ScienceDaily: Fossils & Ruins News

Scientists date prehistoric bacterial invasion still present in today's plant and animal cells

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:48:48 EDT

How long ago did bacteria invade the one-celled ancestors of plants and animals to become energy-producing mitochondria and photosynthesizing chloroplasts? Researchers developed a statistical way to analyze the variation in genes common to mitochondria, chloroplasts and the eukaryotic nucleus to more precisely date these events. They found that the cyanobacterial invasion of plants took place millions of years more recently than thought.

New research backs genetic 'switches' in human evolution

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:13:13 EDT

A new study offers further proof that the divergence of humans from chimpanzees some 4 million to 6 million years ago was profoundly influenced by mutations to DNA sequences that play roles in turning genes on and off.

New language discovery in remote Indigenous community in Australia reveals linguistic insights

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:17:17 EDT

A new language has been discovered in a remote Indigenous community in northern Australia that is generated from a unique combination of elements from other languages.

Stone Age technological and cultural innovation accelerated by climate change

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:15:15 EDT

Technological innovation during the Stone Age occurred in fits and starts and was climate-driven, according to new research. Abrupt changes in rainfall in South Africa 40,000 to 80,000 years ago triggered the development of technologies for finding refuge and the behavior of modern humans.

When it comes to mammals, how big is too big?

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 21:07:07 EDT

Mammals vary enormously in size, from weighing less than a penny to measuring more than three school buses in length. Some groups of mammals have become very large, such as elephants and whales, while others have always been small, like primates. A new theory provides an explanation for why and how certain groups of organisms are able to evolve gigantic sizes, whereas others are not.

'Cold snap' 116 million years ago triggered marine ecosystem crisis

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 15:52:52 EDT

A "cold snap" 116 million years ago triggered a similar marine ecosystem crisis to the ones witnessed in the past as a result of global warming, according to new research. The international study confirms the link between global cooling and a crash in the marine ecosystem during the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse period.

Study of oceans' past raises worries about their future

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:16:16 EDT

Scientists have now completed the first global study of changes that occurred in a crucial component of ocean chemistry, the nitrogen cycle, at the end of the last ice age. The results of their study confirm that oceans are good at balancing the nitrogen cycle on a global scale. But the data also shows that it is a slow process that may take many centuries, or even millennia, raising worries about the effects of the scale and speed of current changes in the ocean.

Menopause may be an unintended outcome of men's preference for younger mates

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:26:26 EDT

After decades of laboring under other theories that never seemed to add up, biologists have concluded that menopause is actually an unintended outcome of natural selection generated by men's historical preference for younger mates.

Putting flesh on the bones of ancient fish: Synchrotron X-rays reconstruct soft tissue on 380-million-year-old fish

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:28:28 EDT

Scientists present for the first time miraculously preserved musculature of 380 million year old armored fish discovered in north-west Australia. This research will help scientists to better understand how neck and abdominal muscles evolved during the transition from jawless to jawed vertebrates.

How diving mammals evolved underwater endurance

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:28:28 EDT

Scientists have shed new light on how diving mammals, such as the sperm whale, have evolved to survive for long periods underwater without breathing.

Medieval leprosy genomes shed light on disease's history

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:26:26 EDT

Scientists have reconstructed a dozen medieval and modern leprosy genomes -- suggesting a European origin for the North American leprosy strains found in armadillos and humans, and a common ancestor of all leprosy bacteria within the last 4000 years.

Fossil kangaroo teeth reveal mosaic of Pliocene ecosystems in Queensland

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:33:33 EDT

The teeth of a kangaroo and other extinct marsupials reveal that southeastern Queensland 2.5-5-million-years ago was a mosaic of tropical forests, wetlands and grasslands and much less arid than previously thought.

Life underground: Microbes active far beneath seafloor

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:47:47 EDT

Genetic researchers have revealed active bacteria, fungi and other microbes living in 5 million-year-old ocean sediment.

When will the next megathrust hit the west coast of North America?

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:31:31 EDT

A new study presents our first glimpse back in geologic time of the recurrence interval of large and megathrust earthquakes impacting the vulnerable BC outer coastline.

Deep biosphere harbors active, growing communities of microorganisms

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:30:30 EDT

The deep biosphere -- the realm of sediments far below the seafloor -- harbors a vast ecosystem of bacteria, archaea, and fungi that are actively metabolizing, proliferating, and moving, according a new study. The finding of so much activity in the deep biosphere has implications for our understanding of global biogeochemical cycles.

High diversity of flying reptiles in England 110 million years ago

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:18:18 EDT

Pterosaurs are an extinct group of flying reptiles that are only abundant in very few deposits. One of these is situated in England, where hundreds of fossils of these animals, that covered the skies some 110 million years ago, have been unearthed. Paleontologists have re-analyzed these fossils and discovered that they had a much higher diversity of groups than previously thought.

X-rays reveal new picture of 'dinobird' plumage patterns

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:45:45 EDT

The first complete chemical analysis of feathers from Archaeopteryx, a famous fossil linking dinosaurs and birds, reveals that the feathers of this early bird were patterned -- light in colour, with a dark edge and tip to the feather -- rather than all black, as previously thought.

Modern humans did not settle in Asia before eruption of Sumatra volcano 74,000 years ago, study finds

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:41:41 EDT

When did modern humans settle in Asia and what route did they take from humankind's African homeland? New research refutes a recent theory that there is archaeological evidence for the presence of modern humans in southern Asia before the super-eruption of the Mount Toba volcano in Sumatra.

From hot springs to HIV, same protein complexes are hijacked to promote viruses

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:26:26 EDT

Biologists have discovered a striking connection between viruses such as HIV and Ebola and viruses that infect organisms called archaea that grow in volcanic hot springs. Despite the huge difference in environments and a 2 billion year evolutionary time span between archaea and humans, the viruses hijack the same set of proteins to break out of infected cells.

Mysterious monument found beneath the Sea of Galilee

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:30:30 EDT

Scientists have discovered a mysterious monument beneath the waves of the Sea of Galilee. The site resembles early burial sites in Europe and was likely built in the early Bronze Age.

New theory proposes solution to long-running debate as to how stable the Earth system is

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 08:42:42 EDT

Researchers have proposed an answer to the long-running debate as to how stable the Earth system is. Earth, with its core-driven magnetic field, oceans of liquid water, dynamic climate and abundant life is arguably the most complex system in the known Universe. Life arose on Earth over three and a half billion years ago and it would appear that despite planetary scale calamities such as the impacts of massive meteorites, runaway climate change and increases in brightness of the Sun, it has continued to grow, reproduce and evolve ever since. Has life on Earth simply been lucky in withstanding these events or are there any self-stabilizing processes operating in the Earth system that would reduce the severity of such perturbations? If such planetary processes exist, to what extent are they the result of the actions of life?

Ötzi the Iceman's dark secrets: Protein investigation supports brain injury theory

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 08:41:41 EDT

After decoding the Iceman's genetic make-up, a research team has now made another major breakthrough in mummy research: Using just a pinhead-sized sample of brain tissue from the world-famous glacier corpse, the team was able to extract and analyze proteins to further support the theory that Ötzi suffered some form of brain damage in the final moments of his life.

Three-billion-year-old microfossils include plankton

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:51:51 EDT

Spindle-shaped inclusions in three-billion-year-old rocks are microfossils of plankton that probably inhabited the oceans around the globe during that time, according to scientists.

Living fossils? Actually, sturgeon fish are evolutionary speedsters

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 10:13:13 EDT

Efforts to restore sturgeon in the Great Lakes region have received a lot of attention in recent years, and many of the news stories note that the prehistoric-looking fish are "living fossils" virtually unchanged for millions of years. But a new study reveals that in at least one measure of evolutionary change -- changes in body size over time -- sturgeon have been one of the fastest-evolving fish on the planet.

Irish chronicles reveal links between cold weather and volcanic eruptions

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 23:08:08 EDT

Medieval chronicles have given researchers a glimpse into the past to assess how historical volcanic eruptions affected the weather in Ireland up to 1500 years ago. Researchers have successfully linked the climatic aftermath of volcanic eruptions to extreme cold weather events in Ireland over a 1200-year period from 431 to 1649.

Bone tumor in 120,000-year-old Neandertal discovered

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 19:01:01 EDT

The first-known definitive case of a benign bone tumor has been discovered in the rib of a young Neandertal who lived about 120,000 years ago in what is now present-day Croatia. The bone fragment, which comes from the famous archaeological cave site of Krapina, contains by far the earliest bone tumor ever identified in the archaeological record.

Life on Earth shockingly comes from out of this world

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:43:43 EDT

Early Earth was not very hospitable when it came to jump starting life. In fact, new research shows that life on Earth may have come from out of this world. Researchers have found that icy comets that crashed into Earth millions of years ago could have produced life building organic compounds, including the building blocks of proteins and nucleobases pairs of DNA and RNA.

Scientists discover oldest primate skeleton

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:35:35 EDT

Paleontologists have discovered a nearly complete, articulated skeleton of a new tiny, tree-dwelling primate dating back 55 million years. It is is the oldest primate skeleton of this quality and completeness ever discovered.

Discovery of oldest primate skeleton helps chart early evolution of humans, apes

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:35:35 EDT

An international team of researchers has announced the discovery of the world's oldest known fossil primate skeleton, an animal that lived about 55 million years ago and was even smaller than today's smallest primate, the pygmy mouse lemur. This new fossil illuminates a pivotal event in primate and human evolution: the divergence between the lineage leading to modern monkeys, apes, and humans and the branch leading to living tarsiers--small, nocturnal tree-dwelling primates.

Discovery of oldest primate skeleton, ancestor of humans and apes

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:35:35 EDT

The discovery of the oldest fossil skeleton of a primate provides insight into the phase of evolution when the lineage of modern monkeys, apes and humans split away. The fossil represents a new species, Archicebus achilles, and was unearthed in China. The skeleton was digitally reconstructed with synchrotron X-rays at the ESRF, allowing to study in detail this fossil radically different from any other primate, living or fossil. The results are published in Nature.

Ancient trapped water explains Earth's first ice age

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:35:35 EDT

Tiny bubbles of water found in quartz grains in Australia may hold the key to understanding what caused the Earth's first ice age, say scientists.

'Lizard King' fossil shows giant reptiles coexisted with mammals during globally warm past

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 09:04:04 EDT

At nearly six feet long and weighing upwards of 60 pounds, "Morrison's Bearded King" provides new clues on the evolution of plant-eating reptiles and their relationship to global climate and with mammals.

Life-producing phosphorus carried to Earth by meteorites

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:35:35 EDT

Scientists may not know for certain whether life exists in outer space, but research now shows that one key element that produced life on Earth was carried here on meteorites. In a new study, researchers reveal findings that explain how the reactive phosphorus that was an essential component for creating the earliest life forms came to Earth.

Roman seawater concrete holds the secret to cutting carbon emissions

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:54:54 EDT

Scientists analyzed samples from a Roman breakwater submerged in the Bay of Naples for over two millennia, revealing the secrets of crystal chemistry that allow Roman seawater concrete to resist chemical attack and wave action for centuries. Materials and processes for manufacturing extraordinarily durable Roman maritime concrete released much less carbon than most modern concrete, presenting important opportunities for better quality and reduction of atmospheric carbon.

Diet likely changed game for some hominids 3.5 million years ago

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:41:41 EDT

A new look at the diets of ancient African hominids shows a "game changer" occurred about 3.5 million years ago when some members added grasses or sedges to their menus, according to a new study.

New biomolecular archaeological evidence points to the beginnings of viniculture in France

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:38:38 EDT

France is renowned the world over as a leader in the crafts of viticulture and winemaking -- but the beginnings of French viniculture have been largely unknown, until now. Imported ancient Etruscan amphoras and a limestone press platform, discovered at the ancient port site of Lattara in southern France, have provided the earliest known biomolecular archaeological evidence of winemaking -- and point to the beginnings of a Celtic or Gallic vinicultural industry in France circa 500-400 BCE.

A grassy trend in human ancestors' diets

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:37:37 EDT

Most apes eat leaves and fruits from trees and shrubs. New studies show that human ancestors expanded their menu 3.5 million years ago, adding tropical grasses and sedges to an ape-like diet and setting the stage for our modern diet of grains, grasses, and meat and dairy from grazing animals.

Fossil remains reveal new species of marine fish from 408 million years ago in Teruel, Spain

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:34:34 EDT

Researchers have studied the fossilized remains of scales and bones found in Teruel, Spain, and the south of Zaragoza, ascertaining that they belong to a new fish species called Machaeracanthus goujeti that lived in that area of the peninsula during the Devonian period. The fossils are part of the collection housed in the Palaeontology Museum of Zaragoza.

Acceleration of ocean denitrification during deglaciation documented

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:39:39 EDT

As ice sheets melted during the deglaciation of the last ice age and global oceans warmed, oceanic oxygen levels decreased and "denitrification" accelerated by 30 to 120 percent, a new international study shows, creating oxygen-poor marine regions and throwing the oceanic nitrogen cycle off balance.

'Tracking in caves': On the trail of pre-historic humans

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:33:33 EDT

In remote caves of the Pyrenees, lie precious remnants of the Ice Age undisturbed: foot and hand prints of prehistoric hunters. The tracks have remained untouched for millennia and are in excellent condition.

Water-rock reaction may provide enough hydrogen 'food' to sustain life in ocean's crust or on Mars

Thu, 30 May 2013 13:25:25 EDT

A chemical reaction between iron-containing minerals and water may produce enough hydrogen "food" to sustain microbial communities living in pores and cracks within the enormous volume of rock below the ocean floor and parts of the continents, according to a new study.

Scientists discover that turtles began living in shells much earlier than once thought

Thu, 30 May 2013 13:24:24 EDT

Unique among Earth's creatures, turtles are the only animals to form a shell on the outside of their bodies through a fusion of modified ribs, vertebrae and shoulder girdle bones. The turtle shell is a unique modification, and how and when it originated has fascinated and confounded biologists for more than two centuries. Scientists have recently discovered that the beginnings of the turtle shell started 40 million years earlier than previously thought.

How turtles got their shells: Fossil of extinct South African reptile provides clues

Thu, 30 May 2013 13:24:24 EDT

Through careful study of an ancient ancestor of modern turtles, researchers now have a clearer picture of how the turtles' most unusual shell came to be. The findings help to fill a 30- to 55-million-year gap in the turtle fossil record through study of an extinct South African reptile known as Eunotosaurus.

Ancient Egyptians accessorized with meteorites

Thu, 30 May 2013 09:46:46 EDT

Researchers have found conclusive proof that Ancient Egyptians used meteorites to make symbolic accessories for their dead.

Re-creating the original colors of treasured ivory carvings from the ancient past

Wed, 29 May 2013 11:13:13 EDT

The fabled ivory carvings from the ancient Phoenician city of Arslan Tash -- literally meaning "Stone Lion" -- may appear a dull monochrome in museums today, but they glittered with brilliant blue, red, gold and other colors 2,800 years ago, a new study has confirmed after decades of speculation.

Subfossil forest discovered at building site in Zurich

Wed, 29 May 2013 09:27:27 EDT

The fact that many finds have happened by chance was demonstrated again recently in Zurich. A dendrochronologist was just having a look at a building site when he noticed a few tree stumps on the edge of the loamy building pit that had been discarded by the construction workers as waste timber. Analysis showed the timber he discovered was dated between 12,846 BP** and 13,782 BP. With the support of the building-site management researchers have managed to salvage some 200 ancient pine-tree stumps.

Ancient plants reawaken: Plants exposed by retreating glaciers regrowing after centuries entombed under ice

Tue, 28 May 2013 20:25:25 EDT

When Catherine La Farge threads her way through the recently exposed terrain left behind by retreating glaciers, she looks at the ancient plant remains a lot closer than most. Now, her careful scrutiny has revealed a startling reawakening of long-dormant plants known as bryophytes.

Historic sea-level change along New Jersey coastline mapped

Tue, 28 May 2013 18:10:10 EDT

A new study relied upon fossil records of marshland to reconstruct the changes in sea level along the New Jersey coast going back 10,000 years.

Novel disease in songbirds demonstrates evolution in the blink of an eye

Tue, 28 May 2013 18:08:08 EDT

A novel disease in songbirds has rapidly evolved to become more harmful to its host on at least two separate occasions in just two decades, according to a new study. The research provides a real-life model to help understand how diseases that threaten humans can be expected to change in virulence as they emerge.

Disappearance of stromatolites, earliest visible manifestation of life: Ancient enigma solved?

Tue, 28 May 2013 14:37:37 EDT

The widespread disappearance of stromatolites, the earliest visible manifestation of life on Earth, may have been driven by single-celled organisms called foraminifera, a new study finds.

Century-old ocean data provides further confirmation of global warming

Tue, 28 May 2013 10:45:45 EDT

A new NASA and university analysis of ocean data collected more than 135 years ago by the crew of the HMS Challenger oceanographic expedition provides further confirmation that human activities have warmed our planet over the past century.

Antarctic polar icecap is 33.6 million years old, researchers show

Mon, 27 May 2013 10:05:05 EDT

Seasonal primary productivity of plankton communities appeared with the first ice. This phenomenon, still active today, influences global food webs. These findings are based on fossil records in sediment cores at different depths.

Understanding the past and predicting the future by looking across space and time

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:37:37 EDT

Scientists have validated a fundamental assumption at the very heart of a popular way to predict relationships between complex variables.

Monkey teeth help reveal Neanderthal weaning

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:48:48 EDT

Most modern human mothers wean their babies much earlier than our closest primate relatives. But what about our extinct relatives, the Neanderthals? A team of U.S. and Australian researchers reports that they can now use fossil teeth to calculate when a Neanderthal baby was weaned. The new technique is based in part on knowledge gained from studies of teeth from human infants and from monkeys.

Why early human ancestors took to two feet

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:40:40 EDT

A new study by archaeologists challenges evolutionary theories behind the development of our earliest ancestors from tree dwelling quadrupeds to upright bipeds capable of walking and scrambling.

King Richard III found in 'untidy lozenge-shaped grave'

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:37:37 EDT

A new article on the archaeology of the Search for Richard III reveals for the first time specific details of the grave dug for King Richard III and discovered under a car park in Leicester.

Scientists offer first definitive proof of bacteria-feeding behavior in green algae

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:37:37 EDT

Researchers have captured images of green alga consuming bacteria, offering a glimpse at how early organisms dating back more than 1 billion years may have acquired free-living photosynthetic cells. This acquisition is thought to be a critical first step in the evolution of photosynthetic algae and land plants, which, in turn, contributed to the increase in oxygen levels in Earth's atmosphere and ocean and provided one of the conditions necessary for animal evolution.

What the smallest infectious agents reveal about evolution

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:46:46 EDT

Radically different viruses share genes and are likely to share ancestry, according to new research. The comprehensive phylogenomic analysis compares giant viruses that infect amoeba with tiny viruses known as virophages and to several groups of transposable elements. The complex network of evolutionary relationships the authors describe suggests that viruses evolved from non-viral mobile genetic elements and vice versa, on more than one occasion.

Small, speedy plant-eater extends knowledge of dinosaur ecosystems

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:20:20 EDT

Dinosaurs are often thought of as large, fierce animals, but new research highlights a previously overlooked diversity of small dinosaurs. Paleontologists have now described a new dinosaur, the smallest plant-eating dinosaur species known from Canada.

New archaeological 'high definition' sourcing sharpens understanding of the past

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:54:54 EDT

A new method of sourcing the origins of artefacts in high definition is set to improve our understanding of the past.