Latest news with #palaeontology
BBC News
a day ago
- Science
- BBC News
Teeth marks suggest 'terror bird' was killed by reptile 13 million years ago
Teeth marks made on the leg bone of a large avian reptile known as a terror bird 13 million years ago suggest an even bigger predator may have killed it, scientists birds were top predators - they could be taller than a human and had powerful legs and hooked, flesh-ripping beaks. Palaeontologists in Colombia matched teeth marks on the fossilised leg bone of one of these fearsome birds to a caiman, or a crocodile-like reptile. 3D digital scans of the bites allowed the scientists to reconstruct what they believe was a "battle to the death" that the terror bird did not survive. The new study, published in the journal Biology Letters, compared the size and shape of the teeth marks to the skulls and teeth of crocodile-like predators in museum provides rare evidence, the researchers say, of an interaction between two extinct top predators at the leg bone the scientists studied was first unearthed more than 15 years ago in Colombia's Tatacoa Desert. When the bird lived in the swamps of that area 13 million years ago, it would have been about 2.5m tall and would have used its legs and beak to hold down and rip at its prey. What the scientists are not able to prove conclusively is whether this particular, unfortunate terror bird was killed in the attack, or if the caiman scavenged its remains. "There is no sign of healing in the bite marks on the bone," explained lead researcher Andres Link from the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. "So if it wasn't already dead, it died in the attack. That was the last day that bird was on this planet - then a piece of its leg bone was found 13 million years later." The Tatacoa Desert is home to rich deposits of fossils from an epoch known as the Middle Miocene. At that time, it was a humid swamp, where river sediments trapped and fossilised the bones of dead animals, resulting in the preserved remains found there today. This particular bone was first discovered about 15 years ago by local fossil collector César Augusto Colombian scientists worked closely with Mr Perdomo, studying and cataloging fossils that he has gathered in his museum. It was when scientists were working in the museum that they realised that this fist-sized piece of leg bone came from a terror bird. That was an exciting discovery - terror bird fossils are rare. But Dr Link and his colleagues were also fascinated by the puncture marks in the bone, which had clearly been made by the teeth of another powerful predator. This new analysis of the marks revealed that they most closely match an extinct caiman species called Purussaurus neivensis, a crocodilian that would have been up to five metres long. The researchers say it would have ambushed its prey from the water's edge, much like crocodiles and caimans do today. "I would imagine it was waiting for prey to to be nearby," said Dr Link. If this was indeed a battle between two apex predators, Dr Link says that provides insight into an ancient ecosystem. It reveals that ferocious terror birds were much more vulnerable to predators than previously thought. "Every piece of a body helps us to understand so much about life on the planet in the past," Dr Link told BBC News. "That's something that amazes me - how one tiny bone can complete the story."
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Blockbuster auctions of dinosaur skeletons don't do science any favours
Few people know that the great auction houses of the United States and Europe are not only some of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery and collectibles, they are also catering to the booming demand for prehistoric fossils. Auction houses acquire these specimens and then sell them off to rich private collectors. Last week, a juvenile specimen of Ceratosaurus nasicornis, one of the four skeletons of the ancient species known to exist, was auctioned off by Sotheby's for US$30.5 million. During many of these sales, it isn't clear who is purchasing the fossil and where it might eventually end up. Some argue that these kinds of sales increase philanthropy in fields such as palaeontology. Take Christie's 2020 sale of 'Stan' for example. The nearly complete Tyrannosaurus rex specimen changed hands for a record-breaking US$31.8 million. After the mystery sale, there was much speculation over its fate, and palaeontologists were relieved when Stan found its home at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, expected to be completed this year. The Stegosaurus skeleton 'Apex' was sold at a Sotheby's auction for a staggering US$44.6 million in July 2024, the most expensive auctioned dinosaur fossil. It was bought by Kenneth Griffin, founder and CEO of the hedge fund Citadel, who in turn loaned it to the American Museum of Natural History in New York for four years. In addition to fossils, auction houses have sold skeletons of Triceratops, Diplodocus, Allosaurus, Stegosaurus and the extremely rare and birdlike Deinonychus.
The Guardian
05-07-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on the public's dinomania: passion for palaeontology endures through the ages
On-screen discussions of DNA and off-screen scientific consultants notwithstanding, no one goes to see a Jurassic Park movie for its realism. Yet one of the less convincing moments in Jurassic World Rebirth, the latest in the franchise, is unrelated to oversized velociraptors. It's the palaeontologist Dr Henry Loomis complaining of shrinking public interest in his field. This spring, the BBC revived its 1999 hit series Walking With Dinosaurs. Not a week goes by without headlines announcing the discovery of a new species or new theories on how they behaved. Publishers produce an endless stream of dino-related fact and fiction, particularly for children. Palaeontology – at least when focused on the dinosaurs of the Mesozoic, or our hominin forebears – has long exerted an extraordinary hold on the public imagination. Yet it's a marginal field in terms of academic prestige and scientific funding, as Dr Chris Manias, a historian of science, points out in the essay collection Palaeontology in Public, published last year. (Dinosaurs are themselves a small part of the discipline; the vast mass of fossils are invertebrates, micro-organisms or plants. Good luck getting a movie made about stromatolites). The spectacular scale and fearsome nature of creatures such as Spinosaurus, the magic of conjuring extraordinary life from a handful of rocks tens of millions years old, and the mirroring of myths about dragons and other ancient beasts may all play a part in its appeal. Entertainment has always helped: the Crystal Palace dinosaurs were created in the 1850s to encourage interest in recent discoveries (Richard Owen, who coined the term dinosaur, provided advice.) Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel The Lost World portrayed a South American plateau where prehistoric creatures still roamed. Some of today's palaeontologists were drawn to the field by watching the first Jurassic Park movie as children. But the science itself has been central too. In the 19th century, the US palaeontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope vied to outshine each other in the bitter 'Bone Wars', with academic rigour and ethics taking second place to headline-grabbing glory. In the 'dinosaur renaissance' of the 1960s, experts showed the creatures to be more sophisticated, active and interesting than previously imagined. The feathered dinosaurs found in Liaoning, China, in the 1990s have revolutionised our understanding – even if the Jurassic franchise makers, and many dinosaur fans, still draw the line at a downy Tyrannosaurus rex. In recent years, experts have identified a new dinosaur every week or so. New technology is unlocking details of their appearance and behaviour. The original Jurassic Park was a tourist resort inhabited by dinosaurs brought back from extinction. In the latest film, the plot is driven by big pharma's hunt for prehistoric DNA that could drive a medical breakthrough. That parallels the tension Dr Manias notes around palaeontology itself: is it primarily a 'luxury', which entertains more than it enlightens, or 'useful'? Jaw-dropping giants like Patagotitan still captivate adults and, especially, children. But there are lessons here too. In the past, the field appeared to offer a narrative of progress, as lumbering creatures gave way to mammals and ultimately – tada! – the triumph of humans. Now it is an instructive tale of uncertainty, offering powerful insights into time, nature and how life has fared at times of huge and rapid changes in climactic conditions. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Times
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
How accurate is Jurassic World Rebirth? The palaeontologist's verdict
This is a fun, nostalgic adventure. The palaeontologist Dr Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) encapsulates what many of us are like. There is love, passion, genuine awe and, yes, a little nerdiness. I like how emotional he becomes when he touches a dinosaur for the first time — I'd feel the same. There are a few things that aggravate. For instance, mosasaurs and pterosaurs are not dinosaurs, although they're discussed as such. They are prehistoric reptiles, which swim and fly respectively. But I did like the design of the mosasaur. Although far larger than any fossil yet found, the anatomy was more accurate than in the previous films. The quetzalcoatlus (a type of giant pterosaur) was covered in fuzzy, hairlike structures that match the fossil record. • Every Jurassic Park movie ranked — from worst to best A lot of thought has gone into drawing on the science and developing the behaviour of some of these creatures. The co-operative hunting behaviours between the mosasaur and the spinosaur was a neat idea taken from modern animals. I was initially sceptical of another mutant storyline. The film-makers could have used other amazing prehistoric species — such as the giant ichthyosaur, Ichthyotitan, which I named in 2024 and which was as big as the on-screen mosasaur — rather than creating new mutants, but it does echo the original novel and movie. After all, these creatures were genetically engineered, with missing DNA filled in from other animals such as frogs. Inevitably you're going to get oddballs. • Read more film reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews Their accuracy is often criticised, but the Jurassic Park films have done so much for palaeontology and brought dinosaur science to new audiences. I'm always going to want it to evolve rather than become extinct. The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs by Dr Dean Lomax (Columbia University £32 pp312) is published in September
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on the public's dinomania: passion for palaeontology endures through the ages
On-screen discussions of DNA and off-screen scientific consultants notwithstanding, no one goes to see a Jurassic Park movie for its realism. Yet one of the less convincing moments in Jurassic World Rebirth, the latest in the franchise, is unrelated to oversized velociraptors. It's the palaeontologist Dr Henry Loomis complaining of shrinking public interest in his field. This spring, the BBC revived its 1999 hit series Walking With Dinosaurs. Not a week goes by without headlines announcing the discovery of a new species or new theories on how they behaved. Publishers produce an endless stream of dino-related fact and fiction, particularly for children. Palaeontology – at least when focused on the dinosaurs of the Mesozoic, or our hominin forebears – has long exerted an extraordinary hold on the public imagination. Yet it's a marginal field in terms of academic prestige and scientific funding, as Dr Chris Manias, a historian of science, points out in the essay collection Palaeontology in Public, published last year. (Dinosaurs are themselves a small part of the discipline; the vast mass of fossils are invertebrates, micro-organisms or plants. Good luck getting a movie made about stromatolites). The spectacular scale and fearsome nature of creatures such as Spinosaurus, the magic of conjuring extraordinary life from a handful of rocks tens of millions years old, and the mirroring of myths about dragons and other ancient beasts may all play a part in its appeal. Entertainment has always helped: the Crystal Palace dinosaurs were created in the 1850s to encourage interest in recent discoveries (Richard Owen, who coined the term dinosaur, provided advice.) Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel The Lost World portrayed a South American plateau where prehistoric creatures still roamed. Some of today's palaeontologists were drawn to the field by watching the first Jurassic Park movie as children. But the science itself has been central too. In the 19th century, the US palaeontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope vied to outshine each other in the bitter 'Bone Wars', with academic rigour and ethics taking second place to headline-grabbing glory. In the 'dinosaur renaissance' of the 1960s, experts showed the creatures to be more sophisticated, active and interesting than previously imagined. The feathered dinosaurs found in Liaoning, China, in the 1990s have revolutionised our understanding – even if the Jurassic franchise makers, and many dinosaur fans, still draw the line at a downy Tyrannosaurus rex. In recent years, experts have identified a new dinosaur every week or so. New technology is unlocking details of their appearance and behaviour. The original Jurassic Park was a tourist resort inhabited by dinosaurs brought back from extinction. In the latest film, the plot is driven by big pharma's hunt for prehistoric DNA that could drive a medical breakthrough. That parallels the tension Dr Manias notes around palaeontology itself: is it primarily a 'luxury', which entertains more than it enlightens, or 'useful'? Jaw-dropping giants like Patagotitan still captivate adults and, especially, children. But there are lessons here too. In the past, the field appeared to offer a narrative of progress, as lumbering creatures gave way to mammals and ultimately – tada! – the triumph of humans. Now it is an instructive tale of uncertainty, offering powerful insights into time, nature and how life has fared at times of huge and rapid changes in climactic conditions. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
