
Who are nobigdyl and Ayra Starr? Explore Barack Obama's handpicked 2023 summer playlist
Barack Obama continued his yearly tradition of sharing his summer playlist, once again revealing his impressive knowledge of different musical genres
2023-07-21 16:36

Southern US set to sizzle under prolonged heat wave
More than 50 million Americans are set to bake under dangerously high temperatures this week, from California to Texas to Florida, as a heat wave...
2023-07-11 05:03

Scientists are cutting open parasitic eggs from 200 million years ago
A 200 million-year-old parasite has been discovered in fossilised poo, in the latest not-at-all-scary instance of scientists unearthing a species which blighted the Earth in ancient times. Researchers found that the earliest predators on the planet were infested with roundworm, also known as nematodes, among multiple other parasites. The fossilised poo, which is known to palaeontologists as coprolite, is thought to belong to a type of semi-aquatic phytosaur, which was a crocodile-like predator. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter It comes weeks after another team revived a prehistoric worm – the catchily named Panagrolaimus kolymaensis – which was found dormant in the Siberian permafrost in a state of “cryptobiosis”. The latest study saw researchers from Mahasarakham University, Thailand, analyse a three-inch-long portion of ancient poo and discover five types of parasitic remnants. The group sliced open the parasitic egg fossils with a diamond saw using a “standard thin section method,” their report said. The ultra-thin slices allowed the palaeontologists to look at cross-sections of the ancient infectious microbes under a microscope. One was identified as a nematode worm egg, while the others are thought to be either more eggs, protozoan cysts or spores from moss and ferns. While modern parasites are often an important part of ecosystems, it is usually more difficult to work out what their ancient equivalents did, because there are so few examples in the fossil record. The creatures often inhabited the soft tissues of their hosts, but are rarely preserved as fossils, making the latest discovery all-the-more significant. This fossilised late Triassic-era coprolite (the poo), was shielded from the elements in the Huai Hin Lat geological formation in Thailand, which is over 200 million years old. It was found by local villagers, according to the study's lead author, paleontologist Thanit Nonsrirach. “The peculiar appearance of these findings intrigued the villagers, who considered them potentially auspicious and capable of bestowing good luck if repurposed as talismans,” Nonsrirach told news outlet Inverse. “In 2010, our team received word of this discovery and embarked on a field expedition, guiding the villagers to the actual fossil site.” The discovery is the first record of parasites in a terrestrial vertebrate host from the late Triassic period in Asia, and provides a rare look at the life of an ancient creature that was infected by multiple species. This discovery also adds to the few known examples of nematode eggs preserved within the coprolites of Mesozoic animals. “Parasites of several species, including Ascaridida (roundworm) eggs were found in a coprolite, probably produced by a crocodile-like reptile and possibly a phytosaur,” said Nonsrirach, who works at Mahasarakham University's Palaeontological Research and Education Center. “This is therefore the first discovery of Ascaridida eggs and evidence of multi-infection in a host assignable to the Crurotarsi from the Late Triassic of Asia. “Coprolite is a significant palaeontological treasure trove, containing several undiscovered fossils and expanding our understanding of ancient ecosystems and food chains. “These findings are therefore a significant contribution to scientific understanding of the distribution and ecology of parasites of the distant past.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-11 17:54

Loch Ness struggles with Scotland's shifting climate
Around Scotland's Loch Ness, famous for hosting a mythical monster in its murky depths, another prolonged dry spell earlier this year has heightened...
2023-08-04 14:47

Intel forecasts 4th-quarter revenue above expectations
By Chavi Mehta, Max A. Cherney and Stephen Nellis (Reuters) -Intel forecast fourth-quarter revenue above Wall Street estimates on Thursday,
2023-10-27 04:44

VINSSEN to Attend Nor-Shipping 2023 in Oslo, Norway
SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 5, 2023--
2023-06-05 15:01

Over 100 VIPs attend UN screening of documentary on Russia's siege of Ukrainian city of Mariupol
More than a hundred ambassadors, journalists and representatives of a broad spectrum of society watched a U.N. screening of the award-winning documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” which follows a trio of Associated Press journalists during Russia’s relentless siege of the Ukrainian port city in the early days of the war
2023-09-12 10:13

UnitedHealth Group Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results
--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 13, 2023--
2023-10-13 17:55

'The View' host Sunny Hostin slammed as she's 'disappointed' Donald Trump is not required to take a mugshot: 'Is she an attorney?'
'The View' host Sunny Hostin was surprised why Donald Trump was not asked to 'surrender his passport'
2023-06-15 13:15

Mason Mount set for meeting with Chelsea hierarchy amid Man Utd links
Chelsea will sit down with Mason Mount next week to discuss a new contract. He has been linked with a £55m move to Manchester United, while Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle are interested.
2023-05-24 19:00

SoftBank exploring offering credit funds to tech startups- sources
By Krystal Hu and Manya Saini (Reuters) -SoftBank Investment Advisers, which manages two Vision Funds, is exploring launching a private
2023-05-23 12:19

Matthew Perry, Emmy-nominated 'Friends' star, has died at 54, reports say
Matthew Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series “Friends,” has died
2023-10-29 09:38
You Might Like...

Dodgers' third baseman Max Muncy goes on IL with hamstring strain

Israel must respect 'sanctity of hospitals': UK minister

Venezuela's bolivar weakens against the U.S. dollar as inflation rages

Federal judge addresses web of connections in Trump legal world at hearing in classified documents case

China’s Xi warns West against cutting ties as he welcomes ‘dear friend’ Putin to Beijing

BP CEO resigns after probe reveals undisclosed relationships with colleagues

Don’t Know What to Read Next? This Comprehensive Book Map Can Help

Get a lifetime of AI content creation for $32