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33 results for "supercontinent"
A team of researchers just solved a 140-year mystery about an ancient supercontinent and discovered it may have triggered the explosion of life on our planet. Their finding connects buried mountain rocks across Asia to show Gondwana was 25% bigger than anyone thought.
Moroccan researchers uncovered rare fossilized lizard footprints dating back 160 to 170 million years, the first such discovery in Africa. The find rewrites what scientists thought they knew about ancient lizard distribution across the supercontinent Gondwana.
A female geologist proved the ocean floor wasn't flat in 1957, revolutionizing our understanding of Earth's continents, despite being dismissed as "girl talk" and banned from research ships. Her hand-drawn maps revealed underwater mountains that proved continents once formed a supercontinent called Pangea.
An international team has discovered a massive fan-shaped province of 30 connected basins buried under East Antarctica's ice, revealing ancient secrets that could help predict how the ice sheet will move in the future. The structure may have formed before the supercontinent Gondwana broke apart millions of years ago.
A 300-kilogram crocodile was relocated from its ancestral beach home in Puerto Escondido to make room for tourists, despite the species living there for 74 million years. The peaceful animal hadn't shown aggression, but its presence alone prompted authorities to move it to a nearby lagoon. ##
New research reveals how birds outlived T. rex and other mighty dinosaurs 66 million years ago. A few key traits helped our feathered friends survive Earth's worst extinction event.
A woman scientist discovered underwater mountains that proved continents once moved together, even though she wasn't allowed on research ships. Her hand-drawn maps changed how we understand Earth itself.
A woman geologist who wasn't allowed on research vessels spent hours translating sonar data at a desk and discovered that Earth's continents once moved. Her findings revolutionized our understanding of the planet, even after her colleague dismissed them as "girl talk."
A forgotten fossil fragment, missing for two decades, just revealed a new species that fills a crucial gap in understanding how dinosaurs and crocodiles evolved. The discovery in Brazil proves ancient reptiles spread farther across the planet than scientists ever knew.
A woman geologist whose groundbreaking ocean maps proved continents once moved was banned from research ships and had her discoveries dismissed as "girl talk." Her hand-drawn seafloor maps changed how we see Earth forever.
A simple metal sphere launched in 1976 holds Carl Sagan's plaque mapping Earth's continents across 276 million years, designed to be discovered when it falls back to Earth in 8.4 million years. The message uses continental drift itself as a clock to tell future finders when we lived.
Researchers discovered a massive fan-shaped network of basins beneath Antarctica's ice sheet, revealing that several famous features are actually connected. This finding could help predict how the ice sheet responds to climate change.
A complete skeleton of a tiny dinosaur from Argentina is overturning everything scientists thought they knew about how these mysterious creatures evolved and spread across ancient Earth. The discovery reveals these ant-eating dinosaurs didn't shrink over time but stayed small for millions of years across multiple continents.
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Scientists traced the iconic sideways shuffle of crabs to a single ancestor that lived 200 million years ago, solving a mystery about one of nature's most recognizable movements. This unique trait may explain why true crabs became one of the most successful animal groups on Earth.
A fossil discovered in 1985 but stored away for decades has finally been identified as Antarctica's first ever dinosaur bone. The find proves that giant long-necked dinosaurs once roamed the now-frozen continent when it was covered in lush forests.
Scientists in Brazil discovered that 540-million-year-old fossils once thought to be traces of early animals were actually preserved communities of bacteria and algae. The finding reshapes our understanding of when complex life first emerged on Earth.
Scientists in South Africa discovered the oldest embryo fossil ever found, proving our mammal ancestors laid eggs 250 million years ago. The tiny creature inside reveals survival secrets from Earth's deadliest extinction event.
Fossilized fruits discovered in rural Queensland have revealed a new plant species and challenged everything scientists thought they knew about how tropical plants arrived in Australia. The 30-million-year-old find proves these plants were native to ancient Australia, not migrants from Asia.
Scientists in Argentina discovered a bizarre new dinosaur that combines features never seen together before, helping solve a 155-million-year-old mystery about how giants evolved in the Southern Hemisphere. The 65-foot Bicharracosaurus is rewriting what we know about Jurassic titans.
Scientists discovered a nearly complete fossil of a tiny bird-like dinosaur in Argentina that finally explains how a mysterious group of prehistoric animals evolved. The breakthrough ends decades of confusion and opens new chapters in understanding how dinosaurs spread across ancient Earth.
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