Paleontology

Scientists may have finally solved the mystery behind one of the most infamous hoaxes in palaeontology.The fossil remains of what became known as the Piltdown man were discovered in a Sussex gravel pit in 1912. The find was hailed as a missing link in the evolutionary ladder between apes and humans, evidence of an ancient human ancestor that lived 500,000 years ago. It would take another 50 years for Piltdown man to be exposed as a hoax, how it had been orchestrated andwho had been responsible for it however was to remain a mystery.Now a group of archaeologists, palaeontologists and anthropologists are to hold a meeting to discuss the results of a new investigation in to the hoax aimed at solving the mystery once and for all.

Among the suspects are amateur archaeologist Charles Dawson who discovered the bones and Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle. Now scientists believe they can finally put to rest the mystery of how one of the most famous scientific frauds in history wasorchestrated and who was responsible for creating the fake remains of a human ancestor known as Piltdown man.  

View: Full article |  Source: Telegraph  

A new study has suggested that volcanic activity was responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs.What caused the dinosaurs to go extinct 65 million years ago remains one of the most debated topics in science. The most commonly accepted explanation is that a large asteroid hit the Earth around that time, but not everyone subscribes to this idea. New research in to the events that lead to the dinosaurs" demise has suggested that volcanoes may have been to blame, spewing high levels of poisonousgases in to the atmosphere and turning the sea in to an acidic soup.The activity would have been centered around the Deccan Traps, a region of intense volcanism located in what is now modern day India.

"Our new information calls for a reassessment of what really caused the K-T mass extinction," said study author Gerta Keller. At the very least it is believed that volcanic activity would have been a contributing factor in the dinosaurs" destruction. The findings, presented Wednesday (Dec. 5) here at the annual meeting of the AmericanGeophysical Union, are the latest volley in an ongoing debate over whether an asteroid or volcanism killed off the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago in the mass die-off known as the K-T extinction.  

View: Full article |  Source: Live Science  

Fossil remains discovered in Tanzania are being hailed as that of the oldest dinosaur ever found.The fossil of the Labrador sized Nyasasaurus parringtoni dates back as long as 15 million years earlier than any other find, pushing the appearance of the dinosaur lineage back further than ever before to the mid-Triassic era. "If the newly named Nyasasaurus parringtoni is not the earliest dinosaur, then it is the closest relative found so far," said study authorSterling Nesbitt.The fossils have helped to piece together not only what this particular species would have been like but it"s place in the transition from earlier species to dinosaurs.

"The bone tissue of Nyasasaurus is exactly what we would expect for an animal at this position on the dinosaur family tree," said co-author Sarah Werning. "It"s a very good example of a transitional fossil." Researchers have discovered what may be the earliest dinosaur, a creature the size of a Labrador retriever, butwith a five foot-long tail, that walked the Earth about 10 million years before more familiar dinosaurs like the small, swift-footed Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus.  

View: Full article |  Source: EurekAlert.org  

Despite it"s size and fierce looks the giant bird Diatryma may not have been a carnivore after all.With a huge beak and standing at up to 7ft in height, Diatryma had long been considered to be a dangerous, meat-eating scavenger that nobody in their right mind would ever want to mess with. Sometimes referred to as being "the bird that replaced dinosaurs as the top predator", it turns out that far from being a flesh-eating monster Diatryma wasactually a gentle herbivore that would have only eaten plants.The revelation was made following the discovery of footprints from the species that showed no signs of raptor-like claws or other features you would expect to find in a carnivore.

"[The tracks] clearly show that the animals did not have long talons, but rather short toenails," said David Tucker from Western Washington University. "This argues against an animal that catches prey and uses claws to hold it down. Carnivorous birds allhave sharp, long talons." Footprints believed to have been made by the giant bird Diatryma indicate that it was a "gentle herbivore" and not a fierce carnivore, scientists say.  

View: Full article |  Source: BBC News