Paleontology

A 380-million-year old predatory fish from Central Australia is finally named after decades of digging

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

More than 380 million years ago, a sleek, air-breathing predatory fish patrolled the rivers of central Australia.

Key Points: 
  • More than 380 million years ago, a sleek, air-breathing predatory fish patrolled the rivers of central Australia.
  • Known from at least 17 fossil specimens, Harajicadectes is the first reasonably complete bony fish found from Devonian rocks in central Australia.

Meet the biter

  • This group had strongly built paired fins and usually only a single pair of external nostrils.
  • Tetrapodomorph fish from the Devonian period (359–419 million years ago) have long been of great interest to science.
  • They include the forerunners of modern tetrapods – animals with backbones and limbs such as amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

A long road to discovery

  • Packed within red sandstone blocks on a remote hilltop were hundreds of fossil fishes.
  • The vast majority of them were small Bothriolepis – a type of widespread prehistoric fish known as a placoderm, covered in box-like armour.
  • These included a lungfish known as Harajicadipterus youngi, named in honour of Gavin Young and his years of work on material from Harajica.
  • There were early attempts at figuring out the species, but this proved troublesome.
  • Then, our Flinders University expedition to the site in 2016 yielded the first almost complete fossil of this animal.

A strange apex predator

  • Likely the top predator of those ancient rivers, its big mouth was lined with closely-packed sharp teeth alongside larger, widely spaced triangular fangs.
  • It seems to have combined anatomical traits from different tetrapodomorph lineages via convergent evolution (when different creatures evolve similar features independently).
  • Similar giant spiracles also appear in Gogonasus, a marine tetrapodomorph from the famous Late Devonian Gogo Formation of Western Australia.
  • They are also seen in the unrelated Pickeringius, an early ray-finned fish that was also at Gogo.

The earliest air-breathers?


Other Devonian animals that sported such spiracles were the famous elpistostegalians – freshwater tetrapodomorphs from the Northern Hemisphere such as Elpistostege and Tiktaalik. These animals were extremely close to the ancestry of limbed vertebrates. So, enlarged spiracles seem to have arisen independently in at least four separate lineages of Devonian fishes.

  • The only living fishes with similar structures are bichirs, African ray-finned fishes that live in shallow floodplains and estuaries.
  • It was recently confirmed they draw surface air through their spiracles to aid survival in oxygen-poor waters.


Brian Choo receives funding from the Australian Research Council and is employed by Flinders University. Alice Clement receives funding from the Australian Research Council and is employed by Flinders University. John Long receives funding from The Australian Research Council.

Groundbreaking Allosaurus Discovery Revealed at Jurassic Mile® Dig Site in Wyoming Is Now on Display at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 8, 2024

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In a stunning revelation at the Jurassic Mile® dig site, the international paleontology team from The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Naturalis Biodiversity Center and University of Manchester successfully extracted colossal sauropod fossils for the Giants of the Jurassic™ portion of the Dinosphere® exhibit but also stumbled upon a remarkable find—an articulated Allosaurus fossil.

Key Points: 
  • "Other Allosaurus have been found with skin impressions in the past, but ours contains skin from parts of the body yet to be preserved.
  • The skin is leathery and has scales like the feet of chickens or the body of crocodiles."
  • This extraordinary discovery took place during the summer of 2020 but is just now on display for the public to see at The Children's Museum.
  • Over the last few years, the Allosaurus fossil was transported to Indianapolis, with different parts arriving in stages.

Old school paleo artist paints the picture of Jurassic life and landscapes for Dinosaur Ridge visitors

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 17, 2023

The few so-called paleo artists who create art without the aid of digital tools are heading the way of the dinosaurs.

Key Points: 
  • The few so-called paleo artists who create art without the aid of digital tools are heading the way of the dinosaurs.
  • In the scenes, plant life is sparse and shallow waterways attract animals to the flat land that later uplifted to form Colorado's Rocky Mountains.
  • The new paintings will be displayed in the Dinosaur Ridge Discovery Center to show visitors what the area was like when gigantic sauropods and smaller meat-eaters populated the area.
  • Jefferson County Open Space acquired Dinosaur Ridge the same year the Interior Department designated the Morrison Fossil Area National Natural Landmark, in 1973.

Winner of This Year’s PCCA Institute Pharmacy Student Scholarship, Holly Seyler Will Address 350+ Compounders at ThinkNext: International Seminar 2023

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 5, 2023

Houston, Oct. 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PCCA selected pharmacy student Holly Seyler, a PharmD candidate from the University of Washington School of Pharmacy, as the winner of the 2023 PCCA Institute Pharmacy Student Scholarship Contest.

Key Points: 
  • Houston, Oct. 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PCCA selected pharmacy student Holly Seyler, a PharmD candidate from the University of Washington School of Pharmacy, as the winner of the 2023 PCCA Institute Pharmacy Student Scholarship Contest.
  • Seyler will deliver a 10-minute mainstage presentation on Saturday, October 28, during ThinkNext: International Seminar 2023, the compounding industry’s biggest event, in Houston, Texas.
  • “She exemplifies all PCCA Core Values and is proof there’s hope for the future of compounding.”
    A third-year pharmacy student earning her doctorate in pharmacy, Seyler works as an intern at Clark’s Compounding Pharmacy in Bellevue, Washington.
  • Finalists in the scholarship contest included Nehal Ahmed, a pharmacy student at Texas A&M University, and Elizabeth Caley, a pharmacy student at the University of Kansas.

Celebrate National Fossil Day On October 11 With A Prehistoric Shark Tooth

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Savannah, GA, Oct. 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prehistoric discovery and preservation will be given the spotlight this year during National Fossil Day, celebrated on October 11, 2023.

Key Points: 
  • Savannah, GA, Oct. 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prehistoric discovery and preservation will be given the spotlight this year during National Fossil Day, celebrated on October 11, 2023.
  • These giant sharks dominated between 2 and 20 million years ago and have left behind their museum-quality fossilized Megalodon teeth.
  • “National Fossil Day is such a great way of learning more about shark teeth, and all the different forms of paleontology,” said Eberlein.
  • Each fossil purchase includes a display stand, certificate of authenticity and an article about Bill and Dodie's fossil diving adventures.

Latest Sports & Fitness Innovation: Holistic Training Syllabus by MAVERICKS Life Co.

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 21, 2023

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland, Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports science & wellbeing education company, MAVERICKS Life Co., announces the release of its new Holistic Training Syllabus, rooted in evolutionary biology and epigenetics theory.

Key Points: 
  • CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland, Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports science & wellbeing education company, MAVERICKS Life Co., announces the release of its new Holistic Training Syllabus, rooted in evolutionary biology and epigenetics theory.
  • "*
    But there's no need to return to a primitive lifestyle, reveals Jessica Christensen, the visionary founder and CEO of MAVERICKS Life Co. and Holistic Sports Science education specialist.
  • Drawing on 15 years of work in developing innovative training frameworks, MAVERICKS Life Co. introduces an innovative training concept that addresses modern humans' lifestyle shortcomings, : a holistic approach to sport and an active lifestyle.
  • HOLISTIC TRAINING is a mind-body-environment training approach that links skill development and physical performance.

Latest Sports & Fitness Innovation: Holistic Training Syllabus by MAVERICKS Life Co.

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 21, 2023

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland, Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports science & wellbeing education company, MAVERICKS Life Co., announces the release of its new Holistic Training Syllabus, rooted in evolutionary biology and epigenetics theory.

Key Points: 
  • CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland, Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports science & wellbeing education company, MAVERICKS Life Co., announces the release of its new Holistic Training Syllabus, rooted in evolutionary biology and epigenetics theory.
  • "*
    But there's no need to return to a primitive lifestyle, reveals Jessica Christensen, the visionary founder and CEO of MAVERICKS Life Co. and Holistic Sports Science education specialist.
  • Drawing on 15 years of work in developing innovative training frameworks, MAVERICKS Life Co. introduces an innovative training concept that addresses modern humans' lifestyle shortcomings, : a holistic approach to sport and an active lifestyle.
  • HOLISTIC TRAINING is a mind-body-environment training approach that links skill development and physical performance.

How did plants first evolve into all different shapes and sizes? We mapped a billion years of plant history to find out

Retrieved on: 
Monday, September 4, 2023

This even applies to us: all the different placental mammals evolved from a common ancestor surprisingly quickly.

Key Points: 
  • This even applies to us: all the different placental mammals evolved from a common ancestor surprisingly quickly.
  • In our new study, we sought to answer this question by looking for certain traits in each major plant group.
  • We expected flowering plants to dominate the design space since they make up more than 80% of plant species, but they don’t.
  • Nevertheless, some of the distinctiveness of the different groupings in design space is clearly the result of extinction.

So how did plant body plan diversity evolve?

    • These represent the evolutionary solutions to the environmental challenges faced by plants in their progressive occupation of increasingly dry and challenging niches on the land surface.
    • The drivers of plant anatomical evolution appear to be a combination of genomic potential and environmental opportunity.

Plant disparity suggests that the big bang is a bust

    • Instead, it seems fundamental forms of plants have emerged hierarchically through evolutionary history, elaborating on the anatomical chassis inherited from their ancestors.
    • They have not lost their capacity for innovation over the billion or more years of their evolutionary longevity.
    • So does that make plants different from animals, studies of which are the basis for the expectation of early evolutionary innovation and exhaustion?

Guildford Town Centre Unveils First-of-its-Kind Exhibit, Dinosaurs Around the World

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 28, 2023

Marking the first exhibit of its kind at Guildford Town Centre, guests will be captivated by state-of-the-art animatronics, intricate storytelling, cutting-edge research, and immersive design elements.

Key Points: 
  • Marking the first exhibit of its kind at Guildford Town Centre, guests will be captivated by state-of-the-art animatronics, intricate storytelling, cutting-edge research, and immersive design elements.
  • A landmark in Surrey’s Guildford neighbourhood since 1966, Guildford Town Centre remains deeply committed to offering visitors experiences that extend far beyond shopping and dining.
  • “We are thrilled to be bringing Dinosaurs Around the World to Guildford Town Centre,” shares Kiran Deol, Marketing Manager, Guildford Town Centre.
  • To learn more about Guildford Town Centre and Dinosaurs Around the World, visit guildfordtowncentre.com

Verizon Innovative Learning expands with new schools and content for back to school

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 14, 2023

NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As students return to classrooms, Verizon aims to increase digital equity and inclusion for teachers and students nationwide through its award-winning education initiative, Verizon Innovative Learning. In partnership with trusted education partners, edtech innovators and cultural institutions, educators will have access to a growing suite of programs and resources, including new tech-driven, ready-to-teach lesson plans that leverage the power of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) apps in the classroom.

Key Points: 
  • K-12 educators nationwide can access tech-driven content from new and existing partners through Verizon Innovative Learning HQ, a free education portal that makes innovative learning tools available to all.
  • This fall, Verizon will add 31 new Title I middle and high schools and 36 new labs to Verizon Innovative Learning.
  • NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As students return to classrooms, Verizon aims to increase digital equity and inclusion for teachers and students nationwide through its award-winning education initiative, Verizon Innovative Learning.
  • In partnership with the nonprofit Digital Promise, Verizon is expanding the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program by welcoming 31 new Title I schools from 10 new school districts across nine states, bringing the program’s total reach to 592 schools nationwide.