Imaging technology has revolutionized paleontology, allowing scientists to study fossils that are buried deep in the rock or too small to handle. Two recent studies I was involved with show some of the technology's potential, including one that discovered a new dinosaur species that loomed over other carnivores it lived alongside hundreds of millions of years ago.

Phys.org Evolution News

25.10.2025

How changing limb posture helped ancient reptiles grow

New research has revealed how more upright limb postures helped ancient reptiles overcome the biomechanical constraints of body size, paving the way for the evolution of larger sizes in archosaurs—a group that includes crocodilians, dinosaurs and birds. The collaborative study involved the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), along with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (Beijing, China) and Clemson University (South Carolina, U.S.).

Phys.org Evolution News

25.10.2025

Early experiment at the dawn of dinosaur evolution discovered

Argentinian researchers have described a Carnian theropod with features previously thought to belong only to much later neotheropods, indicating greater early dinosaur diversity than expected as well as a possible climate-related ebb and return of dinosaur abundance in northwestern Argentina.

Phys.org Evolution News

25.10.2025

Simple DNA switch helps tropical butterflies change wing patterns with the seasons

Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a simple DNA "switch" that helps tropical butterflies adjust the size of their wing eyespots in response to seasonal temperatures, shedding light on the evolution of environmental sensitivity. The findings could inform future efforts to understand and potentially bolster adaptation in a changing climate.

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Phys.org Evolution News

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The new species of flesh-eating dinosaur that once roamed south Wales: An imaging technology revolution

How changing limb posture helped ancient reptiles grow

Early experiment at the dawn of dinosaur evolution discovered

Simple DNA switch helps tropical butterflies change wing patterns with the seasons

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Phys.org Evolution News