PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Snappy evolution was behind the success of ancient crocodiles

Snappy evolution was behind the success of ancient crocodiles
2021-03-24
(Press-News.org) New research led by the University of Bristol has revealed that crocodiles once flourished on land and in the oceans as a result of fast evolution.

Modern crocodiles are predators living in rivers, lakes and wetlands, grabbing fish, reptiles, birds and mammals with their conspicuous snouts and powerful jaws.

However, new research published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows that ancient crocodiles were once much more varied because of rapid evolution.

In the time of the dinosaurs, some crocodiles experimented with dolphin-like adaptations to living in the oceans, and others lived on land as fast-moving plant-eaters.

The researchers studied over 200 skulls and jaws, including fossils from the entire 230-million-year history of crocodiles and their extinct relatives. They explored shape variation to reveal differences between species and analysed how fast crocodile groups changed through time.

It turns out that some extinct crocodile groups, including dolphin-like thalattosuchians and small land-dwelling notosuchians, evolved very fast over many millions of years, and they underwent great changes to their skulls and jaws as they expanded into niches today occupied by other animal groups, particularly mammals.

The research also shows that crocodiles, alligators and gharials, the only living crocodilians, are more conservative than these extinct fossil groups, and evolved steadily for the last 80 million years, but there is no evidence for a slow-down in their evolution and they are not 'living fossils', as once thought.

Lead author Dr Tom Stubbs, a Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences, said: "Crocodiles and their ancestors are an incredible group for understanding the rise and fall of biodiversity.

"There are only 26 crocodile species around today, most of which look very similar. However, there are hundreds of fossil species with spectacular variation, particularly in their feeding apparatus."

Dr Armin Elsler, a Research Associate in the Bristol School of Earth Sciences and co-author, added: "New state-of-the-art methods now mean we can test for differences in the speed of evolution through time and across groups."

It has long been suggested that dramatic shifts in habitat and diet can trigger rapid evolution, but these patterns are usually only reported in groups with great variety today, like birds, mammals and fish. This is the first time this trend has been shown in crocodiles, a group with a rich fossil history, but low modern diversity. Dr Stephanie Pierce, Associate Professor of Organismic and Evolution Biology at Harvard University, said: "Ancient crocodiles came in a dizzyingly array of forms. They were adapted to running on land, swimming in the water, snapping fish, and even chewing plants.

"Our study shows that these very different ways of living evolved incredibly fast, allowing extinct crocodiles to rapidly thrive and dominate novel ecological niches over many millions of years."

Professor Michael Benton from Bristol added: "It's not clear why modern crocodiles are so limited in their adaptations. If we only had the living species, we might argue they are limited in their modes of life by being cold-blooded or because of their anatomy.

"However, the fossil record shows their amazing capabilities, including large numbers of species in the oceans and on land. Perhaps they only did well when world climates were warmer than today."

INFORMATION:


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Snappy evolution was behind the success of ancient crocodiles

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Individual SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibody immunity lasts from days to decades

2021-03-24
SINGAPORE, 23 March 2021 - Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School, the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Infectious Diseases Labs found that antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 wane at different rates, lasting for mere days in some individuals, while remaining present in others for decades. The study, published in The Lancet Microbe, shows that the severity of the infection could be a deciding factor in having longer-lasting antibodies. Individuals with low levels of neutralising ...

Rugby study identifies new method to diagnose concussion using saliva

2021-03-24
A University of Birmingham-led study of top-flight UK rugby players - carried out in collaboration with the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Premiership Rugby, and Marker Diagnostics - has identified a method of accurately diagnosing concussion using saliva, paving the way for the first non-invasive clinical test for concussion for use in sport and other settings. Following the team's previous research, which identified that the concentration of specific molecules in saliva changes rapidly after a traumatic brain injury, the researchers embarked on a three-year study in elite rugby to establish if these 'biomarkers' could be used as a diagnostic test ...

Distinct chemical 'signatures' for concussion identified in spit of elite rugby players

2021-03-24
Potentially paves way for non-invasive diagnostic test at all levels of participation On a par with the assessment currently provided in professional sports Could work alongside 'gold standard' head injury protocol used in elite sports Distinct chemical 'signatures' for concussion have been identified in the spit of elite male rugby players, reveals research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. This potentially paves the way for a non-invasive and rapid diagnostic test for the condition that could be used pitch side and after the game at all levels of participation, suggest the researchers. This is especially important because ...

Scientists observe complex tunable magnetism in a topological material

2021-03-23
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have observed novel helical magnetic ordering in the topological compound EuIn2As2 which supports exotic electrical conduction tunable by a magnetic field. The discovery has significant implications for basic research into functional topological properties and may one day find use in a number of advanced technology applications. Topological materials burst onto the scene in the physical sciences about fifteen years ago, decades after their existence had been theorized. Called 'topological' because their bulk electronic bands are "knotted" together, the surfaces of topological insulators "untie the knot" and become metallic. Researchers ...

Flu shot associated with fewer, less severe COVID cases

Flu shot associated with fewer, less severe COVID cases
2021-03-23
People who received a flu shot last flu season were significantly less likely to test positive for a COVID-19 infection when the pandemic hit, according to a new study. And those who did test positive for COVID-19 had fewer complications if they received their flu shot. These new findings mean senior author Marion Hofmann Bowman, M.D., is continuing to recommend the flu shot to her patients even as the flu season may be winding down. "It's particularly relevant for vaccine hesitance, and maybe taking the flu shot this year can ease some angst about the new COVID-19 vaccine," says Hofmann, an associate professor of internal medicine and a cardiologist at the Michigan ...

Curbing COVID-19 on campuses nationwide

2021-03-23
While COVID-19 cases may be on the decline, the virus is still prevalent nationwide, and higher education institutions need to prepare for a successful 2021 academic year. New research from Clemson University in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, one of the world's premier peer-reviewed general medical journals, indicates how surveillance-based informative testing (SBIT) mitigates the spread of COVID-19 on campus, paving the way for other institutions, even those without the infrastructure or funding for mass-scale testing. SBIT was implemented during the first two weeks of the Fall semester at Clemson. According to the study, ...

BMI1, a promising gene to protect against Alzheimer's disease

2021-03-23
Another step towards understanding Alzheimer's disease has been taken at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre. Molecular biologist Gilbert Bernier, and professor of neurosciences at Université de Montréal, has discovered a new function for the BMI1 gene, which is known to inhibit brain aging. The results of his work have just been published in Nature Communications. In his laboratory, Bernier was able to establish that BMI1 was required to prevent the DNA of neurons from disorganizing in a particular way called G4 structures. This phenomenon occurs in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, but not in healthy elderly ...

Neutrons reveal unpredicted binding between SARS-CoV-2, hepatitis C antiviral drug

Neutrons reveal unpredicted binding between SARS-CoV-2, hepatitis C antiviral drug
2021-03-23
Scientists have found new, unexpected behaviors when SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes COVID-19 - encounters drugs known as inhibitors, which bind to certain components of the virus and block its ability to reproduce. Published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, the research provides key insights for advancing drug design and drug repurposing efforts to treat COVID-19. Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory used neutron scattering to investigate interactions between telaprevir, a drug used to treat hepatitis C viral infection, and the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, the enzyme responsible for enabling the virus to reproduce. They ...

Researchers hunt for drugs that keep HIV latent

2021-03-23
When the human immunodeficiency virus infects cells, it can either exploit the cells to start making more copies of itself or remain dormant--a phenomenon called latency. Keeping these reservoirs latent is a challenge. A new paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has found a way to look for chemicals that can keep the virus suppressed into its dormant state. "The current drug treatments block healthy cells from becoming infected by the virus," said Yiyang Lu, a PhD student in the Dar lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. "The latent reservoir poses a bigger problem because it can start producing the virus at any time. Consequently, patients have to remain on antiretroviral therapy all their lives to prevent ...

study: Precautions used to prevent COVID-19 decreased common respiratory illness rates

2021-03-23
Boston - Wearing masks and physical distancing - two key infection prevention strategies implemented to stop the spread of COVID-19 - may have led to the dramatic decrease in rates of common respiratory viral infections, such as influenza. A study led by researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) showed an approximately 80 percent reduction in cases of influenza and other common viral respiratory infections when compared to similar time periods in previous years, before wearing masks, physical distancing, and school closures were implemented to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Published online in Open Forum Infectious ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

[Press-News.org] Snappy evolution was behind the success of ancient crocodiles