Uncategorized

  1. Paleontology

    Ancient atmosphere was productive

    New laboratory experiments suggest that extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the era just before the dinosaurs went extinct may have boosted plant productivity to at least three times that found in today’s ecosystems.

    By Sid Perkins
  2. Paleontology

    Healed scars tag T. rex as predator

    Healed wounds on the fossil skull of a Triceratops—wounds that match the size and shape of those that would be made by Tyrannosaurus rex—are a strong sign that the tooth scrapes are a result of attempted predation, not scavenging.

    By Sid Perkins
  3. Paleontology

    Role of gastroliths in digestion questioned

    New analyses of the gastroliths in ostriches are casting doubt on the theory that large, plant-eating dinosaurs swallowed stones to grind up tough vegetation and thereby aid their digestion.