Taylor Mitchell Brown

ok this is fucking awesome

In mind-bending twist, ‘magic’ mushrooms evolved twice independently Study identifies entirely new suite of enzymes that can make psilocybin

Scientists recently found two evolutionarily distinct mushrooms converged to produce the same psychedelic molecule—psilocybin.

The “surprising” results underscore the significance of the hallucinogen but leave questions about its ultimate purpose.

#Psilocybe #MagicMushrooms

New at @science.org 🧪🏺

Prehistoric camel art pointed to precious water sources in the Arabian Desert Hunter-gatherers may have used the engravings to find water 12,000 years ago

Hunter-gatherers may have used engravings to find water in the parched deserts of the Arabian Peninsula 12,000 years ago. https://scim.ag/4nql413

Saw this mask last week! Brilliant

Large stone fragment of a monumental building at Eleusis, Greece. The stone is engraved with depictions of wheat and blooming flowers.

Large stone fragment of a monumental building at Eleusis, Greece. The Ancient Greeks hosted a festival here every September to celebrate the return of Persephone to her mother Demeter, goddess of agriculture.

🧪🏺

The festival lasted until 395 CE.

📷: me

#AncientGreece #EleusinianMysteries

Prehistoric camel art pointed to precious water sources in the Arabian Desert Hunter-gatherers may have used the engravings to find water 12,000 years ago

New research finds that 12,000-year-old camel art in Saudi Arabia’s Nefud Desert once marked ancient water sources.

Hunter-gatherers may have used the ephemeral water bodies to penetrate deeper into the barren landscape.

#RockArt #Archaeology

New for @science.org 🧪🏺

An ancient reptile’s fossilized skin reveals how it swam like a seal A reptile fossil is the first of its kind with skin and partially webbed feet, possibly showing how later species like plesiosaurs adapted to water.

Someone (and I won’t say who 👀) reported on this amazing discovery last week:

www.sciencenews.org/article/anci...

An ancient reptile’s fossilized skin reveals how it swam like a seal A reptile fossil is the first of its kind with skin and partially webbed feet, possibly showing how later species like plesiosaurs adapted to water.

An exquisite fossil of a 240-million-year-old marine reptile reveals it had partially webbed fingers and toes.

The exceptional preservation also hinted at underlying limb muscles that suggest it swam like seal.

#Paleontology #MonteSanGiorgio

🧪🏺

New for @sciencenews.bsky.social

Does this sculpted head show an ancient hunter-gatherer's hairstyle? A carved figure found in northern France, dated to 27,000 years ago, may reflect how hair was styled in a culture that disappeared during the last glacial maximum

A carved figure found in northern France, dated to 27,000 years ago, may reflect how hair was styled in a culture that disappeared during the last glacial maximum

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

Four new fossil species from New Zealand illustrate the striking diversity of the earliest penguins, which possessed long dagger-like beaks they may have used to skewer prey.

Stalagmites reveal devastating droughts that helped spur Maya breakdown Series of droughts chronicled in cave rocks likely pushed civilization to breaking point

Scientists uncovered several extreme droughts that helped undermine the authority of “divine kings” and trigger widespread collapse across the Maya world. One 13-year drought is the longest recorded in Yucatán history over the past 2,000 years.

#Archaeology #Paleoclimatology

New at @science.org 🧪🏺

Fossilized fish trails reveal earliest steps out of water Possible lungfish tracks could push back animal migration onto land by 10 million years

I’ll just leave this here 👀

www.science.org/content/arti...

Fossilized fish trails reveal earliest steps out of water Possible lungfish tracks could push back animal migration onto land by 10 million years

Move over Tiktaalik, a new semi-terrestrial fish just dropped.

#Devonian #TraceFossils #Paleontology

New at @science.org 🏺🧪

As war rages in Gaza, archaeological looting in the West Bank has spiked Economic collapse in Palestinian territories has led to illegal digs at prominent Bronze Age site, new study finds

And even if a particular site is not directly damaged, many areas see a sharp increase in looting amid conflict. People recognize the value in heritage and will often traffic antiques when other means vanish.

www.science.org/content/arti...

This trilobite fossil became ancient Roman bling It’s the first example of this common fossil found in the ancient Roman world

Great thread! A recent discovery in Roman Spain also highlights how many ancient Romans wore fossils as amulets

A fossil of a pterosaur, with text that reads: Pterosaur died with belly full of plants—a fossil first. New discovery confirms the long-debated hypothesis that the ancient winged reptiles ate plants

“This is a once-in-a-hundred-years discovery.” scim.ag/4lPz3MX

Ancient human ancestor emerges from sunken Southeast Asian landmass Submerged fossils are revealing long-held secrets from a region known as Sundaland

Submerged fossils are revealing long-held secrets from a region known as Sundaland. scim.ag/3TRZRQG

This trilobite fossil became ancient Roman bling It’s the first example of this common fossil found in the ancient Roman world

Ancient Romans had a strong fascination with fossils, often viewing them as protective talismans. Archaeologists just unearthed the first trilobite fossil linked to the Roman world—and it was likely worn as jewelry.

#Archaeology #AncientHistory #RomanHistory

New at @science.org 🧪🏺

Small, stocky dinosaur related to Velociraptor named as new species Shri rapax, known from a fossil found in Mongolia, had strong hands and teeth which may have helped it tackle much larger dinosaurs

A new species of Velociraptor-like dinosaur from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia had giant claws and exceptionally thickset hands, which may have enabled it to take down larger prey.

Erotic mosaic stolen by Nazi captain in second world war returned to Pompeii Wehrmacht officer gave relic to German citizen whose family contacted Italian heritage officials after his death

A Roman mosaic panel stolen from Pompeii by a German Nazi captain during the second world war has been returned to the site of the ancient Roman ruins.

Ancient human ancestor emerges from sunken Southeast Asian landmass Submerged fossils are revealing long-held secrets from a region known as Sundaland

New research uncovered the first human and other vertebrate remains from the now-sunken Sundaland.

The 140,000-year-old fossils reveal a late-surviving group of Homo erectus that ate fat-rich cow tongue and cracked open bones for marrow.

#archaeology #paleontology

New at @science.org 🏺🧪

Ancient human ancestor emerges from sunken Southeast Asian landmass Submerged fossils are revealing long-held secrets from a region known as Sundaland

Ancient human ancestor emerges from sunken Southeast Asian landmass | Science www.science.org/content/arti...

Pterosaur died with belly full of plants—a fossil first New discovery confirms the long-debated hypothesis that the ancient winged reptiles ate plants

Someone did some excellent reporting on this last week 👀

Pterosaur died with belly full of plants—a fossil first New discovery confirms the long-debated hypothesis that the ancient winged reptiles ate plants

“This is a once-in-a-hundred-years discovery.” scim.ag/4lPz3MX

'Hybrid' skull may have been a child of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens The skull of a 5-year-old girl who lived 140,000 years ago has similarities with modern Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, suggesting her parents might have belonged to different species

A 140,000-year-old hominin skull from Israel probably belonged to a hybrid child of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens parents, according to an analysis of its anatomy.

Pterosaur died with belly full of plants—a fossil first New discovery confirms the long-debated hypothesis that the ancient winged reptiles ate plants

Do you ever stop and think about how there used to be pterosaurs? A fun new study shows that pterosaurs used to eat plants (they'd been expected to be carnivores) & like modern birds, they had stones in their gullets called gastroliths that help break down plants 🧪 @science.org

Pterosaur died with belly full of plants—a fossil first New discovery confirms the long-debated hypothesis that the ancient winged reptiles ate plants

New research finds that an exceptionally preserved pterosaur fossil from northeast China had a belly full of plants. The “once-in-a-hundred-years” discovery is the first of its kind, settling a longstanding debate among paleontologists.

#paleontology #jeholbiota #atavismus

New at @science.org 🏺🧪

Prehistoric Spanish people transported 2-tonne stone by boat An analysis of the provenance of the Matarrubilla stone, a large megalith at Valencina in Spain, indicates that the monument’s builders must have had advanced seafaring technology

A provenance analysis has shown that the Matarrubilla stone, a 2-tonne megalith in Spain, was transported by boat more than 5300 years ago.

Funding cuts to U.S. archaeology could imperil field’s future A Science analysis of canceled and curtailed federal grants reveals hits to research, collections, and training

With all the news coming in, it's clear that it's a dire time for science. It's a very dire time for higher education. It's an especially dire time for archaeology

Archaeology has been facing funding cuts for years, and now it is being decimated

www.science.org/content/arti...

What kind of depositional environment is that?