Latest news with #sandstone
Gizmodo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Mysterious Petroglyphs Reemerge on Oahu Beach
Shifting sands have once again revealed mysterious petroglyphs on the shores of a remote group of islands. The carvings appear and disappear depending on the water current, sometimes remaining hidden for years at a time before returning like a divine omen. But they're not (as far as we know) an auspice, and this isn't a fantasy movie. The petroglyphs are carved in sandstone along a beach on Oahu's west coast, in front of a U.S. Army recreation center, and could be over 1,000 years old, as first reported by Hawaii News Now. The carvings consist of 26 individual images, most of which are human stick figures, according to SFGATE. The largest petroglyph is over 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall and almost 8 feet wide, and two especially large human figures have unexpected features: fingers. Their periodic reemergence is dictated by waves and the water current, whose natural processes move sand and sediments along the beach. Two guests staying at the recreation center first spotted the petroglyphs in 2016, according to ABC News. Experts don't know what they mean or exactly how old they are, but a nearby archaeological site is around 600 years old. Glen Kila, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner and expert on the local culture and history, believes that the petroglyph's return is a message from his ancestors. 'It's telling the community that the ocean is rising,' Kila, who descends from the coastline's indigenous Hawaiian people, told ABC News. In a 2017 interview with the U.S. Army, Kila said he interpreted one of the fingered human stick figures to be the demigod Maui, according to SFGATE. Maui is a mischievous 'trickster hero' in Polynesian myth with magical powers, frequently considered a demigod. The iconic hero appears in Disney's Moana, voiced by Dwayne Johnson. 'Because he [Maui] played a role in our moolelos over here. And the reason why I say that because the way the fingers are from the east is like the rising sun to the setting sun. So it's a religious symbol,' Kila explained. 'Like what we have for Christianity, the cross or the other symbols.' Moʻolelo is a Hawaiian term that encompasses different meanings, including story, tale, myth, history, tradition, and literature. The Hawaiian Islands were one of the last places on Earth to be settled by humans. Polynesians arrived first and may have made landfall as early as 300 CE. Though the natives didn't have a written language, metal, pottery, or cattle, they were skilled craftsmen of wood, stone, bone, and shell; built huge seafaring vessels; and transmitted their rich culture from generation to generation orally. Petroglyphs were a visual aid to transmit oral stories, according to The History Blog. British explorer Captain James Cook arrived in Hawaii in 1778. After over a century of growing Western influence, businessmen from the United States and Europe, backed by U.S. armed forces, overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy. President William McKinley annexed the territory in 1900. It remains to be seen when the petroglyphs will disappear beneath the sand again. Given the current state of affairs, however, Kila's ancestors could be warning us about a whole slew of environmental and geopolitical missteps.
CBC
15-05-2025
- Science
- CBC
Oldest fossil footprints from reptile found in Australia
Scientists in Australia have identified the oldest known fossil footprints of a reptile-like animal, dated to around 350 million years ago. The discovery suggests that after the first animals emerged from the ocean around 400 million years ago, they evolved the ability to live exclusively on land much faster than previously assumed. "We had thought the transition from fin to limb took much longer," said California State University paleontologist Stuart Sumida, who was not involved in the new research. Previously the earliest known reptile footprints, found in Canada, were dated to 318 million years ago. The ancient footprints from Australia were found on a slab of sandstone recovered near Melbourne and show reptile-like feet with long toes and hooked claws. Scientists estimate the animal was about 80 centimetres long and may have resembled a modern monitor lizard. The findings were published Wednesday in Nature. Earliest animal with claws The hooked claws are a crucial identification clue, said study co-author and paleontologist Per Ahlberg at Uppsala University in Sweden. "It's a walking animal," he said. Only animals that evolved to live solely on land ever developed claws. The earliest vertebrates — fish and amphibians — never developed hard nails and remained dependent on watery environments to lay eggs and reproduce. But the branch of the evolutionary tree that led to modern reptiles, birds and mammals — known as amniotes — developed feet with nails or claws fit for walking on hard ground. "This is the earliest evidence we've ever seen of an animal with claws," said Sumida. At the time the ancient reptile lived, the region was hot and steamy and vast forests began to cover the planet. Australia was part of the supercontinent Gondwana. The fossil footprints record a series of events in one day, Ahlberg said. One reptile scampered across the ground before a light rain fell. Some raindrop dimples partially obscured its trackways. Then two more reptiles ran by in the opposite direction before the ground hardened and was covered in sediment. Fossil "trackways are beautiful because they tell you how something lived, not just what something looked like," said co-author John Long, a paleontologist at Flinders University in Australia.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
A new discovery is rewriting the history of evolution by millions of years
Scientists in Australia have unearthed the oldest known fossil footprints of a reptile -like creature, pushing back the timeline of terrestrial life by millions of years. The prints, dating back approximately 350 million years, suggest animals transitioned from aquatic to fully terrestrial life far more rapidly than previously believed. This discovery surpasses the prior record held by footprints found in Canada, dated to 318 million years ago. The finding challenges existing theories about the evolutionary journey from fin to limb. "We had thought the transition from fin to limb took much longer," commented California State University paleontologist Stuart Sumida, who was not involved in the study. The emergence of the first land-dwelling animals is estimated to have occurred around 400 million years ago. This new evidence significantly shortens the assumed timeframe for the development of fully terrestrial locomotion in vertebrates. The ancient footprints from Australia were found on a slab of sandstone recovered near Melbourne and show reptile-like feet with long toes and hooked claws. Scientists estimate the animal was about 2 1/2 feet (80 centimeters) long and may have resembled a modern monitor lizard. The findings were published Wednesday in Nature. The hooked claws are a crucial identification clue, said study co-author and paleontologist Per Ahlberg at Uppsala University in Sweden. 'It's a walking animal,' he said. Only animals that evolved to live solely on land ever developed claws. The earliest vertebrates -- fish and amphibians – never developed hard nails and remained dependent on watery environments to lay eggs and reproduce. But the branch of the evolutionary tree that led to modern reptiles, birds and mammals – known as amniotes – developed feet with nails or claws fit for walking on hard ground. 'This is the earliest evidence we've ever seen of an animal with claws,' said Sumida. At the time the ancient reptile lived, the region was hot and steamy and vast forests began to cover the planet. Australia was part of the supercontinent Gondwana. The fossil footprints record a series of events in one day, Ahlberg said. One reptile scampered across the ground before a light rain fell. Some raindrop dimples partially obscured its trackways. Then two more reptiles ran by in the opposite direction before the ground hardened and was covered in sediment. Fossil 'trackways are beautiful because they tell you how something lived, not just what something looked like,' said co-author John Long, a paleontologist at Flinders University in Australia.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
How ancient reptile footprints are rewriting the history of when animals evolved to live on land
Scientists in Australia have identified the oldest known fossil footprints of a reptile-like animal, dated to around 350 million years ago. The discovery suggests that after the first animals emerged from the ocean around 400 million years ago, they evolved the ability to live exclusively on land much faster than previously assumed. 'We had thought the transition from fin to limb took much longer,' said California State University paleontologist Stuart Sumida, who was not involved in the new research. Previously the earliest known reptile footprints, found in Canada, were dated to 318 million years ago. The ancient footprints from Australia were found on a slab of sandstone recovered near Melbourne and show reptile-like feet with long toes and hooked claws. Scientists estimate the animal was about 2 1/2 feet (80 centimeters) long and may have resembled a modern monitor lizard. The findings were published Wednesday in Nature. The hooked claws are a crucial identification clue, said study co-author and paleontologist Per Ahlberg at Uppsala University in Sweden. 'It's a walking animal,' he said. Only animals that evolved to live solely on land ever developed claws. The earliest vertebrates -- fish and amphibians – never developed hard nails and remained dependent on watery environments to lay eggs and reproduce. But the branch of the evolutionary tree that led to modern reptiles, birds and mammals – known as amniotes -- developed feet with nails or claws fit for walking on hard ground. 'This is the earliest evidence we've ever seen of an animal with claws,' said Sumida. At the time the ancient reptile lived, the region was hot and steamy and vast forests began to cover the planet. Australia was part of the supercontinent Gondwana. The fossil footprints record a series of events in one day, Ahlberg said. One reptile scampered across the ground before a light rain fell. Some raindrop dimples partially obscured its trackways. Then two more reptiles ran by in the opposite direction before the ground hardened and was covered in sediment. Fossil 'trackways are beautiful because they tell you how something lived, not just what something looked like,' said co-author John Long, a paleontologist at Flinders University in Australia. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
