Latest news with #Enigmacursor
SBS Australia
17-07-2025
- Science
- SBS Australia
Ep.378: Il mistero dell'enigmacursore, l'ultimo dinosauro scoperto
Scopri altri nostri podcast cliccando qui. SCARICA la trascrizione col testo a fronte in inglese. Italiano Il Museo di Storia Naturale di Londra ospita circa 80 milioni di esemplari animali, e da oggi ne possiede uno in più. Tra l'impressionante collezione di dinosauri del museo, lo scheletro di un Enigmacursor è un nuovo reperto, relativamente piccolo, ma significativo. "So Enigmacursor is a small plant-eating dinosaur. It walked around on its hind legs, would have been quite a speedy runner. And it's a fairly rare animal from this time and from this part of the world. It comes from the Western USA, from Colorado, and it lived about 150 million years ago and would have be scuttling around the feet of more famous dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Diplodocus." Il professor Paul Barratt, paleontologo del museo, ha contribuito con le sue ricerche all'identificazione di questa nuova specie di dinosauro. L'Enigmacursor si aggirava sulla Terra nel tardo Giurassico, ma è rimasto sconosciuto fino a quando uno scheletro straordinariamente intatto è stato portato alla luce da una cava quasi quattro anni fa. Inizialmente era stato descritto come un nanosauro, una specie poco conosciuta e registrata per la prima volta negli anni '70 del XIX secolo. Questo finché la scoperta del fossile non ha risolto un mistero allettante, come ha spiegato la professoressa Susannah Maidment: 'Enigma means puzzle, of course, and this is in reference to this sort of complicated naming history of these sorts of dinosaurs. There's been up to eight or nine different names given to these fragmentary, tantalising remains, and we couldn't figure it out until we found this nice more complete skeleton, so that's the enigma part. Now cursor means runner, so this is in reference for the dinosaur's very long hind limbs and very big feet." Oltre a zampe potenti ed enormi, l'Enigmacursor vanta una lunga ed ampia coda. Con un'altezza di soli 64 centimetri e una lunghezza di 180 centimetri, è molto più piccolo di giganti giurassici come il Diplodoco, lungo 25 metri. Ma per il professor Paul Barrett questa piccola creatura potrebbe far luce su come si sono sviluppati i suoi cugini più grandi. "This little dinosaur fills an evolutionary gap. So it is somewhere in between the origin of the big group that includes things like Stegosaurus and Triceratops and their relatives, and the development of the weird features we see in those groups. So if you like, it's the template on which those weirder, bigger dinosaurs were built. And it helps us to understand how those different features started to come into existence. And it also shows us what these late Jurassic ecosystems were like. They weren't just dominated by huge long-necked dinosaurs or huge predators, but also a cast of characters of smaller dinosaurs that are making a living in different ways." Sono ora necessarie ulteriori ricerche per confermare se anche altri esemplari precedentemente ritenuti nanosauri siano specie diverse, cosa ritenuta molto probabile dalla professoressa Sarah Maidment. "It tells us that there were actually more of these small dinosaurs than we thought previously, because in our investigations in other US collections and museums, what we discovered was that there are a whole range of little fragments of bones that are different from Enigmacursor, but are from this sort of dinosaur. So we think that the diversity of these sorts of dinosaurs was greater than we previously realised." Il nome completo del dinosauro - Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae - attribuisce il merito al donatore privato che ha aiutato il Museo ad acquisire il fossile. Il professor Barrett ha affermato che vengono trovate continuamente nuove specie di dinosauri, ma la scoperta di uno scheletro come questo è rara. "All together we're naming about one new dinosaur per week around the world. So about 50 to 60 new dinosaurs get a name each year. So it's not super rare to name a new dinosaur, but it's always exciting to be involved in a new discovery." INGLESE London's Natural History Museum is home to some 80 million natural specimens - and now, it has one more. Among the museum's impressive dinosaur collection, the skeleton of an Enigmacursor is a relatively small, but significant, new exhibit. "So Enigmacursor is a small plant-eating dinosaur. It walked around on its hind legs, would have been quite a speedy runner. And it's a fairly rare animal from this time and from this part of the world. It comes from the Western USA, from Colorado, and it lived about 150 million years ago and would have be scuttling around the feet of more famous dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Diplodocus." Professor Paul Barratt is a paleontologist at the museum, whose research helped identify this new dinosaur species. The Enigmacursor roamed over the Earth in the late Jurassic period but remained unknown until a remarkably intact skeleton was unearthed from a quarry nearly four years ago. It was initially described as a nanosaurus, a poorly known species first recorded in the 1870s. Until, that is, the fossil discovery solved a tantalising mystery, as Professor Susannah Maidment explains: 'Enigma means puzzle, of course, and this is in reference to this sort of complicated naming history of these sorts of dinosaurs. There's been up to eight or nine different names given to these fragmentary, tantalising remains, and we couldn't figure it out until we found this nice more complete skeleton, so that's the enigma part. Now cursor means runner, so this is in reference for the dinosaur's very long hind limbs and very big feet." As well as powerful and huge feet, the Enigmacursor boasts a long swooping tail. At just 64 centimeters tall and 180 centimeters long, it is much smaller than Jurassic giants like the 25-metre-long Diplodocus. But Professor Paul Barrett says this small creature could shed light on how its bigger cousins developed. "This little dinosaur fills an evolutionary gap. So it is somewhere in between the origin of the big group that includes things like Stegosaurus and Triceratops and their relatives, and the development of the weird features we see in those groups. So if you like, it's the template on which those weirder, bigger dinosaurs were built. And it helps us to understand how those different features started to come into existence. And it also shows us what these late Jurassic ecosystems were like. They weren't just dominated by huge long-necked dinosaurs or huge predators, but also a cast of characters of smaller dinosaurs that are making a living in different ways." More research is now needed to confirm whether other specimens previously thought to be nanosaurus are also different species, very likely according to Professor Sarah Maidment. "It tells us that there were actually more of these small dinosaurs than we thought previously, because in our investigations in other US collections and museums, what we discovered was that there are a whole range of little fragments of bones that are different from Enigmacursor, but are from this sort of dinosaur. So we think that the diversity of these sorts of dinosaurs was greater than we previously realised." The dinosaur's full name - Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae - credits the private donor who helped the Museum acquire the fossil. Professor Barrett says new species of dinosaur are being found all the time, but the discovery of a skeleton such as this is rare. "All together we're naming about one new dinosaur per week around the world. So about 50 to 60 new dinosaurs get a name each year. So it's not super rare to name a new dinosaur, but it's always exciting to be involved in a new discovery." Report by SBS News Ascolta SBS Italian tutti i giorni, dalle 8am alle 10am. Seguici su Facebook e Instagram o abbonati ai nostri podcast cliccando qui .
SBS Australia
17-07-2025
- Science
- SBS Australia
Ep.378: An Enigmacursor wrapped in a riddle inside a mystery?
DOWNLOAD the script in Italian and English side by side. English London's Natural History Museum is home to some 80 million natural specimens - and now, it has one more. Among the museum's impressive dinosaur collection, the skeleton of an Enigmacursor is a relatively small, but significant, new exhibit. "So Enigmacursor is a small plant-eating dinosaur. It walked around on its hind legs, would have been quite a speedy runner. And it's a fairly rare animal from this time and from this part of the world. It comes from the Western USA, from Colorado, and it lived about 150 million years ago and would have be scuttling around the feet of more famous dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Diplodocus." Professor Paul Barratt is a paleontologist at the museum, whose research helped identify this new dinosaur species. The Enigmacursor roamed over the Earth in the late Jurassic period but remained unknown until a remarkably intact skeleton was unearthed from a quarry nearly four years ago. It was initially described as a nanosaurus, a poorly known species first recorded in the 1870s. Until, that is, the fossil discovery solved a tantalising mystery, as Professor Susannah Maidment explains: 'Enigma means puzzle, of course, and this is in reference to this sort of complicated naming history of these sorts of dinosaurs. There's been up to eight or nine different names given to these fragmentary, tantalising remains, and we couldn't figure it out until we found this nice more complete skeleton, so that's the enigma part. Now cursor means runner, so this is in reference for the dinosaur's very long hind limbs and very big feet." As well as powerful and huge feet, the Enigmacursor boasts a long swooping tail. At just 64 centimeters tall and 180 centimeters long, it is much smaller than Jurassic giants like the 25-metre-long Diplodocus. But Professor Paul Barrett says this small creature could shed light on how its bigger cousins developed. "This little dinosaur fills an evolutionary gap. So it is somewhere in between the origin of the big group that includes things like Stegosaurus and Triceratops and their relatives, and the development of the weird features we see in those groups. So if you like, it's the template on which those weirder, bigger dinosaurs were built. And it helps us to understand how those different features started to come into existence. And it also shows us what these late Jurassic ecosystems were like. They weren't just dominated by huge long-necked dinosaurs or huge predators, but also a cast of characters of smaller dinosaurs that are making a living in different ways." More research is now needed to confirm whether other specimens previously thought to be nanosaurus are also different species, very likely according to Professor Sarah Maidment. "It tells us that there were actually more of these small dinosaurs than we thought previously, because in our investigations in other US collections and museums, what we discovered was that there are a whole range of little fragments of bones that are different from Enigmacursor, but are from this sort of dinosaur. So we think that the diversity of these sorts of dinosaurs was greater than we previously realised." The dinosaur's full name - Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae - credits the private donor who helped the Museum acquire the fossil. Professor Barrett says new species of dinosaur are being found all the time, but the discovery of a skeleton such as this is rare. "All together we're naming about one new dinosaur per week around the world. So about 50 to 60 new dinosaurs get a name each year. So it's not super rare to name a new dinosaur, but it's always exciting to be involved in a new discovery." Italian Il Museo di Storia Naturale di Londra ospita circa 80 milioni di esemplari animali, e da oggi ne possiede uno in più. Tra l'impressionante collezione di dinosauri del museo, lo scheletro di un Enigmacursor è un nuovo reperto, relativamente piccolo, ma significativo. "So Enigmacursor is a small plant-eating dinosaur. It walked around on its hind legs, would have been quite a speedy runner. And it's a fairly rare animal from this time and from this part of the world. It comes from the Western USA, from Colorado, and it lived about 150 million years ago and would have be scuttling around the feet of more famous dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Diplodocus." Il professor Paul Barratt, paleontologo del museo, ha contribuito con le sue ricerche all'identificazione di questa nuova specie di dinosauro. L'Enigmacursor si aggirava sulla Terra nel tardo Giurassico, ma è rimasto sconosciuto fino a quando uno scheletro straordinariamente intatto è stato portato alla luce da una cava quasi quattro anni fa. Inizialmente era stato descritto come un nanosauro, una specie poco conosciuta e registrata per la prima volta negli anni '70 del XIX secolo. Questo finché la scoperta del fossile non ha risolto un mistero allettante, come ha spiegato la professoressa Susannah Maidment: 'Enigma means puzzle, of course, and this is in reference to this sort of complicated naming history of these sorts of dinosaurs. There's been up to eight or nine different names given to these fragmentary, tantalising remains, and we couldn't figure it out until we found this nice more complete skeleton, so that's the enigma part. Now cursor means runner, so this is in reference for the dinosaur's very long hind limbs and very big feet." Oltre a zampe potenti ed enormi, l'Enigmacursor vanta una lunga ed ampia coda. Con un'altezza di soli 64 centimetri e una lunghezza di 180 centimetri, è molto più piccolo di giganti giurassici come il Diplodoco, lungo 25 metri. Ma per il professor Paul Barrett questa piccola creatura potrebbe far luce su come si sono sviluppati i suoi cugini più grandi. "This little dinosaur fills an evolutionary gap. So it is somewhere in between the origin of the big group that includes things like Stegosaurus and Triceratops and their relatives, and the development of the weird features we see in those groups. So if you like, it's the template on which those weirder, bigger dinosaurs were built. And it helps us to understand how those different features started to come into existence. And it also shows us what these late Jurassic ecosystems were like. They weren't just dominated by huge long-necked dinosaurs or huge predators, but also a cast of characters of smaller dinosaurs that are making a living in different ways." Sono ora necessarie ulteriori ricerche per confermare se anche altri esemplari precedentemente ritenuti nanosauri siano specie diverse, cosa ritenuta molto probabile dalla professoressa Sarah Maidment. "It tells us that there were actually more of these small dinosaurs than we thought previously, because in our investigations in other US collections and museums, what we discovered was that there are a whole range of little fragments of bones that are different from Enigmacursor, but are from this sort of dinosaur. So we think that the diversity of these sorts of dinosaurs was greater than we previously realised." Il nome completo del dinosauro - Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae - attribuisce il merito al donatore privato che ha aiutato il Museo ad acquisire il fossile. Il professor Barrett ha affermato che vengono trovate continuamente nuove specie di dinosauri, ma la scoperta di uno scheletro come questo è rara. "All together we're naming about one new dinosaur per week around the world. So about 50 to 60 new dinosaurs get a name each year. So it's not super rare to name a new dinosaur, but it's always exciting to be involved in a new discovery." Report by SBS News Listen to SBS Italian every day from 8 am to 10 am. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists discovered a mystery dog-sized dinosaur in Colorado
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. The bones of a small mystery dinosaur unearthed in Colorado have now been moved to London, England. The naming of the bones, which are part of a new species called Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, is part of an ongoing effort to draw more attention to smaller sets of remains. These fossils were first discovered in the Morrison Formation, a section of the United States that is renowned for providing us with some of the most iconic dinosaur fossils. While previous specimens like the stegosaurus and allosaurus have been discovered here, other, smaller creatures found in the area have often gone overlooked. One of these overlooked sets of remains belongs to the recently described Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae. Today's Top Deals XGIMI Prime Day deals feature the new MoGo 4 and up to 42% off smart projectors Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals One of the reasons for giving this dinosaur an official name and putting it up for observation in London is to help bring attention to other overlooked specimens from this part of the US. While the allosaurus and stegosaurus might be more exciting, they are far from the only dinosaur remains we've pulled out of Colorado. Sure, the bigger dinosaur remains are more impressive, but every set of remains we uncover helps us learn more about how the world operated back in ancient times when dinosaurs ruled the world. A new paper detailing the remains of the mystery dinosaur have been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. And, as noted above, the dinosaur is now on display to see for yourself at the Earth Hall Mezzanine in London. Based on a breakdown of the new species, researchers believe it existed during the final stages of the Late Jurassic Period, roughly 152 to 145 million years ago. The look of the mystery dinosaur suggests that it was likely built for speedy, quick encounters where it could slip in and out, using its speed and agility to avoid becoming prey. It had long legs, and was roughly dog-sized, the researchers noted in their paper. Unfortunately, the way that the fossil was secured before being moved to the Natural History Museum in London has made it difficult to tell exactly how old the specimen was when it perished. Hopefully, future remains of the species will help us learn more about these mysterious dinosaurs and the part they played when they roamed the Earth. Scientists also recently uncovered the remains of another new dinosaur species after it sat in a jar in a museum for several years. More Top Deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 See the
International Business Times
07-07-2025
- Science
- International Business Times
From Rocks to Roars: Dog-Sized Dinosaur Unearthed from Colorado Rock Formation
A latest journal article, published in Royal Society Open Science, revealed that researchers have unearthed a new species of dinosaur from the famed Morrison Formation in Colorado. According to the article, scientists have named the speedy, dog-sized dinosaur Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae. The Natural History Museum in London has its skeleton, or what fossil hunters could find of it in Moffat County, on display. The news release from the museum stated that the scientists said the dinosaur discovered was only about 1 meter long, but there are signs that it wasn't fully grown. The National Park Service said that the Morrison Formation of sedimentary rock from the late Jurassic period is named after the Colorado town but spans across the western United States. Susannah Maidment, one of the lead authors of the Royal Society Open Science article and a researcher with London's Natural History Museum, said, "While the Morrison Formation has been well-known for a long time, most of the focus has been on searching for the biggest and most impressive dinosaurs," adding, "Smaller dinosaurs are often left behind, meaning there are probably many still in the ground." Between 2021 and 2022, Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae bones were discovered on the Skull Creek Estates, a private Colorado land near Dinosaur. According to the London Museum, Maidment and her co-author, Paul Barrett, discovered the fossils after they were sold by a commercial dealer and eventually found their way to a London art gallery. The partial skeleton was initially identified by scientists as belonging to the plant-eating dinosaur Nanosaurus, which was found in 1877. The press release stated that Maidment and Barrett started to investigate further and found that the Nanosaurus label was ill-defined and based more on preserved dinosaur impressions than actual bones. Maidment stated, "Now, however, we have found hundreds of small dinosaurs from all over the world and know that the fossils of Nanosaurus just aren't that useful, let alone enough to name a species with." "As a result, it made sense to put them to one side and name Enigmacursor as a new species instead," she added. She concluded that there are probably a lot of tiny dinosaurs out there that are just waiting to be properly identified in museum collections or discovered underground, including Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'New To Science' Species Of Dinosaur Goes On Display At London's Natural History Museum
'New To Science' Species Of Dinosaur Goes On Display At London's Natural History Museum. Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, a species of dinosaur new to science, has joined the residents of London's Natural History museum. The dinosaur would have roamed North America in the Late Jurassic, 145-150 million years ago - now its fossilised skeleton will reside in the Museum's Earth Hall. Museum experts have also carried out critical scientific research on the specimen, settling a century-long taxonomic tangle and defining this fossil as a new species to science. Wind the clock back 145 to 150 million years, and Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, standing at half a metre tall and a little over a metre long would have been darting around the floodplains of the western United States in the shadows of giants like Diplodocus and Stegosaurus. There are signs that this specimen was not fully grown but would still have been a speedy runner. Unearthed back in 2021/2022 from a commercial quarry, Enigmacursor was acquired by the Museum from the gallery David Aaron Ltd. At the time, it was thought to be a Nanosaurus – a poorly-known species of small herbivorous dinosaur first named in the 1870s. However, differences between the original specimen and the Museum's new specimen were the final pieces of the puzzle to confirm it as a new genus and species.
