New Atlas

Biology Audio available

Canadian Tyrannosaurus rex turns out to be largest ever found

Ben Coxworth March 22, 2019

Back in 1991, paleontologists from the University of Alberta discovered the remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex in the province of Saskatchewan. Nicknamed "Scotty" in honor of a celebratory bottle of Scotch that was enjoyed when its skeleton was found, it has now been declared the world's largest T rex.

"Scotty" was 13 meters long (42.7 ft) and weighed an estimated 8,800 kg (19,401 lb)

Science Audio available

Fossil fats suggest animal life got started later than previously thought

Michael Irving March 6, 2019

In the world of palaeontology, new discoveries usually proclaim things are older than we previously thought. But new research out of the Max Planck Institute has found that animals probably arose later than is currently believed.

Rhizaria algae is now believed to be responsible for fossil fat molecules that have confused scientists ...

Science

Tiny T-Rex ancestor was smaller than you

Michael Irving February 21, 2019

When you think of tyrannosaurs, it's probably the giant predator from the Jurassic Park movies – but even the biggest names have to start small. Palaeontologists have now filled in more of the creature’s modest roots, in the form of a new species of tyrannosauroid that was probably smaller than you.

A newly-discovered species of tyrannosaur, named Moros intrepidus, was tiny at just 1.2 m (3.9 ft) ...

Biology Audio available

Two billion-year old fossils reveal earliest evidence of living locomotion

Michael Irving February 11, 2019

New fossils found in the African country of Gabon have turned up the earliest evidence of life showing some initiative and moving around of its own accord. It now seems that life was mobile some 1.5 billion years earlier than previously thought.

The earliest known evidence of locomotion in complex lifeforms has been found in 2.1 billion-year old ...

Science Audio available

Fossil fats reveal how complex life kicked off after Snowball Earth phase

Michael Irving January 31, 2019

About 700 million years ago, basically the entire planet iced over in a period often called “Snowball Earth.” Now researchers have found fossil fats that help fill in the story of how life bounced back after this global cataclysm, and how we humans might owe our very existence to them.

Fossil fats have shown how complex life arose after Earth's "snowball" phase

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Ancient reptile was like a prehistoric platypus

Ben Coxworth January 24, 2019

Although the platypus may seem like a real oddball of an animal, it turns out that a prehistoric reptile had some of the same key features. Like the platypus (which is a mammal, albeit one that lays eggs), Eretmorhipis carrolldongi had small eyes, four flippers, and a flexible duck-like bill.

Eretmorhipis carrolldongi (pictured here) wasn't related to the platypus, but it was a relative of the ...

Biology Audio available

Prehistoric shark had video-game teeth

Ben Coxworth January 21, 2019

"Sue" is the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found. Although the fossilized bones were unearthed 20 years ago, scientists recently discovered the remains of a previously-unknown shark that co-existed along with the dinosaur – and the fish has been named after a classic video game.

Galagadon nordquisti likely lay on the riverbed, feeding on invertebrates

Robotics Audio available

Robotic fossil shows off the swagger of ancient animals

Michael Irving January 16, 2019

It can be hard to picture a living creature from dusty bones and old footprints, but now that might require a little less imagination. Researchers at EPFL and the Humboldt University of Berlin have built a robot to figure out just how a 300-million year-old ancestor of ours might have moved around.

The OroBOT is a robotic version of a 300-million-year-old animal called Orobates pabsti that was designed ...

Biology Audio available

Study suggests that giant prehistoric whale ate other whales

Ben Coxworth January 10, 2019

The 8-m (26-ft) killer whale is the ocean's top predator – it even goes after other whales. With that in mind, just imagine what fun a 15-meter (49-ft) predatory whale would be. That's the length of Basilosaurus isis, a prehistoric whale that is now believed to have also fed on its fellow whales.

A Basilosaurus isis skeleton (not the one from the study) on display at France's Museum d'Histoire ...

Science

Global wake up call headlines the year in science

Darren Quick December 29, 2018

Another year is winding up, so it's time to look back at the scientific breakthroughs that excited us this year. From innovative new materials that open the door to more advanced tools and products, to discoveries that continue to push the borders of human knowledge, 2018 didn't fail to deliver.