Shark Bites Whale

Phys.Org mentions an interesting article published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. The article concerns a fragment of a whale rib, dating to the Pliocene, that shows evidence of a shark bite. In this case the rib also displays evidence of having survived the attack. From Phys.Org:

Marsupial Carnivore Diversity

The Four Stone Hearth will be up later this evening. In the meantime, check out this interesting paper on marsupial carnivores. The paper uses geometric morphometrics to look at skull shape in a wide variety of marsupial and placental carnivores.

“It Will Rewrite Evolutionary Theory…” and “Prove Darwin Wrong…”

The title of this post are two common remarks one hears when the press covers evolution. Drives me straight up the wall. A study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B looks at these claims from the standpoint of paleontology and paleoanthropology.

Wohoo! Fossil Marsupials

Science Daily mentions an interesting paper appearing in the current edition of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Interesting Science Pictures: Part IX

Source: Mojoceratops: New Dinosaur Species Named for Flamboyant Frill. From Science Daily: The dinosaur is one of more than a dozen species belonging to the chasmosaurine ceratopsid family, which are defined by elaborate frills on their skulls. A plant eater about the size of a hippopotamus, Mojoceratops appeared about 75 million years ago during the [...]

So Does This Mean Australopithecines Walked On Their Hands?

Those paleontologists are always one methodological and theoretical step ahead of paleoanthropologists. Consider this new discovery about dinosaurs: “Basically they scooted around by grabbing nearby vines with their mouths and pulling their bodies. Almost like a snake. What we used to think were legs were actually big flippers that flapped about in the air, driving [...]

Need Help On An Archaeopteryx Photo And Begging For An Article

Some years ago Darksyd published a picture of Archaeopteryx on my blog Transitions. I’m not sure where the picture came from but I need a high resolution copy – or any picture that refutes Hoyle’s contention that the feathers are fraudulent. Seems there is a commenter at Talk Rational propagating Hoyle’s false claims and Monad [...]

Pterosaur.net Takes Wing

Pterosaur.net is up and running. Check it out for all things pterosaur…

Damn! Fox News Is Stupid!

Via Highly Allochthonous comes this horrible story from Fox News. The story is supposed to be about lung cancer in China caused by people burning coal that formed 250 million years ago. The story veers strait into stupidity in the first paragraph:

Proceratosaurus bradleyi A Middle Jurrasic Member Of The Tyrannosauridae

Proceratosaurus bradleyi is a middle Jurassic member of the tyrannosaur family. The skull was originally discovered about 100 years ago and was only recognized as an early tyrannosaur recently. According to Science Daily, which reports on a paper in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

Dinosaurs and Destruction

Hawks has already linked to this Onion piece but I can’t resist because it is pretty silly. Hawks left out the funniest bit, but I won’t: To many paleontologists, such as Richard Hollander of the University of Michigan, exploring the various ways dinosaurs might have been slaughtered with today’s military technology is a vital area [...]

Dangerous Ltd and the Discovery Channel Quote-mine a Paleontologist

Normally quote-mining is a behavior one associates with the creationist movement. So it is shocking when the Discovery channel and Dangerous Ltd (makers of Clash of Dinosaurs) engages in the same behavior. The main culprit here is Dangerous Ltd which made the show…

Weird Crocodilyforms of the Sahara

National Geographic has an interesting story about some interesting crocodilyforms that have been found in the Sahara.

Meet Armadillosuchus arrudai

National Geographic has an article on a new crocodylian discovered in Brazil. This one is special: It was 6.6 feet (2 meters) long, weighed about 265 pounds (120 kilograms), and had a relatively wide head with a narrow, toothy snout. Body armor has never been “found in any other fossil or living crocodile species,” Ismar [...]

The Hadrosaur’s Broken Neural Spine: How Did It Heal?

This is an interesting item about research that will be appearing in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. A team lead by William Straight looked at how a fracture of the neural spine (part of the vertebra) healed in a hadrosaur.