Latest articles by Julio Lacerda

fossils
almost 5 years ago by Vasika Udurawane

Our relatives may have been hyena food 500,000 years ago

We pride ourselves on being the world’s greatest predators but once in our long history, we were the hunted and not the hunters. Bones from Morocco reveal the shocking tale of how some human ancestors met their match at the hands of bone-crushing teeth.
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fossils
almost 5 years ago by Vasika Udurawane

Crocodile fossils reveal parallel evolution in India and Amazon

The highly endangered and long-snouted gharial lives in the Indian Subcontinent. But millions of years ago, these creatures ruled the waterways of the world, including the Amazonian region. And it is here that we can further unravel the secrets behind their long evolution. Enter “the storyteller.”
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fossils
almost 5 years ago by Franz Anthony

Oxygen depletion played a role in late Triassic mass extinction

Over 201 million years ago, lifeforms in late Triassic period faced a great change, causing the fourth known mass extinction which eliminated more than 70% of species existing at that time.
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fossils
almost 5 years ago by Franz Anthony

Not every extinct reptile is a dinosaur

It’s dead, it’s a –saur, it’s a dinosaur. Or is it? An extinct animal’s true identity is not always what it says on the tin. Without understanding the basic relationship between extinct reptiles, it’s easy to fall prey to the false impression their names bring.
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fossils
almost 5 years ago by Julio Lacerda

The mighty Megalodon shark may have starved to death

For years, paleontologists speculated why the famous 18 meter (59 foot) long shark disappeared from the oceans around 2.6 million years ago. New evidence suggests competition and lack of food may have been the causes.
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Julio
Lacerda

Staff Artist and Writer