Fossil News: The Journal of Avocational Paleontology

18/06/2025

a Sampler of european paleontology

Visit the post for more.

09/10/2024

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/new-book-brings-prehistoric-mammals-to-life/?utm_source=sm&utm_medium=clk&utm_campaign=threads

After the extinction of dinosaurs came the age of mammals. A new book brings readers into this world with well-researched species profiles by Aaron Woodruff, collection manager for vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History. The book also includes stunning illustrations by pale

10/09/2024

31/07/2024

https://www.popsci.com/science/new-evolution-theory/

The controversial paper suggests a proto-slime made its (failed) debut 2.1 billion years ago.

30/07/2024

https://www.sci.news/paleontology/carcinosomatoid-eurypterids-13137.html

New research suggests that early species of the scorpion-like carcinosomatoid eurypterids, with spiny limbs, fed on trilobites and later species preferred armoured fishes.

24/06/2024

Delivering a dinosaur to the Boston Museum of Science, 1984, photograph by Arthur Po***ck. H/T

23/04/2024

H/T

28/03/2024

https://www.postandcourier.com/paleontologist-robert-boessenecker-college-charleston-fossils-mace-brown/article_bfff3d26-eb74-11ee-a7ef-3f5ed7101d7d.html?fbclid=IwAR3hvN55CHbgDHix1Ifmg0R36Zgf2lsUNmv3W1V0ITFt3UAvsmV28Hf6_Go

Former College of Charleston paleontologist Robert Boessenecker & his wife face criminal charges in connection in theft of rare fossils from Mace Brown Museum.

23/02/2024

https://www.facebook.com/100067332132075/posts/719203723667359/?app=fbl

David defeating the Ammonites!

17/01/2024

https://slate.com/technology/2024/01/nanotyrannus-dinosaur-debate-paleontology-fossils.html

Let me take you inside a paleontology debate and tell you why it really matters.

03/01/2024

https://phys.org/news/2024-01-giant-predator-worms-billion-years.html?fbclid=IwAR3ewgB_L6U6v5gu8CwE8MAIz7HkUEu8rZUWVwe6oKVc1M3SM6hddlkuML0

Fossils of a new group of animal predators have been located in the Early Cambrian Sirius Passet fossil locality in North Greenland. These large worms may be some of the earliest carnivorous animals to have colonized the water column more than 518 million years ago, revealing a past dynasty of preda...

02/01/2024

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/02/arts/t-rex-nanotyrannus-museum-gallery.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

There are a few things to read between the lines here:

1. Peter Larson isn’t a paleontologist. He’s a dinosaur dealer, a convicted felon (for unlawfully taking fossils from federal land), and an ex-con, and no one should be interviewing him as an expert about anything.
2. When Larson says “you have a group of scientists on one side and a group of scientists in the other,” he’s using a standard trick to make it seem the opinions are 50/50. They aren’t. There’s a clear majority scientific consensus AGAINST Nanotyrannus. That doesn’t mean the science won’t ever change or that a new consensus won’t ever arise.
3. Newspapers must have this article on disk: Big-ticket fossil goes to auction; the usual suspects are quoted; auction house “hopes” the specimen can be bought by a museum and be available for study, but there’s “no guarantee”; “we need more research,” someone concludes.

Private sale and ownership of fossils of this importance is wrong, but you won’t find that in any of these articles.

A dinosaur fossil for sale in London embodies one of the most heated debates in paleontology.