(Newswise)–Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have identified a new species of thalattosaur, a marine reptile that lived more than 200 million years ago. The new species, Gunakadeit joseeae, is the most complete thalattosaur ever found in North America and has given paleontologists new insights about the thalattosaurs’ family tree, according to a paper […]
Prehistoric AC
Newswise–Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs on the planet, had an air conditioner in its head, suggest scientists from the University of Missouri, Ohio University and University of Florida, while challenging over a century of previous beliefs. In the past, scientists believed two large holes in the roof of a T. rex‘s skull — […]
Running May Have Made Dinosaurs’ Wings Flap Before They Evolved To Fly
(Newswise)–Before they evolved the ability to fly, two-legged dinosaurs may have begun to flap their wings as a passive effect of running along the ground, according to new research by Jing-Shan Zhao of Tsinghua University, Beijing, and his colleagues. The findings, published in PLOS Computational Biology, provide new insights into the origin of avian flight, which […]
Ankylosaurs Likely Regulated Body Temperature With Elaborate Nasal Passages
(Newswise)–Ankylosaurs likely regulated their body temperature with convoluted nasal passages that acted as heat exchangers between air and body, according to a study published December 19 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Jason Bourke from Ohio University, USA, and colleagues. Modern mammals and birds have long, convoluted nasal passages called turbinates that function as […]