Scientists have found an ‘almost perfectly preserved’ skull of a previously unknown animal that lived some 230 million years ago and is the ancestor of most modern reptiles. Known as Taytalura alcoberi, this member of the Lepidosauromorpha, a group of reptiles that predates the dinosaurs, lived in what is now modern-day Argentina during the Late … Read more
The ancestor of the coronavirus could have been lurking in animals for millions of years before it jumped to humans, a virologist has claimed. The coronavirus, known scientifically as SARS-CoV-2, became able to infect humans when it mutated while inside an animal and then jumped across species. This happened for the first time last year in … Read more
Scientists have reconstructed the brain of a dinosaur that roamed Britain 205 million years ago, revealing startling insights into how it lived. Thecodontosaurus is related to herbivore descendants Diplodocus and Brontosaurus. But it is believed the creature, which was roughly the size of a dog, ran fast on two legs, ate meat and had good … Read more
A small dragon-like species of wingless reptile that lived 237 million years ago has been identified as one of the earliest ancestors of pterosaurs in a new study. Similarities between fossils of the so-called lagerpetids, which were wingless but had characteristically long hind-legs, and winged pterosaurs were revealed in CT scans. Although one could fly and the other … Read more
Insects today have wings because their primitive crustacean ancestors moved to land about 300 million years ago, a new study has revealed. The wings originally evolved from a random outgrowth or ‘lobe’ on the legs of the crustacean ancestors, US researchers claim. Sections of the crustacean’s leg were gradually pushed back into its body to support … Read more
A newly discovered fossilised ape tooth found in India is the earliest known ancestor of the modern-day gibbon and it lived 13 million years ago, study finds. The fossil belongs to a new species of ape named Kapi ramnagarensis and was discovered by fossil hunters at the Ramnager dig site in northern India. Experts from … Read more
A dog-sized dinosaur that lived 230 million years ago is an evolutionary ‘missing link’ to the horned and armoured giants, according to new research. The diminutive dinosaur is named Sacisaurus agudoensis and is believed to be an ancestor of Triceratops and Ankylosaurus. Analysis from Brazilian researchers found the Labrador-sized creature fits into the genetic history … Read more
DNA from an unknown ancient ancestor of humans that once bred with Denisovans still exists among people today, study reveals Researchers from the US developed a new tool to analyse ancient DNA Three per cent of the Neanderthal genome can from an ancient human group This genetic transfer is thought to have occurred some 300,000 years ago Also, … Read more
A virus 96 per cent identical to the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 was found in an abandoned mine in China seven years ago, according to an investigation. The bat-infested copper mine in Mojiang, western China, was home to a coronavirus that left six adult men sick with pneumonia and three of them dead. Scientists took … Read more
An aristocrat whose ancestor has been condemned as a racist by Black Lives Matter campaigners has hit back – claiming his forefather should actually be praised for his role in ending slavery. Bobby Dundas, the 10th Viscount Melville, says that far from being a racist supporter of the slave trade, his seven-time great-grandfather Henry Dundas … Read more