15 INCREDIBLE Animal Fossils
TLDRThis video explores 15 of the most incredible and important animal fossils ever discovered. It begins with the oldest known fossils on Earth, 3.77 billion year old hematite tubes that prove life existed early in Earth's history. Other highlights include: the first T-Rex soft tissue fossil, which changed paleontology; a giant 5 foot 7 inch prehistoric turtle; the 50 foot 'Monster of Spitzbergen' marine predator; the largest snake, the 42 foot 'Titanoboa'; a mosquito fossilized with dinosaur blood, thought impossible until recently; a fossil showing a Velociraptor and Protoceratops locked in battle during a sandstorm.
Takeaways
- 😲 The hematite tubes fossil found in Canada is the oldest known evidence of life on Earth, dated to 3.77 billion years ago
- 😎 A soft tissue sample found inside a 68 million year old T-Rex fossil changed assumptions that proteins degrade in under 1 million years
- 🐢 A 5 foot 7 inch fossil of a giant prehistoric turtle found in Colombia is the first evidence of gigantism in freshwater turtles
- 🌊 A 50 foot marine predator plyosaur fossil found in the Arctic was one of the largest ever discovered
- 😨 Ancient snails preserved in 99 million year old amber represent the oldest soft snail tissue ever found
- 😱 A 46 million year old mosquito fossil was found in Montana with traces of iron and blood molecules
- 🐍 A fossil of a 4 legged snake provides evidence that snakes evolved from ocean creatures with limbs
- 🦈 Bite marks on a 3-4 million year old whale rib fossil suggest an ancient shark attack
- 😮 A 99 million year old amber fossil contains the feathered tail of a juvenile theropod dinosaur
- 🐋 Rare baleen fossils help identify the diet and biology of ancestral whale species
Q & A
What is the oldest fossil evidence of life found so far?
-Hematite tubes found in ancient rocks in Northern Quebec, Canada that are dated to be over 3.77 billion years old.
What made the discovery of soft tissue in a T-Rex fossil significant?
-It was thought proteins couldn't survive for more than 1 million years, but this 68 million year old fossil contained soft tissue similar to bird collagen.
What traits made the giant prehistoric turtle unique?
-It was the first giant freshwater turtle found in the region. At 5 feet 7 inches long, it had a very powerful jaw and likely controlled a large territory.
Why are Megalodon fossils limited despite their large size?
-Their bodies were made of cartilage that didn't preserve well. So most evidence comes from their dense teeth and some vertebrae.
How did finding a whale rib with shark bites change assumptions?
-The shark bite marks showed an attack on a whale that failed. This proved even large ancient sharks didn't always kill whales.
What was significant about the fossilized mosquito with blood?
-It showed blood cells and iron/porphyrin from blood survived 48 million years. This changes views on fossil DNA preservation.
How did the discovery of a 4-legged snake fossil affect theories on snake evolution?
-It showed that early snakes had limbs and supports the idea they evolved on land, not just in the ocean.
What can the fighting Velociraptor and Protoceratops fossils reveal?
-They show these expected predator-prey relationships weren't so clear cut. Prey could injure predators.
How did finding an ancient whale skull change assumptions about beluga evolution?
-It showed beluga ancestors lived in warmer waters, not arctic ones. This means belugas adapted more recently to cold.
Why is finding fossils that show action so rare and valuable?
-Most fossils are of single animals. Fossils showing interaction provide more insights into behavior.
Outlines
😯 Ancient Tubes - Earliest Known Fossils
Researchers discovered 3.77 billion year old hematite tubes in Canada that are the earliest known fossils. They were formed by ancient bacteria and push back when life first emerged on Earth.
😲 T-Rex Soft Tissue Discovery
A 68 million year old T-Rex fossil was found with preserved soft tissue, challenging the idea that proteins degrade in under a million years. Iron nanoparticles likely acted as a preservative.
🐢 Giant Prehistoric Turtle Fossil
A 5 foot 7 inch fossil of a giant side neck turtle from 60 million years ago was found in Colombia. It had a powerful jaw and as an omnivore likely ate mollusks, smaller turtles and crocodiles.
😱 'Monster of Spitzbergen' Pliosaur
A 50 foot 'Monster' pliosaur fossil found in the Arctic dates to 150 million years ago. It was one of 28 plesiosaur and ichthyosaur fossils showing these were the dominant marine predators.
🐌 Ancient Snails in Amber
Amber containing 99 million year old land snails was found, representing the oldest soft snail tissue ever discovered. It showed they had similar structures to modern tropical snails.
😬 Mosquito Fossil with Blood
A 46 million year old mosquito fossil was found with an abdomen full of iron and porphyrin, chemical proof of blood. This changes assumptions that genetic material can't survive that long.
😮 Four-Legged Snake Fossil
A fossil of a serpentine creature with small limbs was found, suggesting snakes evolved from four-legged ancestors. But its origins are unknown so more evidence is needed.
😳 Ancient Shark Attack Evidence
A fossilized whale rib had tooth marks from a mega shark attack 3-4 million years ago. Woven bone growth shows the whale survived the failed attack.
😃 Dinosaur Tail in Amber
A 99 million year old amber fossil contains a feathered dinosaur tail, supporting that many dinosaurs had feathers. It shows feather evolution before central shafts formed.
🐋 Baleen Whale Fossil
A rare 14-16 million year old baleen whale fossil containing preserved baleen was found in California, one of only 20 known specimens.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡fossils
💡prehistoric
💡paleontology
💡megafauna
💡paleoclimate
💡amber
💡coprolites
💡phylogeny
💡taphonomy
💡paleoecology
Highlights
Introduction to cond-mat.supr-con highlights superconductivity research and key concepts.
Discussion of high-temperature superconductors and efforts to raise critical temperature.
Explanation of Cooper pairs and their role in conventional low-temperature superconductors.
Overview of BCS theory developed by Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer to explain superconductivity.
Importance of phonon-mediated electron pairing in BCS theory.
Phase transitions from normal conductivity to superconductivity described.
Type I and Type II superconductors and their different behaviors in magnetic fields.
Meissner effect and perfect diamagnetism exhibited by superconductors explained.
London equations presented to model superconducting currents.
Flux quantization and Josephson effects highlighted.
Possible technological applications of superconductivity discussed.
Superconducting magnets enable high-field MRI and particle accelerators.
Superconducting wires can carry large electrical currents with zero loss.
Superconducting quantum computing shows promise for advanced simulations.
Conclusions and outlook for new superconducting materials.
Transcripts
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