The discovery of North America’s oldest known pterosaur has sent shockwaves through the scientific community. A team of researchers led by paleontologist Ben Kligman has unearthed the fossilized jawbone of a new species, Eotephradactylus mcintireae, in the remote Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. The find dates back to the late Triassic period, around 209 million years ago, and sheds light on a dynamic ecosystem where diverse groups of animals coexisted.

The Owl Rock Member, a geologic outcrop rich in volcanic ash, has allowed researchers to date the site to around 209 million years old. This makes it one of the park’s youngest rocks and provides a unique window into the Triassic period. The exposures of the Owl Rock Member are found in very remote areas, making them less studied than other geological members in the park.

The team discovered over 1,200 individual fossils, including bones, teeth, fish scales, and coprolites (fossilized poop). This assemblage contains 16 different groups of vertebrate animals that once inhabited a diverse ecosystem. The region’s braided rivers were filled with fish, like freshwater sharks and coelacanths, as well as ancient amphibians, some of which grew up to 6 feet long.

The surrounding environment was home to fearsome reptiles that evolved earlier in the Triassic, including armored herbivores and toothy predators that resembled giant crocodiles. Living alongside these strange creatures were a variety of more familiar critters, including relatives of tuataras and early frogs.

One of the most significant finds is the fossils of an ancient turtle with spike-like armor and a shell that could fit inside a shoebox. This tortoise-like animal lived around the same time as the oldest known turtle, whose fossils were previously uncovered in Germany.

The team also discovered a new species of pterosaur, which would have been small enough to comfortably perch on a person’s shoulder. The tooth-studded jaw revealed crucial clues about how the earliest pterosaurs lived. Because the tips of the teeth were worn down, the team concluded that the pterosaur likely fed on the site’s fish, many of which were encased in armor-like scales.

The bonebed is the latest research collaboration between the National Museum of Natural History and Petrified Forest National Park. Smithsonian scientists have collected petrified wood, fossils, and archaeological objects from the region since the turn of the 20th century.

This remarkable discovery has shed new light on the Triassic period and highlights the importance of continued exploration and research in our understanding of ancient ecosystems. The find also underscores the significance of preserving and protecting our natural heritage for future generations.

The collapse of tropical forests during Earth’s most catastrophic extinction event was the primary cause of the prolonged global warming that followed, according to new research.

The Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction – sometimes referred to as the “Great Dying,” happened around 252 million years ago, leading to the massive loss of marine species and significant declines in terrestrial plants and animals.

For decades, scientists have been unable to pinpoint why super-greenhouse conditions persisted for around five million years afterwards. Now a team of international researchers has gathered new data that supports the theory that the demise of tropical forests and their slow recovery limited carbon sequestration – a process where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in plants, soils, or minerals.

The researchers used a new type of analysis of fossil records as well as clues about past climate conditions found in certain rock formations to reconstruct maps of changes in plant productivity during the Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction. Their results show that vegetation loss during the event led to greatly reduced levels of carbon sequestration, resulting in a prolonged period with high levels of CO2.

The paper’s lead author, Dr. Zhen Xu from the University of Leeds, said: “The causes of such extreme warming during this event have been long discussed, as the level of warming is far beyond any other event.”

Critically, this is the only high-temperature event in Earth’s history where the tropical forest biosphere collapses, which drove our initial hypothesis. Now, after years of fieldwork, analysis, and simulations, we finally have the data that supports it.

The researchers believe their results reinforce the idea that thresholds or ‘tipping points’ exist in Earth’s climate-carbon system that, when reached, mean that warming can be amplified.

China is home to the most complete geological record of the Permian-Triassic mass Extinction and this work leverages an incredible archive of fossil data gathered over decades by three generations of Chinese geologists. The lead author Dr. Zhen Xu is the youngest of these and is continuing the work begun by Professor Hongfu Yin and Professor Jianxin Yu, who are also authors of the study.

Since 2016, Zhen and her colleagues have traveled throughout China from subtropical forests to deserts, visiting areas accessible only by boat or on horseback. Zhen came to the University of Leeds in 2020 to work with Professor Benjamin Mills on simulating the extinction event and assessing the climate impacts of the loss of tropical vegetation shown by the fossil record.

Their results confirm that the change in carbon sequestration suggested by the fossils is consistent with the amount of warming that occurred afterwards. Professor Mills added: “There is a warning here about the importance of Earth’s present-day tropical forests. If rapid warming causes them to collapse in a similar manner, then we should not expect our climate to cool to preindustrial levels even if we stop emitting CO2.”

Indeed, warming could continue to accelerate in this case even if we reach zero human emissions. We will have fundamentally changed the carbon cycle in a way that can take geological timescales to recover, which has happened in Earth’s past.

Reflecting on the study’s broader mission, Professor Hongfu Yin and Professor Jianxin Yu of the China University of Geosciences underscored the urgency of blending tradition with innovation: “Paleontology needs to embrace new techniques – from numerical modeling to interdisciplinary collaboration – to decode the past and safeguard the future,” explained Professor Yin.

Professor Yu added: “Let’s make sure our work transcends academia: it is a responsibility to all life on Earth, today and beyond. Earth’s story is still being written, and we all have a role in shaping its next chapter.”

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In ancient Ireland, around 5,000 years ago, the notion that an incestuous social elite ruled over the people was questioned by new research. The study examined DNA evidence from burials at Newgrange, a prehistoric monument, which previously led to speculation about a ruling class or royal family being buried there.

Researchers analyzed a bone skull fragment found in the chamber and discovered that it belonged to an individual who was likely born of incestuous relationships, but also distantly related to others buried in the same tomb. This finding suggested that only certain individuals were buried in the chamber, implying they held special positions in society.

However, researchers from the University of York and University College Dublin have now shown that there is no evidence of an elite class existing economically or socially among nearby settlements, dietary practices, or trade. They believe that ancient Irish society was more equal, as evidenced by shared resources, similar dwellings, and a lack of large settlement systems or trade mechanisms.

Professor Penny Bickle stated, “The evidence points to a much more collective ethos.” She added, “We can only begin to understand these monuments and tombs if we examine the social lives or the communities that built and used them.”

Newgrange is an ancient monument older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza, believed to have been built by a farming community in County Meath. The original burial place of the skull fragment, NG10, dated to 3340-3020 BC, was questioned, as its genetic clustering typically reflects distant biological relationships rather than close familial ties.

Associate Professor Jessica Smyth noted that people were selected for burial in passage tombs, but the reasons behind this selection are unknown. She also mentioned that bodies were broken down and mixed with cremated remains before being placed in megalithic monuments, making it unclear who the parents of certain individuals might have been.

Professor Penny Bickle concluded, “It is by no means clear that the monument was the first burial site of NG10.” She added, “As it stands, the incestuous origins of NG10 are a one-off compared to all of the DNA data we have for Neolithic Ireland.”

The research, published in Antiquity, suggests that ancient Irish society might have been more inclusive and equal than previously thought.