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3+ hour, 19+ min ago (387+ words) Lycoming College's Biology 109, "The Natural History of Dinosaurs," is a hands-on course where students study fundamental paleontological and evolutionary principles, while also learning about dinosaur anatomy, behavior, taxonomy, physiology, "and the history of dinosaur paleontology. Download Image: Web Dinosaurs have captivated the imaginations of both children and adults for generations For many Lycoming College students, that wonder and curiosity is reignited when they enroll in Lycoming College's Biology 109, "The Natural History of Dinosaurs." Led by David Broussard, Ph.D., paleontologist, associate professor of biology at Lycoming College, and chair of the department, "The Natural History of Dinosaurs" explores the origin, evolution, and extinction of dinosaurs In this hands-on course, students study fundamental paleontological and evolutionary principles, while also learning about dinosaur anatomy, behavior, taxonomy, physiology, and the history of dinosaur paleontology The class takes fossil-collecting field trips to learn about paleontological…...

4+ hour, 48+ min ago (764+ words) In a major breakthrough, scientists can now extract DNA from sediment instead of relying on bones The last two decades have seen a revolution in scientists" ability to reconstruct the past. This has been made possible through technological advances in the way DNA is extracted from ancient bones and analysed. These advances have revealed that Neanderthals and modern humans interbred " something that wasn"t previously thought to have happened. It has allowed researchers to disentangle the various migrations that shaped modern people. It has also allowed teams to sequence the genomes of extinct animals, such as the mammoth, and extinct agents of disease, such as defunct strains of plague. While much of this work has been carried out by analysing the physical remains of humans or animals, there is another way to obtain ancient DNA from the environment. Researchers can…...

10+ hour, 12+ min ago (222+ words) The research presented by Zheng, Liang, and Shi ultimately opens up a myriad of questions about the evolutionary adaptations of species facing environmental stresses. It emphasizes the necessity for continuous exploration and understanding of nature's intricacies, paving the way for novel insights that bridge ecological theory and evolutionary biology. This compelling study lays the foundation for a more nuanced understanding of reptilian adaptations and offers a clear call to action for future investigations. As researchers continue to unravel the complexities of the natural world, studies like this underline the significance of even the smallest anatomical features and their far-reaching implications for survival. In summary, the exploration of toe fringes in lizards has unveiled a remarkable aspect of evolutionary adaptation, demonstrating that seemingly minor features can have major ecological ramifications. The findings from this study not only enrich the scientific discourse…...

11+ hour, 28+ min ago (567+ words) A groundbreaking DNA study, published this week, suggests that the first humans to reach the ancient landmass called Sahul " which became present-day Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea " arrived about 60,000 years ago, via two distinct migration routes. This pushes back the genetic timeline for the ancestors of modern Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by more than 10,000 years compared with many previous genetic estimates (which had suggested arrival around 47,000"51,000 years ago). For decades, a persistent puzzle haunted scientists: archaeological evidence " tools, ancient campsites, rock-shelters " pointed to human presence in Sahul as far back as ~65,000 years ago, but genetic studies repeatedly suggested a much more recent arrival. The new research " the largest genetic analysis yet, covering 2,456 mitochondrial-DNA samples from Indigenous people across Australia and New Guinea " used refined models (adjusting previous assumptions about the rate of DNA mutation) to estimate that both…...

12+ hour, 3+ min ago (291+ words) Anacondas reached their massive form around 12.4 million years ago and have stayed the same since. The finding was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology, and challenges the long-held assumption that ancient anacondas must have been much larger than today's snakes because they lived in a warmer world. Between 12.4 and 5.3 million years ago, during the Middle to Upper Miocene, many animals grew to enormous sizes. Warmer global temperatures, widespread wetlands, and abundant prey allowed creatures like the 12-metre Purussaurus (a giant caiman) and the 3.2-metre Stupendemys, one of the largest freshwater turtles ever, to survive without struggle. "This is a surprising result because we expected to find the ancient anacondas were seven or eight metres long," said lead author Andres Alfonso-Rojas. Modern green anacondas reach 4 to 5 metres, with rare cases of them stretching up to 7 metres. Researchers measured 183 fossilised anaconda…...

14+ hour, 37+ min ago (498+ words) Scientists reveal how a deep-sea "living fossil" bridges octopus and squid evolution. The vampire squid is a creature straight out of a gothic horror film. It lurks in the deep-sea abyss, cloaked in dark, webbed arms, its massive eyes glowing red or blue. The dramatic scientific name " Vampyroteuthis infernalis " literally translates to "vampire squid from hell". But its scary reputation is entirely undeserved. This animal does not suck blood but rather feeds peacefully on organic detritus. For all its drama, the vampire squid is a deep-sea scavenger or, as scientists like to call it, "an opportunistic detritivorous and zooplanktivorous feeder." Among soft-bodied cephalopods, vampire squids live life at a slower pace. At ocean depths from 500 to 3,000 meters, they don't swim so much as float, and they get by with little oxygen while consuming a low-calorie diet. Now, a team of…...

14+ hour, 38+ min ago (549+ words) Rachael has a degree in Zoology from the University of Southampton, and specializes in animal behavior, evolution, palaeontology, and the environment.View full profile Katy has a BA in Humanities and Philosophy, with over 20 years of experience in online and print publishing. She was named the Association of British Science Writers' Editor of the Year in 2023. The biggest anaconda news since Paul Rudd and Jack Black teamed up. Image credit: Daniel10ortegaven, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons A new study has reconstructed anacondas that lived in what's now Venezuela 12 million years ago. The fossil vertebrae reveal that anacondas were giants back in the Middle to Upper Miocene and have stayed giant ever since, an unusual trend for life on Earth. Most animals that lived between 12.4 to 5.3 million years ago have gotten smaller over time in response to environmental changes. Back then the…...

14+ hour, 39+ min ago (553+ words) A study of anaconda fossils shows that these snakes reached their maximum size 12.4 million years ago and then stopped growing." As some of the planet's largest snakes, anacondas commonly measure 4 to 5 metres, but some can reach 7 metres. In this new work, researchers led by the University of Cambridge examined 183 fossilized anaconda backbones collected in Falc'n State, Venezuela. All these fossils belong to at least 32 distinct snakes. The team calculated that the ancient snakes were four to five metres long. This is the same impressive, powerful size as the anacondas that coil through the Amazon today. "By measuring the fossils, we found that anacondas evolved a large body size shortly after they appeared in tropical South America around 12.4 million years ago, and their size hasn't changed since," said Andr's Alfonso-Rojas, lead author. It shows that the anaconda survived the climatic changes…...

19+ hour, 33+ min ago (344+ words) A new species of the sauropod dinosaur genus Mamenchisaurus has been discovered in China dating back to the Late Jurassic epoch. Mamenchisaurus sanjiangensis roamed our planet during the Early Oxfordian age of the Jurassic period, some 160 million years ago. This dinosaur was a diverged mamenchisaurid, shares a relatively near relationship with most other Mamenchisaurus species. "The Late Jurassic sedimentary units of China preserve rich sauropod records, and most of them are dominated by mamenchisaurids, although the exact neosauropodan remains are widely recognized from early Middle Jurassic." "The dominance of Asian sauropod faunas is quite different from that of contemporaneous European and North and South American Formations." "Moreover, most of the Late Jurassic Asian sauropod diversity comes from the deposits assigned to the lower parts, particularly near the Middle-Late Jurassic transition period." The single partial skeleton of Mamenchisaurus sanjiangensis was unearthed…...

19+ hour, 39+ min ago (359+ words) " The best Cyber Monday deals you can shop right now (updating) " Published Dec 1, 2025 7:01 PM EST At roughly the length of a small school bus, anacondas are famously some of the world's largest snakes. Now fossil evidence proves that these enormous reptiles are also glimpses of an ancient world. According to a study published on December 1st in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, anacondas reached their maximum length around 12.4 million years ago'and have remained giants ever since. A number of factors contributed to the Miocene growth spurt, such as warmer and wetter climates as well as plenty of food to support large animals. But while evolution often eventually favored (relatively) smaller species, one group of snakes has stayed the same for millions of years. "Other species like giant crocodiles and giant turtles have gone extinct since the Miocene, probably due to cooling…...