Iron’s fingerprint on a Miocene rainforest time capsule

About 16 million years ago, a lush rainforest at McGraths Flat in central New South Wales teemed with spiders, insects, and fish beside an ancient volcano. A new study in Gondwana Research explains the site’s unparalleled fossil detail—down to spider leg hairs—by tracing how warm, persistent rains leached iron from nearby basalts. Iron-rich groundwater percolated into a calm, anoxic lake, coating sunken organisms in ferricrete that infiltrated cells and preserved soft tissues with stunning fidelity. This mechanism, absent from standard shale, limestone, or ash entombment, clarifies why McGraths Flat (11–16 million years old) captures delicate leaves, fungal spores, insect eye membranes, and fish with visible gut contents. Crucially, the work provides a predictive model to locate similar iron-mediated Lagerstätten in eastern Australia—and potentially worldwide. (Science)

Orange lichens make buried dinosaur bones pop—for drones and humans

A new study describes an unusual ally in fossil hunting: a bright orange crustose lichen that colonizes fossil-bearing rocks in Canada’s badlands, tinting dinosaur bones with a conspicuous hue visible to hikers—and to drones. Researchers show that pairing aerial surveys with simple color segmentation flags likely bone-rich outcrops far faster than ground prospecting alone. The lichen doesn’t “eat” the bone; pigments adhere to porous fossil surfaces and nearby carbonate-rich rocks. Field tests validated multiple flagged sites, suggesting the method could slash time and costs while reducing trampling. Beyond dinosaurs, the approach may generalize to any fossiliferous terrains where specific lichens preferentially coat target substrates, creating a natural “highlighter” layer for remote sensing. (Science)

A feather-tailed flyer: fossil reveals the longest known plume in a dinosaur

Paleontologists report a small, birdlike theropod with an exceptionally long, ribboned tail—apparently the longest feathery appendage known from a non-avian dinosaur. Micro-CT and fine-scale sediment mapping indicate the tail’s feathers were pennaceous and likely display-oriented, with limited aerodynamic function compared with forelimb flight feathers. Muscle attachment sites imply maneuverable forewings and bounding takeoffs from perches, pointing to a mixed ecology of short flights and ground foraging. The fossil’s integument diversity bolsters the view that feather shapes radiated early and widely across coelurosaurs. The team also re-evaluates growth markers, arguing the specimen is near adult size, so the extravagant tail wasn’t merely a juvenile trait. Together, the anatomy enriches hypotheses about how display and flight coevolved. (Science)

Tiny tyrant, big debate: new fossil stokes the Nanotyrannus question

A newly analyzed small tyrannosaur from Montana—part of the “Dueling Dinosaurs” block—has reignited a decades-long fight: Was Nanotyrannus a distinct species or just a teenage T. rex? The specimen’s growth rings, limb proportions, and cranial nerve pathways suggest skeletal maturity at about six meters long, smaller and more gracile than T. rex. That, proponents say, supports Nanotyrannus as an adult form. Skeptics counter that variation and growth trajectories in tyrannosaurs remain incompletely sampled. The study also proposes a second species (“N. lethaeus”) based on differences with the “Jane” skeleton, though that claim faces pushback. Whatever the verdict, the work forces a reevaluation of tyrannosaur diversity and niche partitioning in latest Cretaceous ecosystems. (Smithsonian Magazine)

Nanotyrannus was not a teen T. rex, researchers argue—debate tightens

Fresh analyses of the “Dueling Dinosaurs” tyrannosaur conclude it’s the first definitively adult Nanotyrannus, not a juvenile T. rex. Bone histology indicates skeletal maturity; anatomy shows stable, non-ontogenetic differences from T. rex in sinus architecture, cranial nerves, tail vertebra counts, and notably robust forelimbs with long hands. The team also revisits the famed “Jane” skeleton, suggesting it represents a different, slightly larger Nanotyrannus species. Outside experts acknowledge the case is stronger than past attempts but caution that dissent remains, pending more specimens and independent histology. If upheld, the result would disentangle years of T. rex growth studies that unknowingly mixed data from two predators—and recast Hell Creek as home to multiple tyrannosaur niches. (Science News)

West Texas find stretches Tenontosaurus’ map into the desert

A University of Texas at El Paso geologist spotted Cretaceous bone fragments weathering from shale at the Indio Mountains Research Station—and identified them as Tenontosaurus, expanding the well-known ornithopod’s range into far West Texas. The fossils, including part of a femur, add body remains to a region better known for tracks. The paper, published by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, situates the bones in ~115-million-year-old strata and argues they tighten biogeographic links across the Western Interior during early Cretaceous times. The discovery, made during unrelated field mapping, underscores how systematic lithological surveys can serendipitously surface significant vertebrate material—valuable even as isolated elements—when integrated with regional stratigraphy and comparative collections. (Phys.org)

Half-billion-year parasite still plagues today’s shellfish

A new study traces the lineage of a shell-boring polychaete worm that drills into bivalves—revealing the same parasite–host interaction in Ordovician fossils (~480 million years old) and in modern oysters. The researchers documented characteristic boreholes and growth responses in ancient shells that match damage patterns caused by extant spionid worms, indicating long-term ecological stability of this parasitic strategy. The continuity suggests that parasite pressure has shaped bivalve defenses for hundreds of millions of years and that such interactions can persist over deep time despite major extinction pulses. Beyond evolutionary insight, the work helps modern aquaculture by clarifying the deep roots of a costly biofouling problem and offering a framework to track parasite dynamics in changing oceans. (Phys.org)

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Stinkbugs farm fungus on their legs to weaponize defenses

Entomologists report that some stinkbugs carry a specialized fungal garden on their legs, grown in a dedicated organ, then smear it on eggs and body surfaces to deter parasitic wasps. Genomic and microscopy work indicates a coevolved symbiosis: the bugs cultivate—and likely seed to offspring—a protective fungus that produces anti-wasp compounds. The finding reframes “egg-smearing” behavior as deliberate bio-armor rather than incidental contamination, expanding known insect agriculture beyond classic ant/termite systems. It also raises bio-inspired possibilities for modular, on-board antimicrobial coatings. For paleo-minded readers, it illustrates how defensive symbioses—traceable in some fossil contexts via chemical or microstructural proxies—can be central to lineage success across evolutionary timescales. (Ars Technica)

Google’s AI hurricane model aces its first real season

A post-season analysis finds Google’s “GraphCast-Hurricane” prototype outperformed leading numerical weather models on key track metrics during 2025’s Atlantic season, cutting 5-day position errors roughly in half relative to GFS in this sample. The AI system, trained on reanalyses and satellite data, produced rapid, consistent forecasts without expensive data assimilation cycles, hinting at a coming hybrid era where machine learning augments physics-based models. Caveats: intensity forecasts remain challenging; operational handoffs will require transparency, fail-safes, and calibration under shifting climate baselines. Still, the results suggest AI can deliver earlier, more accurate guidance for evacuations and surge planning—benefits that ripple across insurance, logistics, and coastal resilience. (Ars Technica)

Marine heat waves jam the ocean’s carbon conveyor

New analyses show that when surface waters swelter during marine heat waves, organic matter lingers near the top rather than sinking, weakening the “biological pump” that sequesters carbon at depth. Using satellite chlorophyll, float profiles, and particle flux data, researchers link prolonged stratification and altered plankton communities to reduced export efficiency. The effect persists beyond the heat wave’s peak, implying cumulative carbon-cycle impacts as these events become more frequent with warming. The study refines global carbon budgets and suggests climate models must resolve short-lived extremes—not just long-term temperature trends—to forecast ocean uptake accurately. It also points to vulnerability hotspots where repeated heat waves could flip regions from sinks to weaker sinks or intermittent sources. (EOS)

Hominins overlapped: earliest Homo lived alongside Australopithecus

A trio of studies from Ethiopia’s Ledi-Geraru region narrows dates and anatomy for fossils spanning ~2.6–2.8 million years ago, indicating early Homo overlapped in time and place with a distinct Australopithecus species. Stratigraphic and paleomagnetic work tightens ages; dental and mandibular traits support a new Australopithecus taxon rather than late A. afarensis. The coexistence strengthens models of branching, mosaic evolution instead of a neat linear handoff to Homo. For paleoecology, faunal assemblages and sedimentology point to shifting arid grasslands and riverine habitats that could have fostered dietary and behavioral partitioning. The results reframe a crucial chapter in human origins and set targets for future surveys along tightly constrained horizons. (SciTech Daily)

“Bleeding to death”: Lords warn UK is losing its science edge

A House of Lords report paints the UK’s science-and-tech sector as “bleeding to death,” with startups and scaleups decamping overseas—especially to the U.S.—and big pharma cancelling investments. Legislators warn the drift erodes economic growth and sovereignty over key technologies like AI. Root causes include high visa and NHS surcharge costs (often >£20,000 upfront for a family), raised salary thresholds that deter early-career researchers, a funding crisis in universities, and fragmented industrial policy. The report urges urgent fixes: slash visa costs, align departmental policies through a fast-acting National Council for Science, Technology and Growth, strengthen university pay and stability, expand domestic capital (including pension funds) for scaleups, and resolve drug-pricing disputes. Hitting the government’s 2035 “first UK trillion-dollar tech company” goal, it argues, requires stopping the outflow—now. (Science)

China’s growing lead in global science—what the data really show

A PNAS study analyzing nearly six million papers’ contribution statements finds Chinese scientists rapidly taking project-lead roles in international collaborations. China already leads more than half of UK–China projects and is projected to reach parity with Europe by 2025–27 and with the United States by 2027–28. In US–China work, China’s lead share rose from 30% (2010) to 45% (2023), though its “lead premium” lags, reflecting continued supporting roles—especially in critical technologies (AI, semiconductors, energy) where parity may come closer to 2030. Experts note structural choke points (e.g., US chip export restrictions) and scarce “Nobel-level” breakthroughs, yet argue international collaboration remains vital. Modeling suggests restricting US–China research ties would be costly for the United States. China also builds influence via ~$4.6B (2012–2025) supporting international students, broadening its scientific networks. (Nature)