Taylor Mitchell Brown

Very cool

Axolotls wow scientists by regenerating this complex organ Axolotls can completely rebuild their thymus, a key immune organ

Axolotls can completely rebuild their thymus, a key immune organ

Axolotls wow scientists by regenerating this complex organ Axolotls can completely rebuild their thymus, a key immune organ

Scientists just found that Axolotls—the cute and cuddly pink salamanders native to Mexico—can regrow an intricate part of their immune system from scratch.

The regenerated organ functions indistinguishably from those that grew normally.

#Axolotl #Regeneration 🧪🏺

New for @sciam.bsky.social

Sediments Offer an Extended History of Fast Ice - Eos Scientists used sediments to create a millennia-long archive of Antarctic fast ice. Along the way, they discovered that the freezing and thawing of this enigmatic ice appear to be linked to solar…

“To understand how humans are changing the planet, we first need to know how the planet changes on its own,” said Mike Weber, a geoscientist at @unibonn.bsky.social.

Sediments Offer an Extended History of Fast Ice - Eos Scientists used sediments to create a millennia-long archive of Antarctic fast ice. Along the way, they discovered that the freezing and thawing of this enigmatic ice appear to be linked to solar cycl...

Scientists from @cnr-isp.bsky.social and @unibonn.bsky.social just found that enigmatic Antarctic “fast ice” is linked to well-known solar cycles, allowing future research to better disentangle how the important ice responds to the ongoing impact of climate change.

eos.org/articles/sed...

Space dust reveals rapid evolution after dino-killing asteroid New data detail how tiny forms of life rebounded much more quickly than previously believed

Microscopic marine organisms called forams began to proliferate relatively rapidly after the dino-killing asteroid struck Earth.

Learn more: https://scim.ag/4rywh19

Space dust reveals rapid evolution after dino-killing asteroid New data detail how tiny forms of life rebounded much more quickly than previously believed

Scientists just found that a curious group of plankton began to flourish rapidly after the dino-killing asteroid—a key sign life was on the mend.

They made their discovery by measuring the slow accumulation of space dust after the impact.

#Paleontology #PlankticForams

New for @science.org 🧪🏺

Whoever crafted that title deserves a raise.

Mars once had a vast sea the size of the Arctic Ocean Spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet have helped researchers map out an ancient coastline that surrounded a large ocean billions of years ago

Spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet have helped researchers map out an ancient coastline that surrounded a large ocean billions of years ago

Image of a 60-million-year-old fossil beak from a now-extinct species of penguin.

Among these specimens is the 61-million-year-old Sequiwaimanu rosieae.

It was reported in 2018 and excavated from the famous Waipara Greensand in Canterbury, New Zealand.

These rocks hold the world’s first penguins, which evolved shortly after the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.

📸 Gerald Mayr

Early penguins may have used dagger-like beaks to skewer prey Four new species of aquatic birds related to modern penguins have been described from fossils found in New Zealand, showing how these creatures flourished around 60 million years ago

Fossil evidence reveals some of the earliest penguins brandished long, dagger-like beaks.

These sharpened snouts may have helped the diving birds hunt and skewer fish.

#PenguinAwarenessDay #Paleontology

@newscientist.com 🏺🧪

This dino’s fossil claw suggests it snatched eggs, not insects A 67-million-year-old claw fossil reveals a new dinosaur species that may have used its hand spikes to snatch and pierce eggs.

In new research, scientists report a diminutive dino that was perfectly adapted to pilfer eggs.

Its bones were excavated from the Mongolian Desert and reveal a “bizarre” claw that enabled it to quickly filch eggs before fleeing.

🧪🏺

#Paleontology #EggSnatcher

New at @sciencenews.bsky.social

Deep-sea earthquakes fuel huge plankton blooms in Antarctica Hydrothermal vents spurred by seismic activity feed vital nutrients to Antarctic microbes

Hydrothermal vents spurred by seismic activity feed vital nutrients to Antarctic microbes. https://scim.ag/4qxojow

This Fossil Is Rewriting the Story of How Plants Spread across the Planet An enigmatic group of fossil organisms has finally been identified—and is changing the story of how plants took root on land

This Fossil Is Rewriting the Story of How Plants Spread across the Planet www.scientificamerican.com/article/this...

Scientists uncover hearth Neanderthals may have used to make tar Researchers re-create process of burning branches to make tarry adhesive to haft stone tools

If you’d like even more info, I wrote about this for Science shortly after it was discovered.

One researcher I spoke with suggested the tar might even be used to create perfumes!

Against all odds, a curious sea creature survived the dino-killing asteroid Coil-shelled mollusks called ammonites staved off extinction for thousands of years

Sixty-six million years ago, a cataclysmic asteroid impact triggered a global mass extinction. New research suggests that, contrary to prior thinking, some members of an ancient group of mollusks managed to survive the initial carnage after it struck. https://scim.ag/4994w9k

The chances that they found these fossils in those sediments is crazy. Such a cool finding

This ancient human may be the root of the Homo sapiens family tree New fossils unearthed in Morocco could help solve the mystery of how Homo sapiens diverged from other ancient humans like Neanderthals.

Which was quoted here: www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

Thanks for chatting, Chris!

This ancient human may be the root of the Homo sapiens family tree New fossils unearthed in Morocco could help solve the mystery of how Homo sapiens diverged from other ancient humans like Neanderthals.

Scientists find new Moroccan fossils might represent the oldest ancestor to Homo sapiens yet.

Remarkably, they were able to date the specimens by identifying Earth’s magnetic pole reversal in the surrounding sediments.

#Paleoanthropology #Archaeology

🧪🏺

New for #NationalGeographic

Solid recommendation, Tony! However, I take full credit for the “curious ammonite” phrase haha

Against all odds, a curious sea creature survived the dino-killing asteroid Coil-shelled mollusks called ammonites staved off extinction for thousands of years

Scientists report that a hardy group of ammonites survived the dino-killing asteroid for over 68,000 years.

Once considered a “textbook victim” of the calamity, the new research shows mass extinctions aren’t always as tidy as portrayed.

#Paleontology #MassExtinctions

🧪🏺

New for @science.org

Deep-sea earthquakes fuel huge plankton blooms in Antarctica Hydrothermal vents spurred by seismic activity feed vital nutrients to Antarctic microbes

An Antarctic phytoplankton bloom that can grow the size of New Zealand is nourished by a surprising source—underwater earthquakes.

Researchers find the seismic activity triggers deep-sea vents to burp up vital nutrients like iron that then fuel giant blooms at the surface.

🧪🏺

New at @science.org

Chemicals in million-year-old fossils reveal animals’ lives in detail Ancient meals and infections reconstructed from preserved metabolic markers

Small samples of fossilized materials contain molecular signatures that correspond with those animals’ diets and habitats.

A new study uses those biomarkers to reconstruct the environments where ancient hominins lived in Africa more than 1 million years ago. https://scim.ag/3N6W2Xv

Chemicals in million-year-old fossils reveal animals’ lives in detail Ancient meals and infections reconstructed from preserved metabolic markers

In new research, scientists find fossilized bones and teeth can contain metabolites—tiny byproducts of internal chemical processes.

These metabolites can reveal unprecedented insights into an ancient animal’s age, diet, and environment.

#Paleometabolomics #Paleontology

🏺🧪

New for @science.org

If we base on understanding of past civilizations on recovered statues, these ancient peoples were also likely missing another important appendage.

Thanks!

Do any other examples come to mind?

This bright orange life-form could point to new dino discoveries Colorful lichen living on dinosaur bones reflect infrared light that can be detected by drones, which might lead to finds in remote areas.

Scientists find fossil-loving lichen might act as a beacon for new dino discoveries.

The new research used drones to detect light reflected by colorful lichen species that prefer to inhabit dinosaur bones in the Canadian badlands.

#Paleontology #Lichenology

🏺🧪

New at @sciencenews.bsky.social

This Fossil Is Rewriting the Story of How Plants Spread across the Planet An enigmatic group of fossil organisms has finally been identified—and is changing the story of how plants took root on land

An enigmatic group of fossil organisms has finally been identified—and is changing the story of how plants took root on land

This Fossil Is Rewriting the Story of How Plants Spread across the Planet An enigmatic group of fossil organisms has finally been identified—and is changing the story of how plants took root on land

A new analysis suggests lichen evolved millions of years earlier than previously believed.

The discovery shows that fungi-algae symbiotes might have helped pave the way for early land-dwelling plants to successfully colonize Earth.

🏺🧪

#Paleontology #Lichenology

New at @sciam.bsky.social