Double jackpot: Australia finds oldest megaraptor along with new dinosaur fossils
First, they have identified the oldest megaraptorid fossils ever found, pushing back the known timeline for this group of theropods. Second, experts have uncovered the first definitive evidence of another theropod group, "carcharodontosaurs," in Australia.
These discoveries, unearthed along Victoria's stunning coastline, paint a vivid picture of a Cretaceous ecosystem unlike any other.
The fossil study was led by Museums Victoria Research Institute and Monash University.
Five theropod dinosaur fossils were discovered in two locations in Victoria: the upper Strzelecki Group (121.4-118 million years old) and the Eumeralla Formation (113-108 million years old). Theropods were a diverse group of bipedal, mostly carnivorous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex.
The discovered fossils reveal that Victoria's ancient ecosystem was a complex predator landscape.
Megaraptorids, reaching 6-7 meters in length, were the apex predators. These were a group of medium to large-sized theropod dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous period. These dinosaurs possessed sickle-shaped claws on their second toe, which were likely used for slashing and tearing prey.
Alongside the dominant megaraptorids, the ancient Victorian ecosystem also included smaller carcharodontosaurs, which ranged from 2 to 4 meters in length.
In South America, carcharodontosaurs were the giants, unlike in Australia.
'The discovery of carcharodontosaurs in Australia is groundbreaking,' said Jake Kotevski, PhD student.
'It's fascinating to see how Victoria's predator hierarchy diverged from South America, where carcharodontosaurs reached Tyrannosaurus rex-like sizes up to 13 metres, towering over megaraptorids. Here, the roles were reversed, highlighting the uniqueness of Australia's Cretaceous ecosystem,' Kotevski added.
The ecosystem was also home to agile, meter-long unenlagiines, sometimes called "southern raptors." These smaller, more lightly built dinosaurs were likely swift hunters, possibly specializing in smaller prey.
The discovery of two of these fossils as the oldest known megaraptorids worldwide is a significant find. It pushes back the timeline of when these predators roamed the Earth and gives insights into their evolution.
Furthermore, the presence of these ancient megaraptorids in Australia, along with other theropod species, suggests that Australia's dinosaur fauna played a vital role in the larger Gondwanan ecosystem.
'The findings not only expand Australia's theropod fossil record but offer compelling evidence of faunal interchange between Australia and South America through Antarctica during the Early Cretaceous. The findings also challenge previous assumptions about body-size hierarchies in Gondwanan predator ecosystems highlighting Victoria's unique Cretaceous fauna,' explained Thomas Rich, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at Museums Victoria Research Institute.
The study demonstrates that museum collections are essential for scientific breakthroughs. Some of these fossils, hidden away for decades, are now filling the gaps in the dinosaur puzzle.
Under the Dinosaur Dreaming project, the research team will continue to explore fossil sites where the large megaraptorid was found.
As per the press release, this project has already yielded over 10,000 fossils, representing diverse prehistoric life, including dinosaurs, mammals, birds, pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, turtles, and fish.
The findings were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Where can you see the Milky Way in Florida? These 3 'dark sky' locations may be the best view
August has been a month jam-packed with cosmic phenomena visible from Earth – from nebulas to meteor showers to planetary conjunctions. But the month isn't over yet. Now? Add into the mix one of the last best opportunities to see the Milky Way. The center of our galaxy is positively teeming with billions of stars that routinely become bright and vibrant at certain times of the year – if you're in the right place at the right time. As summer nears its end, so, too, does the so-called "Milky Way season" in the United States. Fortunately, stargazers in Florida still have a chance to glimpse the Milky Way's iconic band of hazy light as it arcs across the night sky. The best part? You don't need any fancy telescopes or equipment to view it; just your eyes and maybe a camera, if you're into astral photography. Here's everything to know about our Milky Way, including three of the potential best "dark sky" locations in Florida to see the stunning natural phenomenon. Mars: 'Enhanced' photo from Perseverance shows Mars under Earth-like skies What is the Milky Way galaxy? The Milky Way is our home galaxy with a disc of stars that spans more than 100,000 light-years. Because it appears as a rotating disc curving out from a dense central region, the Milky Way is known as a spiral galaxy. Our planet sits along one of the galaxy's spiral arms, about halfway from the center, according to NASA. The Milky Way sits in a cosmic neighborhood called the Local Group that includes more than 50 other galaxies. Those galaxies can be as "small" as a dwarf galaxy with up to only a few billion stars or as large as Andromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbor. Why is it called the Milky Way? The Milky Way got its name because from our perspective on Earth, it appears as a faint, milky band of light stretching across the sky. Milky Way could be visible from Earth. Will Florida have a view? Though the Milky Way is generally always visible from Earth, certain times of year are better for stargazers to catch a glimpse of the band of billions of stars. "Milky Way season," when the galaxy's bright center becomes easier to see from Earth, typically runs from February to October, according to the Milky Way photography website Capture the Atlas. But because visibility from Earth depends on the latitude, the further south you go, the longer the Milky Way season will last. For instance, in the Northern Hemisphere, which includes the continental United States, the best time to see the Milky Way is generally from March to September, according to Capture the Atlas. What you're looking at when the Milky Way is visible is the bright center of our galaxy, "seen edge-on from our position within the galaxy's disk," Preston Dyches, who hosts NASA's "What's Up," a monthly video series that describes what's happening in the night sky, wrote in June for NASA. When can Floridians see the Milky Way in August 2025? The center of the Milky Way, which Dyches refers to as "the core," became visible in June and is expected to shine every night through August as it gets higher in a darker sky. Typically, the sky is darkest from about midnight to 5 a.m., according to Capture the Atlas. You can check sunrise and sunset times at your location using the website TimeAndDate. "This doesn't mean that as soon as the sun goes down you can see the Milky Way," writes Dan Zafra, co-founder of Capture the Atlas. "Even if it's in the sky, the Milky Way will be barely visible during blue hour, so you'll have to wait at least until the end of the astronomical twilight to see all the details of the Milky Way." From June to August, the Milky Way will be diagonal at the beginning of the night, vertical during the middle of the night, and low above the horizon at the end of the night, according to Capture the Atlas. Where, how can you see the Milky Way from Florida? Here are some tips Spectators will have the best luck on cloud-free nights and in locations away from city light pollution. Of the 159 locations in the United States that are designated dark sky communities, three locations are in Florida. That includes: in Lake County about 30 miles west of Orlando Kissimmee Praire Preserve State Park, 25 miles north of Okeechobee Big Cyrpress National Preserve in Ochopee in South Florida, in the Everglades Stargazers can observe the Milky Way galaxy by looking for the Summer Triangle, a shape formed by "three bright stars" that spans across the Milky Way, according to science news website LiveScience. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Milky Way rises in the southeast, travels across the southern sky and sets in the southwest, according to Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Milky Way season: Galaxy may appear brightest from 3 Florida locations Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Breakthrough study finds deficiency of this common nutrient could contribute to Alzheimer's
A deficiency of the metal lithium in the body could be a key factor contributing to the development of dementia in Alzherimer's patients, a groundbreaking new study reveals. The decade-long research, published in the journal Nature, shows for the first time that lithium occurs naturally in the brain and maintains the normal function of all its major cell types, preventing nerves from degradation. Scientists from Harvard Medical School found that lithium loss in the human brain is one of the earliest changes leading to Alzheimer's, while in mice, a similar lithium depletion accelerated memory decline. A reduced lithium level was found in some cases due to the metal's impaired uptake and its binding to amyloid plaques, which are known to be smoking gun signs of Alzheimer's. Researchers also showed that a new type of lithium compound – lithium orotate – can avoid capture by amyloid plaques and restore memory in mice. In the study, scientists used an advanced type of mass spectroscopy chemical analysis method to measure trace levels of about 30 different metals in the brain and blood samples from a range of people, including cognitively healthy people, those in an early stage of dementia, and those with advanced Alzheimer's. The analysis revealed that lithium was the only metal with markedly different levels across groups, which also seemed to change at the earliest stages of memory loss. 'Lithium turns out to be like other nutrients we get from the environment, such as iron and vitamin C,' study senior author Bruce Yankner said. 'It's the first time anyone's shown that lithium exists at a natural level that's biologically meaningful without giving it as a drug,' Dr Yankner said. Although lithium compounds have been historically in use to treat a range of mental conditions like bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, in these cases, they are given at much higher concentrations that could even be toxic to older people. Scientists have now found that lithium orotate is effective at one-thousandth this dose – enough to mimic the natural level of lithium in the brain. The latest findings with lithium orotate, however, needs to be confirmed in humans via clinical trials. Yet, researchers suspect that measuring lithium levels could help screen people for early Alzheimer's. The findings revise the theory of Alzheimer's disease, which affects nearly 400 million people worldwide, offering a new strategy for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Decades of studies have shown that Alzheimer's disease involves an array of brain abnormalities, including clumps of the protein amyloid beta, tangles of the protein tau, and a loss of the brain's protective protein REST. However, these abnormalities have never fully explained the condition. For instance, it remains unclear why some people with Alzheimer's-like changes in the brain never go on to develop dementia or cognitive decline. Recent treatments developed to target amyloid beta plaques also don't seem to reverse memory loss, only modestly reducing the rate of cognitive decline. Now, scientists say lithium could be the critical missing link. 'The idea that lithium deficiency could be a cause of Alzheimer's disease is new and suggests a different therapeutic approach,' Dr Yankner said. 'You have to be careful about extrapolating from mouse models, and you never know until you try it in a controlled human clinical trial... But so far the results are very encouraging,' he added. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Milky Way to remain visible in August across US. Here's when, how to see our galaxy
August has been a month jam-packed with cosmic phenomena visible from Earth – from nebulas to meteor showers to planetary conjunctions. But the month isn't over yet. And now, add to the mix one of the last best opportunities to see the Milky Way. The center of our galaxy is teeming with billions of stars that routinely become bright and vibrant at certain times of the year – if you're in the right place at the right time. As summer nears its end, so, too, does the "Milky Way season" in the United States. Fortunately, stargazers still have a chance to glimpse the galaxy's iconic band of hazy light as it arcs across the night sky. The best part? You don't need fancy telescopes or equipment to view it − just your eyes, dark skies and maybe a camera, if you're into astral photography. Here's everything to know about our Milky Way, including how to see the stunning natural phenomenon. Mars: 'Enhanced' photo from Perseverance shows Mars under Earth-like skies What is the Milky Way galaxy? The Milky Way is our home galaxy with a disc of stars that spans more than 100,000 light-years. Because it appears as a rotating disc curving out from a dense central region, the Milky Way is known as a spiral galaxy. Our planet sits along one of the galaxy's spiral arms, about halfway from the center, according to NASA. The Milky Way sits in a cosmic neighborhood called the Local Group that includes more than 50 other galaxies. Those galaxies can be as "small" as a dwarf galaxy, with up to only a few billion stars, or as large as Andromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbor. Why is it called the Milky Way? The Milky Way got its name because from our perspective on Earth, it appears as a faint, milky band of light stretching across the sky. Is the Milky Way visible from Earth? Though the Milky Way is generally always visible from Earth, certain times of year are better for stargazers to catch a glimpse of the band of billions of stars. "Milky Way season," when the galaxy's bright center becomes easier to see from Earth, typically runs from February to October, according to the Milky Way photography website Capture the Atlas. But because visibility from Earth depends on the latitude, the further south you go, the longer the Milky Way season will last. In the Northern Hemisphere, which includes the continental United States, the best time to see the Milky Way is generally from March to September, according to Capture the Atlas. What you're looking at when the Milky Way is visible is the bright center of our galaxy, "seen edge-on from our position within the galaxy's disk," Preston Dyches, who hosts NASA's "What's Up," a monthly video series that describes what's happening in the night sky, wrote in June for NASA. When can you see the Milky Way in August 2025? The center of the Milky Way, which Dyches refers to as "the core," became visible in June and is expected to shine every night through August as it gets higher in a darker sky. Typically, the sky is darkest from about midnight to 5 a.m., according to Capture the Atlas. You can check sunrise and sunset times at your location using the website TimeAndDate. "This doesn't mean that as soon as the sun goes down you can see the Milky Way," writes Dan Zafra, co-founder of Capture the Atlas. "Even if it's in the sky, the Milky Way will be barely visible during blue hour, so you'll have to wait at least until the end of the astronomical twilight to see all the details of the Milky Way." From June to August, the Milky Way will be diagonal at the beginning of the night, vertical during the middle of the night, and low above the horizon at the end of the night, according to Capture the Atlas. How can you see the Milky Way? Here are some tips Stargazers can observe the Milky Way by looking for the Summer Triangle, a shape formed by three bright stars that spans across the Milky Way, according to science news website LiveScience. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Milky Way rises in the southeast, travels across the southern sky and sets in the southwest, according to Spectators will have the best luck on cloud-free nights and away from city light pollution. DarkSky International maintains a website that lists all designated dark sky communities around the world, including 159 locations in the United States. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Center of Milky Way will be visible in August. How to see it in US
