SandeeOster

Smallest Rhynchosaur Ever Found in Brazil’s Triassic: What a 233-Million-Year-Old Fossil Can Tell… Recent study describes the first perinate Hyperodapedontinae specimen, revealing which diagnostic features develop at birth and which are…

A 233-million-year-old baby rhynchosaur fossil from Brazil's Triassic is the smallest ever found there and it's helping scientists figure out which features develop at birth vs. later in life.
medium.com/fossils-et-a...

The Largest Mesozoic Crocodyliform Egg Clutch Ever Found in Brazil New fossil egg clutches from the Bauru Group shed light on crocodyliform nesting strategies during the Late Cretaceous

The largest Mesozoic crocodyliform egg clutch ever was just found in Brazil. Containing a staggering 47 eggs around ~88 million years old
medium.com/the-academic...

The Largest Mesozoic Crocodyliform Egg Clutch Ever Found in Brazil New fossil egg clutches from the Bauru Group shed light on crocodyliform nesting strategies during the Late Cretaceous

The largest Mesozoic crocodyliform egg clutch ever was just found in Brazil. Containing a staggering 47 eggs around ~88 million years old
medium.com/the-academic...

Smallest Rhynchosaur Ever Found in Brazil’s Triassic: What a 233-Million-Year-Old Fossil Can Tell… Recent study describes the first perinate Hyperodapedontinae specimen, revealing which diagnostic features develop at birth and which are…

A 233-million-year-old baby rhynchosaur fossil from Brazil's Triassic is the smallest ever found there and it's helping scientists figure out which features develop at birth vs. later in life.
medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Algeria’s First Plesiosaur: A Marine Reptile in the Mountains The first plesiosaurian fossil found in Algeria reveals a rare glimpse into Coniacian marine life along the southern Tethyan margin

Algeria's first plesiosaur fossil was just discovered...in the mountains! A single vertebra found in the Tébessa Mountains reveals these ancient marine reptiles once swam through waters that now sit thousands of feet above sea level. medium.com/science-spec...

Algeria’s First Plesiosaur: A Marine Reptile in the Mountains The first plesiosaurian fossil found in Algeria reveals a rare glimpse into Coniacian marine life along the southern Tethyan margin

Algeria's first plesiosaur fossil was just discovered...in the mountains! A single vertebra found in the Tébessa Mountains reveals these ancient marine reptiles once swam through waters that now sit thousands of feet above sea level. medium.com/science-spec...

Sunken Treasure: Inside Singapore’s Only Known Ancient Shipwreck Recent study analyzes the cargo of Singapore’s only known ancient shipwreck

Recent study reveals Singapore's only known ancient shipwreck carried the world's largest assemblage of Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain, dating the vessel to between 1340–1352. medium.com/science-spec...

Dongola’s Lost King: How a Letter in a Rubbish Heap Proved He Existed Excavations at Old Dongola reveal documentary evidence of the earliest known post-medieval king of Dongola

A tiny piece of paper found in a rubbish heap at Old Dongola has confirmed the existence of King Qashqash, a ruler once dismissed as semi-legendary, making him the earliest known post-medieval king of Dongola
medium.com/the-academic...

The Myth of the Japanese Tiger: If Japan Never Had Tigers, What Really Prowled Through Ancient… Scientists use ancient DNA and proteomics to overturn decades of fossil misidentification in Japan

Ancient fossils long thought to be Japanese tigers were just confirmed via DNA analysis to be cave lions. The Japanese cave lion roamed the archipelago for thousands of years and may have outlasted its mainland relatives medium.com/fossils-et-a...

The Princess of Bagicz: How Tree Rings Revealed the Real Age of the Only Surviving Roman Iron Age… Recent Study Uses Dendrochronology to Resolve Dating Discrepancy of the Only Preserved Roman Iron Age Coffin

The Princess of Bagicz, the only fully preserved Roman Iron Age log coffin ever found, has finally been accurately dated to around 120 AD thanks to tree-ring analysis. Radiocarbon dating had inaccurately made her ~100 years older medium.com/science-spec...

The Myth of the Japanese Tiger: If Japan Never Had Tigers, What Really Prowled Through Ancient… Scientists use ancient DNA and proteomics to overturn decades of fossil misidentification in Japan

Ancient fossils long thought to be Japanese tigers were just confirmed via DNA analysis to be cave lions. The Japanese cave lion roamed the archipelago for thousands of years and may have outlasted its mainland relatives medium.com/fossils-et-a...

How Tyrannosaurus Killed: New Study Finds a Tooth Lodged in a Dinosaur’s Skull An embedded Tyrannosaurus tooth in the nasal bone of an Edmontosaurus provides rare direct evidence of predatory behavior in non-avian…

New study finds a Tyrannosaurus tooth embedded in an Edmontosaurus skull, direct evidence T. rex hunted face-to-face, biting the snout with such force the tooth snapped off mid-attack. medium.com/fossils-et-a...

The Princess of Bagicz: How Tree Rings Revealed the Real Age of the Only Surviving Roman Iron Age… Recent Study Uses Dendrochronology to Resolve Dating Discrepancy of the Only Preserved Roman Iron Age Coffin

The Princess of Bagicz, the only fully preserved Roman Iron Age log coffin ever found, has finally been accurately dated to around 120 AD thanks to tree-ring analysis. Radiocarbon dating had inaccurately made her ~100 years older medium.com/science-spec...

Hawaii’s Kiwi: The Flightless, Nocturnal Ibis That Once Roamed Hawaii New study finds the Apteribis of Hawaii was a flightless, nocturnal bird, that filled a Kiwi-like niche in Hawaii’s ecosystem

Hawaii once had its own version of the kiwi, a flightless, nocturnal ibis called Apteribis that roamed the islands at night, probing for snails with its sensitive bill. It went extinct after Polynesian settlement in the 10th–12th century medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Mauled, Savaged and Left to Die: Study of an Over 27,000 Year Old Bear Mauling in Italy Recent Study Provides First Full Analysis of Trauma on Italy’s Famous Upper Paleolithic Burial

A ~27,900-year-old skeleton in Italy was likely the oldest known bear mauling victim. Il Principe survived 2–3 days after the attack, and his community honored his death with an elaborate burial. medium.com/the-academic...

Hawaii’s Kiwi: The Flightless, Nocturnal Ibis That Once Roamed Hawaii New study finds the Apteribis of Hawaii was a flightless, nocturnal bird, that filled a Kiwi-like niche in Hawaii’s ecosystem

Hawaii once had its own version of the kiwi, a flightless, nocturnal ibis called Apteribis that roamed the islands at night, probing for snails with its sensitive bill. It went extinct after Polynesian settlement in the 10th–12th century medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Mauled, Savaged and Left to Die: Study of an Over 27,000 Year Old Bear Mauling in Italy Recent Study Provides First Full Analysis of Trauma on Italy’s Famous Upper Paleolithic Burial

A ~27,900-year-old skeleton in Italy was likely the oldest known bear mauling victim. Il Principe survived 2–3 days after the attack, and his community honored his death with an elaborate burial. medium.com/the-academic...

Hannibal’s Elephants: Is This the First Physical Evidence of Carthage’s War Elephants? A recent study identifies what may be the first elephant bone from a Punic context in Europe

Archaeologists may have found the first physical evidence of Carthage's war elephants in Europe: a single bone unearthed in Córdoba, Spain, dating to the Second Punic War. medium.com/science-spec...

The Plague Is Upon Us: The First Confirmed Mass Grave of the Justinian Plague New study analyzes the aDNA and stable isotopes of victims of the Plague of Justinian at Jerash

Study finds the first mass grave from the Justinian Plague at Jerash, Jordan. DNA and isotope analysis revealed victims weren't just locals, they were people from across Africa, Europe, and the Near East, trapped by the pandemic mid-journey medium.com/the-academic...

The Sealed Pipeline: Petra’s Forgotten Experiment in Roman Engineering A new survey of the ‘Ain Braq aqueduct reveals a previously unknown lead pipeline and sheds light on Nabataean hydraulic expertise

Archaeologists just discovered a hidden lead pipeline in Petra's 'Ain Braq aqueduct. The 116-meter pressurized lead pipe was eventually sealed and replaced with terracotta likely because cost and maintenance outweighed its benefits. medium.com/the-academic...

Hannibal’s Elephants: Is This the First Physical Evidence of Carthage’s War Elephants? A recent study identifies what may be the first elephant bone from a Punic context in Europe

Archaeologists may have found the first physical evidence of Carthage's war elephants in Europe: a single bone unearthed in Córdoba, Spain, dating to the Second Punic War. medium.com/science-spec...

The Scent of Death: How Mummy Odors Reveal Ancient Egyptian Embalming Methods New study uses volatile organic compounds to reveal ancient Egyptian embalming recipes and their evolution over 2,000 years

New research analyzed 'smell' in mummy samples spanning 2,000 years to find out embalming ingredients. Early mummies used simple oils while later ones used complex ingredients like beeswax and bitumen. medium.com/the-academic...

Rituals of the Chalcolithic: Mystery of the Ancient Cornets That Puzzled Archaeologists for Decades New research sheds light on the making and meaning of Chalcolithic cornets

New study sheds light on the "cornet" mystery, revealing these unique Chalcolithic ceramic cones likely served as sophisticated beeswax lamps for ritual processions. Researchers found that their varied shapes and handles were designed for hand-holding or hanging medium.com/the-academic...

Rituals of the Chalcolithic: Mystery of the Ancient Cornets That Puzzled Archaeologists for Decades New research sheds light on the making and meaning of Chalcolithic cornets

New study sheds light on the "cornet" mystery, revealing these unique Chalcolithic ceramic cones likely served as sophisticated beeswax lamps for ritual processions. Researchers found that their varied shapes and handles were designed for hand-holding or hanging medium.com/the-academic...

The Scent of Death: How Mummy Odors Reveal Ancient Egyptian Embalming Methods New study uses volatile organic compounds to reveal ancient Egyptian embalming recipes and their evolution over 2,000 years

New research analyzed 'smell' in mummy samples spanning 2,000 years to find out embalming ingredients. Early mummies used simple oils while later ones used complex ingredients like beeswax and bitumen. medium.com/the-academic...

The Sealed Pipeline: Petra’s Forgotten Experiment in Roman Engineering A new survey of the ‘Ain Braq aqueduct reveals a previously unknown lead pipeline and sheds light on Nabataean hydraulic expertise

Archaeologists just discovered a hidden lead pipeline in Petra's 'Ain Braq aqueduct. The 116-meter pressurized lead pipe was eventually sealed and replaced with terracotta likely because cost and maintenance outweighed its benefits. medium.com/the-academic...

The Plague Is Upon Us: The First Confirmed Mass Grave of the Justinian Plague New study analyzes the aDNA and stable isotopes of victims of the Plague of Justinian at Jerash

Study finds the first mass grave from the Justinian Plague at Jerash, Jordan. DNA and isotope analysis revealed victims weren't just locals, they were people from across Africa, Europe, and the Near East, trapped by the pandemic mid-journey medium.com/the-academic...

Toxic Arrows: Study Uncovers the World’s Oldest Poisoned Weapons Recent Study Reveals 60,000+-Year-Old Toxic Alkaloids on Microliths from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter, South Africa

Scientists just discovered the world's oldest proven poisoned weapons, toxic arrows over 60,000 years old from South Africa's Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter. The find reveals the remarkable skill and planning abilities of ancient hunter-gatherers. medium.com/science-spec...

Two Fetuses, Two Fates: Recent Study Examines 6,500-Year-Old Rare Fetuses Treated Differently in… Differential burial practices in mid-5th millennium BC Chaparabad reveal variability in Dalma culture fetal interment traditions

Two 6,500-year-old fetuses buried just 3 meters apart in prehistoric Iran, yet treated completely differently. One received grave offerings; the other, nothing. Same age, same time period, same culture. medium.com/science-spec...

Mapping the Great Mongolian Road: How Japanese Military Maps Revealed a Forgotten Silk Road New study reveals the forgotten military maps that captured the Great Mongolian Road

Rediscovered Japanese military maps from 1901-1922 revealed the precise route of the forgotten Great Mongolian Road, a major Silk Road network. Field verification found the maps were remarkably accurate, with wells, caves, & monasteries still standing exactly where marked.
medium.com/the-academic...