fossil Archives - Science Connected Magazine

Vadasaurus Fossil Shows a Reptile in Transition

December 12, 2017December 11, 2017 Science Connectedaquatic reptile, archaeology, evolution, fossil

By Kate Stone @GotScienceOrg A small fossil—just a foot long—is revealing secrets of how some land-dwelling reptiles moved back into the water. After studying the 155-million-year-old reptile fossil, scientists at Johns Hopkins University and the American Museum of Natural History report they have filled in some important clues to the evolution of animals that once roamed land and transitioned to life in the water. Vadasaurus, the Latin term for “wading lizard,” was discovered in limestone quarries near Solnhofen, Germany. The area was once part of a shallow sea that has…

Archaeology Paleontology

Ancient Teeth Raise Questions about Human Origin

October 26, 2017October 26, 2017 Science Connectedfossil, teeth

ResearchGate The teeth are unlike anything ever found in Europe or Asia and will force us to reexamine the theory that humans originated from Africa. Teeth fossils were discovered near the German town Eppelsheim in a former riverbed of the Rhine. Due to sheer confusion, researchers held off on publishing their research for the past year—that is, until they released a preprint detailing the teeth today. We spoke with the study’s lead author, Herbert Lutz, to find out more about the work. ResearchGate: What’s so exciting about this find? Lutz:…

Berlin Mounted Dinosaur Skeleton: The huge mounted Giraffatitan in the main hall in Berlin, dwarfing the Diplodocus that stands behind it. (Photo by Steven Spence)

Paleontology

Mounting a Monument to a Mesozoic Monster

August 3, 2015September 2, 2015 Science Connectedanimals, Berlin museum, brachiosaurus, dinosaur, dinosaur mount, dinosaurs, evolution, fossil, largest mounted dinosaur, paleontology, skeleton, world records

By David Hone Dr. Dave Hone is a lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, specialising in dinosaurs and pterosaurs. In addition to writing for The Guardian, he blogs at Archosaur Musings, is a contributor to Pterosaur.net, created Ask A Biologist, and has published more than 50 academic papers on dinosaur biology. His latest book, The Tyrannosaur Chronicles, is now available for pre-order from Bloomsbury Publishing. Few visitors to the Museum for Nature in Berlin can fail to be impressed by the truly colossal dinosaur that takes centre stage in…

London specimen of Archaeopteryx (photographed with permission from the Natural History Museum)

Animals Paleontology

Piecing Together the Archaeopteryx Puzzle

July 13, 2015May 12, 2016 Science Connectedbirds, dinosaur, evolution, fossil, natural history museum, nature photography, paleontology

By Steven Spence Bird, Dinosaur, or Both? The 1861 discovery of Archaeopteryx made it one of the most important fossils ever found. Coming just two years after Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, the finding caused a sensation. It had teeth and a bony tail like a lizard, and feathers like a bird. Archaeopteryx was assumed to be a transitional form between non-avian dinosaurs and modern birds, thus supporting Darwin’s theory of evolution, although this assumption was controversial and by no means immediately accepted. In the 150-plus years following the…