ScienceDaily: Fossils & Ruins News

Climate-change clues from turtles of tropical Wyoming Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:12 AM PST Tropical turtle fossils discovered in Wyoming reveal that when Earth got warmer, prehistoric turtles headed north. But if today's turtles try the same technique to cope with warming habitats, they might run into trouble.

Kenyan fossils show evolution of hippos Posted: 24 Feb 2015 08:34 AM PST A French-Kenyan research team has just described a new fossil ancestor of today's hippo family. This discovery bridges a gap in the fossil record separating these animals from their closest modern-day cousins, the cetaceans. It also shows that some 35 million years ago, the ancestors of hippos were among the first large mammals to colonize the African continent, long before those of any of the large carnivores, giraffes or bovines.

International team of scientists launches fossil database Posted: 24 Feb 2015 07:28 AM PST Have you ever wondered exactly when a certain group of plants or animals first evolved? A new resource for scientists is designed to help answer just those kinds of questions. The Fossil Calibration Database, a free, open-access resource that stores carefully vetted fossil data, is the result of years of work from a worldwide team of scientists.

Asian tree rings explain historical plague outbreaks in Europe Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:31 AM PST Climate-driven plague outbreaks in Asia were repeatedly transmitted over several centuries into southern European harbors, an international team of researchers has found. This finding contrasts the general belief that the second plague pandemic "Black Death" was a singular introduction of Yersinia pestis from Asia to Europe in 1347 AD.

Sea urchins, sand dollars thrived with time Posted: 23 Feb 2015 01:44 PM PST New work on echinoids -- marine animals like sea urchins and sand dollars -- gives scientists a reason to rethink a classical pattern of evolution. Fossil-based studies have traditionally indicated that groups of organisms diversify fastest early in their evolutionary history, followed by a steady decline through time. But the new work on Echinoidea shows that rates of evolution were actually lowest at the group's onset and increased through episodic bursts associated with changes in feeding strategies.