Scientists have named a new ichthyosaur, Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis, from fossils found in Mistelgau, Germany. The marine reptile had a dramatic overbite similar to swordfish and unique skeletal traits that set it apart from other species. The discovery underscores Mistelgau’s global significance as a Jurassic fossil site, with more studies underway...
The accidental discovery that forged the Iron Age
Ancient copper smelters may have accidentally set the stage for the Iron Age. At a 3,000-year-old workshop in Georgia, researchers discovered that metalworkers were using iron oxide not to smelt iron but to improve copper yields. This experimentation shows how curiosity with materials could have sparked one of history’s greatest...
Scientists just found rare spores inside a fossil older than dinosaurs
Scientists reclassified a long-misunderstood fossil from Brazil as a new genus, Franscinella riograndensis. Using advanced microscopy, they discovered spores preserved in situ—a rare find that links fossil plants to microfossil records. The breakthrough reshapes knowledge of Permian ecosystems and highlights the power of revisiting classic fossils with new tools.
Tiny stones rewrite Earth’s evolution story
Scientists have uncovered an unexpected witness to Earth’s distant past: tiny iron oxide stones called ooids. These mineral snowballs lock away traces of ancient carbon, revealing that oceans between 1,000 and 541 million years ago held far less organic carbon than previously thought. This discovery challenges long-standing theories linking carbon...
A Giant Iceberg’s Final Drift
Like every Antarctic iceberg that drifts north into the South Atlantic, Iceberg A-23A is surrendering to the ocean as spring arrives in the Southern Hemisphere.
Drinking Too Little Puts Body Under Extra Stress
Drinking too little water could increase our vulnerability to stress-related health issues, according to a new study from scientists at LJMU.
Scientists Find That Ice Generates Electricity When Bent
A study co-led by ICN2 reveals that ice is a flexoelectric material, meaning it can produce electricity when unevenly deformed.
Battery Made From Natural Materials Could Replace Conventional Lithium-Ion Batteries
“Climate change has already caused more than 12,000 species to shift their homes across land, freshwater and the sea,” says the University of Adelaide’s Dr Chloe Hayes, who has published a study on the new approach.
FAU Lands EPA Grant to Use Genetics in Florida Bay Sponge Restoration
Andia Chaves-Fonnegra, Ph.D., an associate professor of biology at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, has been awarded a five-year, $720,446 grant from the United States EPA to support a pioneering project aimed at restoring sponge populations in Florida Bay through a genetics-based...
UBC Launches World’s First Mushroom-Powered Waterless Toilet
UBC researchers are launching the world’s first mushroom-powered waterless toilet, the MycoToilet, at the UBC Botanical Garden on Sept. 26.