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

Paleontology: Fossil fragments shed light on a new spinosaurid dinosaur in Spain

2023-05-18
(Press-News.org) A dinosaur specimen from Castellón, Spain represents a new proposed species of spinosaurid, reports a paper published in Scientific Reports. The identification of a potential new species suggests that the Iberian peninsula may have been a diverse area for medium-to-large bodied spinosaurid dinosaurs and sheds light on the origin and evolution of spinosaurids.

Spinosaurids comprise of different groups of dinosaurs that are often large, stand on two feet, and are carnivorous. Well-known examples of spinosaurids include Spinosaurus and Baryonyx. It is thought that spinosaurids may have originated in Europe and then migrated to Africa and Asia, but evidence of their existence in Spain is mostly based on fossilised tooth remains.

Andrés Santos‑Cubedo and colleagues analysed fossil fragments (a right jaw bone, one tooth and five vertebrae) discovered previously in the Arcillas de Morella Formation in Spain and dated to the late Barremian, Early Cretaceous period (between 127 and 126 million years ago). Based on the remains the authors estimate that the specimen is around 10 to 11 metres long. They compared the specimen to data on other spinosaurids to determine its evolutionary relationship to other species.

Based on a comparative analysis of the specimen with other spinosaurids, the authors identified the specimen as both a new species and a new genus of spinosaurid and named it Protathlitis cinctorrensis. The authors named the genus Protathlitis meaning “champion” in Greek and used cinctorrensis in the species name to reference the town — Cinctorres — in which the specimen was uncovered.

The authors propose that this new species may indicate that spinosaurids appeared during the Early Cretaceous in Laurasia — a large area of land in the northern hemisphere — with two sub-groups of species occupying western Europe. The spinosaurids may have later migrated to Africa and Asia where they diversified. In Europe, baryonychines like Protathlitis were dominant, while in Africa, spinosaurines like Spinosaurus were most abundant.

###

Article details

A new spinosaurid dinosaur species from the Early Cretaceous of Cinctorres (Spain)

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33418-2

Corresponding Authors:

Andrés Santos-Cubedo
Universitat Jaume I, Castelló, Spain
Grup Guix, Vila-real, Spain
Email: santos.cubedo@gmail.com

Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-33418-2.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Cost-related medication nonadherence and desire for medication cost information

2023-05-18
About The Study: In a national panel survey of 2,000 respondents in 2022, approximately 1 in 5 older adults reported cost-related medication nonadherence. Real-time benefit tools may support medication cost conversations and cost-conscious prescribing, and patients are enthusiastic about their use. However, if disclosed prices are inaccurate, there is potential for harm through loss of confidence in the physician and nonadherence to prescribed medications.  Authors: Stacie B. Dusetzina, Ph.D., of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For ...

Potential clinical and economic outcomes of over-the-counter hearing aids

2023-05-18
About The Study: In this cost-effectiveness analysis, provision of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids was associated with greater uptake of hearing intervention and was cost-effective over a range of prices so long as OTC hearing aids were greater than 55% as beneficial to patient quality of life as traditional hearing aids. Over-the-counter hearing aids may expand access to beneficial treatment for hearing loss and represent an efficient use of resources.  Authors: Gillian D. Sanders Schmidler, Ph.D., of the Duke University ...

Examining mental health, education, employment, and pain in sickle cell disease

2023-05-18
About The Study: The findings of this cross-sectional analysis of 2,200 individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) suggest that employment status, sex, age, and depression are associated with pain frequency. Depression screening for these patients is warranted, especially among those experiencing higher pain frequency and severity. Comprehensive treatment and pain reduction must consider the full experiences of patients with SCD, including impacts on mental health.  Authors: Kelly M. Harris, ...

New non-toxic powder uses sunlight to quickly disinfect contaminated drinking water

New non-toxic powder uses sunlight to quickly disinfect contaminated drinking water
2023-05-18
At least 2 billion people worldwide routinely drink water contaminated with disease-causing microbes. Now Stanford University scientists have invented a low-cost, recyclable powder that kills thousands of waterborne bacteria per second when exposed to ordinary sunlight. The discovery of this ultrafast disinfectant could be a significant advance for nearly 30 percent of the world’s population with no access to safe drinking water, according to the Stanford team. Their results are published in a May 18 study in Nature Water. “Waterborne diseases are responsible for 2 million deaths annually, the majority in children under the age of 5,” said study ...

Some climate-smart agricultural practices may not be so smart

2023-05-18
-Several practices being promoted as climate smart could lead to land use spillovers that change their net impact on climate -Most evidence is that cover cropping with rye, as done in the US, causes a yield loss. We show that the land use spillovers can then negate most of the climate benefit of cover cropping. -The method and data we used were made available (as an R package) so that others can apply the same approach to other questions related to land use spillovers END ...

Keeping California’s oil in the ground will improve health but affect jobs

2023-05-18
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — As society reckons with climate change, there’s a growing call to keep fossil fuels right where they are, in the ground. But the impact of curtailing oil production will depend on the policies we implement to achieve this. An interdisciplinary team of researchers investigated the carbon emissions, labor and health implications of several policies to reduce oil extraction, with a special focus on how the effects vary across different communities in California. Their results, published in Nature Energy, ...

Biodiversity discovery: Unknown species ("dark taxa") drive insect diversity

2023-05-18
Biodiversity loss ranks among the top three risks to humanity, as stated in the 2023 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report. Understanding biodiversity's basic building blocks is essential to monitor changes, identify influencing factors, and implement appropriate policies. However, much of terrestrial animal diversity, including insects, remains unknown or "dark taxa." For example, the global biodiversity information portal GBIF has nine times more information on birds than insects and arthropods, despite birds only accounting ...

Climate change to push species over abrupt tipping points

2023-05-18
Climate change is likely to abruptly push species over tipping points as their geographic ranges reach unforeseen temperatures, finds a new study led by a UCL researcher. The new Nature Ecology & Evolution study predicts when and where climate change is likely to expose species across the globe to potentially dangerous temperatures. The research team from UCL, University of Cape Town, University of Connecticut and University at Buffalo analysed data from over 35,000 species of animals (including mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, corals, fish, cephalopods and plankton) and seagrasses from every continent and ocean basin, alongside climate projections running up to 2100. The ...

Engineering: The house that diapers built

2023-05-18
Up to eight percent of the sand in concrete and mortar used to make a single-story house could be replaced with shredded used disposable diapers without significantly diminishing their strength, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. The authors suggest that disposable diaper waste could be used as a construction material for low-cost housing in low- and middle-income countries. Disposable diapers are usually manufactured from wood pulp, cotton, viscose rayon, and plastics such as polyester, polyethylene, and polypropylene. ...

Why do Japanese teachers seem unready to teach critical thinking in classrooms?

Why do Japanese teachers seem unready to teach critical thinking in classrooms?
2023-05-18
Globally, critical thinking (CT) is regarded as a highly desirable cognitive skill that enables a person to question, analyze, and assess an idea or theory from multiple perspectives. CT has become an integral and mandatory part of global educational curricula, but its definition varies across contexts and cultural backgrounds.   To assess the implementation of CT, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) conducts the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). In a 2018 survey (TALIS 2018), only 12.6% of lower secondary ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

From octopus intelligence to smart artificial blood vessels: 2025 Schmidt Science Fellows to break new ground with interdisciplinary research

Experts challenge aspirin guidelines based on their undue reliance on a flawed trial

McGill discovery sheds new light on autism, intellectual disabilities

Cellular changes occur even below the hexavalent chromium limit

Study suggests a new way to curb social media’s body image toll

Plant doctor: An AI system that watches over urban trees without touching a leaf

Study tracks chromium chemistry in irradiated molten salts

Scientists: the beautiful game is a silver bullet for global health

Being physically active, even just a couple of days a week, may be key to better health

High-fat diet promote breast cancer metastasis in animal models

A router for photons

Nurses and AI collaborate to save lives, reduce hospital stays

Multi-resistance in bacteria predicted by AI model

Tinker Tots: A citizen science project to explore ethical dilemmas in embryo selection

Sensing sickness

Cost to build multifamily housing in California more than twice as high as in Texas

Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses

Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

[Press-News.org] Paleontology: Fossil fragments shed light on a new spinosaurid dinosaur in Spain