primates continue this behavior today; for instance, the dwarf lemur in Madagascar digs underground, sleeping for several months during colder periods, shielded from freezing temperatures by layers of roots and leaves.

It wasn’t until millions of years later that primates reached tropical forests.

They began in cold habitats, gradually migrating through temperate zones, arid desert-like areas, and ultimately arriving at today’s hot, humid jungles.

As local temperatures and precipitation fluctuated drastically, primates were compelled to seek new habitats, which facilitated the development of new species.

“Our research indicates that non-tropical, changing environments exerted strong selective pressures on primates with greater dispersal capabilities, encouraging primate diversification and the eventual colonization of tropical climates millions of years post-origination,” the authors concluded.

Their paper was published on August 5th in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Jorge Avalia Rautreo et al. 2025. Radiation and geographical expansion of primates due to diverse climates. PNAS 122 (32): E2423833122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2423833122

Source: www.sci.news

Ancient Salmon and Pike Ancestors Thrived in Alaska’s Freshwater 73 Million Years Ago

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Paleontologists have identified three new fossil species. Sivulliusalmo Alaskensis was found in a purine cream formation in northern Alaska, USA.

Chinook salmon (oncorhynchus tschawytscha). Image credit: US Geological Survey.

“Sivulliusalmo Alaskensis reveals significant insights,” remarked Dr. Patrick Druckenmiller, the director of the University of Alaska Museum in the North.

“Our research uncovers several additional species of ancient fish new to the Arctic, including two new pike species: Archaeosiilik Gilmulli and Nunikuluk Gracilis, as well as the oldest record within the group comprising carp and minnows.”

“Many fish we now consider unique to Alaska’s high-latitude environment existed alongside dinosaurs.”

The discovery of Sivulliusalmo Alaskensis adds an impressive 20 million years to the fossil history of the salmon family.

Previously, the oldest known salmonidae fossil was from British Columbia and Washington.

“It’s noteworthy that the Salmonidae, which typically thrives in cold water, adapted and flourished during the warm Cretaceous period, enduring for millions of years amidst significant geographical and climatic changes,” noted Andres Lopez, Fish Curator at the University of Alaska in the north.

“Even though the Arctic was warm during that era, there would still be substantial seasonal variations in temperature and sunlight, much like today.”

“Salmon were among the fish adept at navigating these dramatic shifts.”

“Despite the planet’s numerous geological and climatic transformations, the ancestors of the same species group persisted in dominating the region’s freshwater ecosystems.”

The new species is the latest finding from the Prin Creek Formation, renowned for its dinosaur fossils discovered along the Colville River in northern Alaska.

During the Cretaceous period, Alaska was significantly closer to the Arctic than it is today.

“Fish fossils are among the most abundant in the Purine Creek Formation, yet they are challenging to distinguish in the field,” stated Dr. Druckenmiller.

“Consequently, we transported the fine sand and gravel samples to our museum lab, where microscopic analysis revealed the bones and teeth.”

“Our new findings heavily rely on small, fossilized jaws, some of which are small enough to fit on the edge of a pencil eraser.”

For detailed examination, the researchers employed micro-computed tomography to digitally reconstruct the small jaws, teeth, and other bones.

“We identified very distinct jaws and other components of the salmon family, which were recognized as belonging to this lineage,” said Dr. Druckenmiller.

“The presence of salmonidae in the Cretaceous polar regions and their coexistence with common low-light fish from this period suggests that salmonidae likely thrived in northern climates.”

“The high latitudes of the northern regions may have been vibrant centers for their evolutionary development.”

This paper was published in the journal Paleontology papers.

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Donald B. Brinkman et al. 2025. Fish from the Purine Cream Formation in the northern slopes of Alaska: the pre-Cretaceous and their paleobiogeographic significance. Paleontology papers 11(3): E70014; doi: 10.1002/spp2.70014

Source: www.sci.news

Paleontologists reveal that Extinct North American rhinoceros thrived in large groups

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Paleontologists looked at the teeth Teleoce’s major – Found in an extinct species of nasal bacteria that lived in North America from 17.5 million to 5 million years ago. Ash falling fossil bed Nebraska, USA. Here, over 100 Teleoce’s major The individual in a single hole died and was buried in ashes from the eruption of Yellowstone’s superintendent.

The flock of Teleotheras Sister. Image credit: Jay Matternes/Smithsonian Museum.

Since discovering the rhinoceros at Nebraska’s Ashwood Fossil Bed State Park in 1971, researchers have wondered what attracted so many animals in the same location.

Did they converge from afar? Perhaps they sought shelter from natural disasters that unfolded volcanic eruptions with those asphyxiation ash?

“We found out they weren’t moving much,” said Clark Ward, a researcher at the University of Minnesota.

“We found no evidence of seasonal migration or disaster response.”

Ward and colleagues looked at the ratio of strontium, oxygen and carbon isotopes Teleoce’s major Teeth tracking long, operating animal movements across the landscape.

“By studying the carbon of animals, we can reconstruct the carbon of our environment and understand what kind of vegetation lived there,” Ward said.

“You can use it to reconstruct how wet and dry the environment is.”

“And strontium tells us where the animals are forged because isotopic ratios are associated with soil and supporting bedrock.”

Teleoce’s major It was a one-horned rhino with a barrel-shaped body and sturdy hippo-like legs. Like hippos, they ate grass.

And, like hippos, researchers believe that these rhinoceros have spent a lot of time in and around the water.

Due to their vast size, they had few predators during the Miocene era.

However, their calves would have been vulnerable to predators like hyenas, known as bone-breaking dogs.

In fact, some of the specimens found on the Nebraska site have evidence that the scavenger removed some of the bodies after its death. And ancient trucks from a 45 kg (100 pound) dog are found there.

The giant Yellowstone volcano has erupted many times over the past 12 million years.

“The ashes from the eruption traveled 1,127 km (700 miles) in what is now Nebraska, where they piled up in snow, like snow,” Ward said.

“But the ashes that were blown by the wind continued to fall into Nebraska, long after the first eruption.”

“The ashes would have covered everything: grass, leaves, water.”

“Reconstructing how we equip the ancient landscapes that have disappeared provides an important context for understanding their paleoecology and sociality, and the environment in which they lived,” the scientists concluded.

Their paper Published in the journal Scientific Report.

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CT Word et al. 2025. Enamel carbon, oxygen and strontium isotopes reveal limited mobility in extinct rhinoceros in Ashford Fossil Bed, Nebraska, USA. Sci Rep 15, 11651; doi:10.1038/s41598-025-94263-z

Source: www.sci.news

Prehistoric Lovebirds Thrived in Humanity’s Birthplace 2.5 Million Years Ago

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Paleontologists have discovered the fossilized bones of a new species of parrot. Agapornis The event will take place in three regions of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “The Cradle of Humankind” in Gauteng, South Africa.

Rebuilding the couple's lives Agapornis longipes People forage on the ground during the dry season in the Early Pleistocene period of the Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng, South Africa. Image by Martina Cadin.

“Lovebirds (Genus Agapornis“Psittacidae (parrots) are small parrots endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar,” said Dr Marco Pavia from the University of Turin and his colleagues.

“It currently includes nine species that live in woodlands and wooded savannahs, breed in tree cavities, and feed mainly on grass seeds and fruits collected on the ground and, to a lesser extent, on trees.”

“Genetic data suggest that parrots colonized Africa during the late Eocene and early Oligocene. Agapornis They first migrated into Africa from Australasia during the Late Oligocene/Early Miocene, about 24 million years ago.”

“Psittacula Crameri “It is the most recent parrot to have dispersed across the continents around the boundary between the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs (2.5 to 1.5 million years ago).”

“The fossil record of African parrots is very scarce, with the oldest dating back to the early Pliocene period of the Langebaanweg.”

“Surprisingly, most of the African fossils AgapornisThe oldest one is Agapornis Attenborough It was described from the Early Pliocene of the Langebaanweg in South Africa.”

The newly identified species is Agapornis longipesIt lived in South Africa about 2.5 million years ago.

The fossils have been found at Kromdraai, Cooper Cave and Swartkrans sites in South Africa.

The specimen includes all major wing bones (humerus, ulna, carpometacarpals), tarsometatarsus, a fragmentary mandible, and a coracoid.

“The fossils were recovered from three sites in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Cradle of Humankind, a key area for understanding early human evolution in Southern Africa,” the paleontologists said.

“The Cradle of Humankind contains several hominin fossil sites dating from the Late Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene, and their study has shed light on the paleoecological and paleoenvironmental context surrounding the emergence of the genus Homo in the region, and its relationship to the contemporary species Australopithecus and Paranthropus.”

“The three fossil sites – Swartkrans, Cooper's Cave and Kromdraai – are located in the southern part of the Cradle Range, approximately one kilometre east and one and a half kilometres northeast of Sterkfontein Cave respectively, and are separated by a few hundred metres from each other,” the researchers added.

Agapornis longipes It is distinct from nine extant species. Agapornis Genus and extinct Agapornis atlanticus and Agapornis Attenborough It is known for several morphological characteristics and for having the smallest humerus-to-tarsometatarsal ratio. Agapornis seed.

“Except for one. Agapornis “These species feed primarily on grass seeds and then fruits and are generally associated with the presence of grasslands, permanent water sources and tall trees that provide either natural cavities or holes excavated by other birds such as woodpeckers or barbets,” the researchers said.

“The long, slender legs Agapornis longipes This may be related to feeding adaptations of this extinct species.”

“Indeed, modern species with a low humerus-to-tarsometatarsus ratio typically gather food on the ground, while others also gather seeds and fruits from trees.”

“We assume that Agapornis longipes As suggested by paleoenvironmental reconstructions, it used its longer legs to feed on grass seeds at ground level in the tall grass, dense prairie of the paleo-Blue Bank Valley.”

“The present-day environment in this region of the Cradle of Humankind and South Africa is not significantly different from that of the Early Pleistocene, and the extinction of lovebirds from this region during the Pleistocene is likely related to changes in microclimatic conditions and the extinction of specific food resources, rather than changes in general environmental conditions.”

This new species is paper In the journal Geobios.

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Marco Pavia othersLovebirds (birds, parrot family, AgapornisThis fossil was discovered in the Plio-Pleistocene era (Gauteng, South Africa), the birthplace of humankind. GeobiosPublished online August 9, 2024; doi: 10.1016/j.geobios.2024.05.006

Source: www.sci.news

The Denisovans thrived on the Tibetan Plateau for over 16,000 years

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Archaeologists have discovered a new human rib specimen in the White Cliff Cave, one of two sites known to have been inhabited by Denisovans. Dating from 48,000 to 32,000 years ago, the specimen also belongs to the Denisovan lineage and indicates that the caves were present into the Late Pleistocene.

Portrait of a young Denisovan woman based on a skeletal profile reconstructed from an ancient DNA methylation map. Image courtesy of Maayan Harel.

The Denisovans are an extinct human group first identified from a genome sequence determined from a finger bone fragment found in the Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia.

Subsequent genomic analyses revealed that the Denisovans diverged from Neanderthals 400,000 years ago, and that at least two distinct Denisovan populations interbred with the ancestors of modern Asians.

In 2019, a 160,000-year-old jawbone discovered in Baishiyi Cave, a limestone cave on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, was identified as being of Denisovan origin.

In 2020, archaeologists found Denisovan mtDNA in deposits from the cave, suggesting they were present around 100,000 years ago, 60,000 years ago, and possibly 45,000 years ago.

The new Denisovan rib, discovered in the Baishigai Karst Cave, dates to approximately 48,000 to 32,000 years ago.

“The combined fossil and molecular evidence indicates that the Amaka Basin, where the Baishiqai Cave is located, was a relatively stable environment for the Denisovans, despite its high altitude,” said Dr Frid Welker, an archaeologist at the University of Copenhagen.

“The question now is, when and why did the Denisovans on the Tibetan Plateau become extinct?”

In their study, Dr Welcker and his colleagues examined more than 2,500 bones discovered in the White Cliff Cave.

“We know that the Denisovans hunted, butchered and ate a wide range of animal species,” said Dr Geoff Smith, a zooarchaeologist at the University of Reading.

“Our study reveals new information about Denisovan behavior and adaptation to high-altitude environments and a changing climate.”

“We are only just beginning to understand the behavior of this incredible human species.”

The bone remains found in the Baixa Karst caves were broken into many fragments, making them difficult to identify.

The researchers used a new scientific technique that uses differences in bone collagen between animals to determine which species the bone remains belong to.

“Zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS) allows us to extract valuable information from bone fragments that are often overlooked, providing deeper insights into human activities,” said Dr Huan Xia, a researcher from Lanzhou University.

Scientists have determined that most of the bones belong to blue sheep called bharals, as well as wild yaks, horses, the extinct woolly rhinoceros and spotted hyenas.

Bones from small mammals, such as marmots, and birds were also identified.

“Current evidence suggests that it was the Denisovans, and not other human groups, who lived in caves and made effective use of all available animal resources during their occupation,” said Dr Jiang Wang, also from Lanzhou University.

“Detailed surface analysis of the bone fragments shows that the Denisovans removed the meat and marrow from the bones, but also suggests that humans used them as raw material for making tools.”

This study paper In the journal Nature.

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H. Shea othersMiddle and Late Pleistocene Denisovan life in the Baishi Cliff karst caves. NaturePublished online July 3, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07612-9

Source: www.sci.news

Paleontologists Say Early Dinosaurs Thrived and Survived Due to Advances in Motor Skills

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Early dinosaurs were faster and more dynamic than their competitors, according to a study led by University of Bristol researcher Amy Shipley.

By adopting more diverse limb morphologies and styles, dinosaurs may have been able to occupy more terrestrial habitats and greatly diversify extinction events. Image credit: Sergey Krasovskiy.

In their study, Shipley and colleagues compared the limb proportions of a wide range of Triassic reptiles. The Triassic period is the period from 252 million years ago, when dinosaurs first appeared and became famous, to 201 million years ago.

They determined which of these ancient beasts were quadrupedal (quadrupedal) or bipedal (bipedal), and also examined the cursority index, a measure of running ability.

Researchers found that not only were dinosaurs and their relatives bipedal from the beginning, meaning they had limbs adapted for running, but they also We found that it showed a much wider range of running styles. pseudostia.

Pseudonesians also included the ancestors of modern crocodiles. Although there were some small bipedal animals that ate insects, most were medium to large carnivores or herbivores, and they were diverse throughout the Triassic.

The authors believe that dinosaurs and their relatives bird metatarsal maintained a higher range of motor modes throughout this period.

“When the crisis hit 233 million years ago, the dinosaurs won,” Shipley said.

“At that time, the climate changed from wet to dry and there was severe pressure on food.”

“For some reason, dinosaurs, which had been living in small numbers for 20 million years, appeared, but no pseudo-dinosaurs appeared.”

“Like many reptiles and birds today, early dinosaurs may have been good at conserving water.”

“However, our evidence shows that their high adaptability during walking and running played an important role.”

“After the mass extinction at the end of the Triassic period, dinosaurs expanded again,” added Professor Mike Benton from the University of Bristol.

“With the exception of the crocodile ancestors, most of the pseudodinosaurs went extinct in mass extinctions, and we found that these surviving dinosaurs once again expanded their range and took over many of the niches that had been vacated.”

“When we looked at the rate of evolution, we found that dinosaurs were not actually evolving particularly rapidly,” said co-author Dr Armin Elsler, a researcher at the University of Bristol.

“This was a surprise because we expected to see rapid evolution in ornithopods and slower evolution in pseudopods.”

“What this means is that while dinosaur locomotion style was advantageous for dinosaurs, it was not the driving force behind intense evolutionary selection.”

“In other words, when the crisis happened, they were in a better position to take advantage of the opportunities after the crisis.”

“We always think of dinosaurs as large, mobile animals,” says co-author Dr Tom Stubbs, also from the University of Bristol.

“This reminds us that dinosaurs actually started out as nifty little insect-eaters.”

“The first dinosaurs were only a meter long and walked bipedally with their legs raised high. Their leg posture meant they could move quickly and capture prey while fleeing from larger predators. I meant it.”

“And of course, dinosaurs' postural diversity and focus on fast running mean that dinosaurs could diversify given the opportunity,” said co-author Suresh Singh, also from the University of Bristol. the doctor said.

“After the mass extinction at the end of the Triassic period, truly gigantic dinosaurs emerged, over 10 meters long, some with armor, many quadrupedal, but many still bipedal, like their ancestors. Walking.”

“Their diversity of posture and gait means they are highly adaptable, and this ensured their great success for a long time on Earth.”

of study It was published in the magazine Royal Society Open Science.

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Amy E. Shipley other. 2024. Archosauromorph migration and early Mesozoic success. R. Soc. Open Science 11(2):231495; doi: 10.1098/rsos.231495

Source: www.sci.news

The ‘Lost City’ of Amazon thrived for a millennium in an ancient complex

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Archaeologists in the Amazon have discovered a series of “lost cities” that have flourished for thousands of years, the results of which were published Thursday in the journal Science.

Laser images have revealed an intricate network of roads, districts, and gardens as complex as those built by the Maya civilization.

Traces of the city were first noticed more than 20 years ago by archaeologist Stephane Rostain of France's National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), but “I didn't have a complete overview of the area,” he told Science. Told.

A new laser mapping technology called LIDAR helped researchers see through forest cover and map new details of mounds and structures in Ecuador's Upano Valley settlement.

The images reveal a geometric pattern of more than 6,000 platforms connected by roads, intertwined with the agricultural landscape and river drainage channels of an urban farming civilization in the eastern foothills of the Andes.

“It was the Valley of the Lost City. It's unbelievable,” Rostain, who is leading the investigation at CNRS, told The Associated Press.

The image shows a main street cutting through the city area, forming an axis around which a complex of rectangular platforms is placed around a low square.
Antoine Dollison, Stéphane Lotay/AP

These sites were built and inhabited by the Upano people between about 500 BC and 300-600 AD, but the size of their population is not yet known.

The research team found five large settlements and 10 smaller settlements with housing and ceremonial buildings across 116 square miles of the valley. Its size is comparable to other major ruins. For example, the core area of ​​Quilamope, one of the settlements, is as large as the Giza Plateau in Egypt or the main thoroughfare of Teotihuacan in Mexico.

The landscape of Upano societies may be comparable to Mayan “garden cities,” where homes were surrounded by farmland and most of the food consumed by residents was grown in the city, the authors write in Science. Told.

Co-author Fernando Mejia, an archaeologist at the Pontifical University of Ecuador, said the discovery of Upano was so far only the “tip of the iceberg” of what could be discovered in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

The Amazon is considered the world's most dangerous forest, home to dense towering trees, tangled vines, hostile wildlife, and poisonous insects. Archaeologists believed it was primarily suitable for hunter-gatherers, but inhospitable to complex civilizations.

But over the past two decades, scientists have discovered evidence of human habitation, including mounds, hillforts, and pyramids, in the Amazon River from Bolivia to Brazil.

The newly mapped city in the Upano Valley is 1,000 years older than previous discoveries, including the Bolivian Amazonian society Llanos de Mojos. The discovery shattered what scientists previously believed about civilizations in the Amazon rainforest.

And the details of the cultures of these two places are only just beginning to emerge.

German researcher Carla Jaimes Betancourt, an expert on Llanos de Mojos, told Science that the people of both Upano Valley and Llanos de Mojos were farmers. They built roads, canals, and large public and ceremonial buildings. But “we're just beginning to understand how these cities functioned, their populations, who they traded with, how their societies were governed, etc.” she said.

Rostain emphasized how much remains to be revealed. “We say 'Amazonia,' but we should say 'Amazonia' to capture the diversity of ancient cultures in this region,” he says.

“The Amazon has always had an incredibly diverse range of people and settlements, and there is not just one way of life,” he added. “We're still learning more about them.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com