A paper just out in Nature argues that fossils from the Cambrian represent early deuterostomes, The tiny organisms have mouths, and they seem to have pores on their sides--possible precursors of gill slits?--for excreting waste. Here is one popular report on the find.
A Canadian Lagerstaette that's not the Burgess Shale
Scientists writing in the latest issue of Geology report on a newly identified Lagerstaette in Alberta, Canada, not far from Banff. The Ya Ha Tinda site records a marine ecosystem from the early Jurassic, around 183 million years ago. Here is a short description of the findings. But check out the original paper (the first link above) for nice images of the fossils.
Giant prehistoric otter from southern China
New funding for Canada's Royal Tyrrell Museum
The Canadian government and the government of Alberta are providing new funds for the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology.
Cambrian hyoliths
Early tetrapod fossil from Scotland--remarkable for how it was "removed" from the rock
Scientists have found that it's possible to stick a rock in a CT scanner, scan & digitize a fossil that's inside the rock, and then 3D print the fossil. This is enabling them to make some headway toward figuring out what was going on during "Romer's gap," a gap in the fossil record (or at least, everyone thought it was a gap) coinciding with the early evolution of tetrapods.
Fossilized Tomatoes, 52 million years old
Researchers have found fossils of ancestral tomatoes in Patagonia.
The Bears Ears, and what it means for paleontology
At the end of December, 2016, President Obama established the new Bears Ears National Monument, in Utah. Much of the discussion of the new national monument has focused on environmental protection and the preservation of archeological sites, But the region also has paleontological importance. Here is one interesting discussion by a researcher who works in the region.
An Unusual Developmental Trajectory
Philosopher of Biology Kim Sterelny on the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis
David Sloan Wilson interviews Kim Sterelny on the extended evolutionary synthesis (EES)
Prehistoric Soundscapes
Alex Riley writes here about efforts to reconstruct the sounds made by prehistoric insects, hadrosaurs, and even Neanderthals.
Dinosaur tail in amber
Mesozoic mammals that could really chomp
Apparently some Mesozoic mammals had unmatched bite force.
Call For Guest Bloggers!
Interested in writing at Extinct? Today's your lucky day!
For guidance and inspiration, here's Darwin with a lightsaber riding a T. rex. Illustration by Maris Wicks.
In the last year, Extinct has hosted a diverse and fascinating range of monthly guest posts (you can find them here). This will continue through 2017, so if you're interested in taking part, you should get in contact. Guest posts are standardly between 1,000 to 2,000 words (although longer peices might be considered), and we're very open to a range of styles, interests, levels of seriousness, and so forth. Extinct's regular contributors are always happy to help with writing and editorial advice. Blogging is a fun way of testing out ideas, and getting them into the public sphere. What's more, our mysterious artist will provide every guest blogger with a caricature featuring an extinct critter of their choice!
If you want to propose a guest post, or have any questions, get in contact. Adrian's handling the guest schedule, so best to email him on ac2075[at symbol]cam.ac.uk.
Onwards, Tyranosaur!
Fossilized dinosaur brain tissue found
The Geological Society of London has released a Special Publication announcing the discovery of fossilized brain tissue in an ornithischian dinosaur. It is unclear whether or not this tissue served as the seat of the dinosaur's soul, but we're sure that a Descartes scholar is bound to look into the issue soon.
Source: Yahoo! News