When Britain was fringed by tropical seas
A team from the University of Bristol has shed new light on the creatures that inhabited the tropical seas surrounding Britain at the start of the age of the dinosaurs.
School of Earth Sciences
Early bird wings preserved in Burmese amber
Two new specimens of tiny bird wings trapped in amber from rocks have been uncovered in China. The fossil wings seem to have come from baby birds that got trapped in the sticky sap of tropical trees 100 million years ago.
Modelling of ancient fossil movement reveals step in the evolution of posture in dinosaur and crocodile ancestors
Scientists from the University of Bristol and the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) used three-dimensional computer modelling to investigate the hindlimb of Euparkeria capensis–a small reptile that lived in the Triassic Period 245 million years ago–and inferred that it had a “mosaic” of functions in locomotion.
Elbows of extinct marsupial lion suggest unique hunting style
Scientists from the Universities of Bristol and Málaga have proposed that the long extinct marsupial lion hunted in a very unique way - by using its teeth to hold prey before dispatching them with its huge claws.
Tooth wear sheds light on the feeding habits of ancient elephant relatives
How can we ever know what ancient animals ate? For the first time, the changing diets of elephants in the last two million years in China have been reconstructed, using a technique based on analysis of the surface textures of their teeth.
Fossils found in Siberia suggest all dinosaurs had feathers
The first ever example of a plant-eating dinosaur with feathers and scales has been discovered in Russia. Previously only flesh-eating dinosaurs were known to have had feathers so this new find indicates that all dinosaurs could have been feathered.
Devastating hurricanes could be up to five times more likely in the Caribbean if tougher global warming targets are missed
Global warming is dramatically increasing the risk of extreme hurricanes in the Caribbean, but meeting more ambitious climate change goals could up to halve the likelihood of such disasters in the region, according to new research.
Magma build-up may put Salvadoran capital at risk
The build-up of magma six kilometres below El Salvador's Ilopango caldera means the capital city of San Salvador may be at risk from future eruptions, University of Bristol researchers have found.
Unearthed: the cannibal sharks of a forgotten age
Scientists have discovered macabre fossil evidence suggesting that 300 million-year-old sharks ate their own young, as fossil faeces of adult Orthacanthus sharks contained the tiny teeth of juveniles.
Fingers on buzzers! Bristol’s quiz team prepares for Paxman
The University of Bristol’s quest to prove its quizzing prowess begins on Monday, when they take on the Courtauld Institute of Art in the first round of the new series of University Challenge.