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

The oldest ant ever discovered found fossilized in Brazil

2025-04-24
(Press-News.org) A 113-million-year-old hell ant that once lived in northeastern Brazil is now the oldest ant specimen known to science, finds a report publishing in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on April 24. The hell ant, which was preserved in limestone, is a member of Haidomyrmecinae—an extinct subfamily that only lived during the Cretaceous period. These ants had highly specialized, scythe-like jaws that they likely used to pin or impale prey. 

“Our team has discovered a new fossil ant species representing the earliest undisputable geological record of ants,” said author Anderson Lepeco of Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil. “What makes this discovery particularly interesting is that it belongs to the extinct ‘hell ant,’ known for their bizarre predatory adaptations. Despite being part of an ancient lineage, this species already displayed highly specialized anatomical features, suggesting unique hunting behaviors.” 

The ant fossil’s discovery challenges our understanding of ant evolution and biogeography through time, according to the researchers. The previous oldest ants were found in France and Burma and were preserved in amber instead of limestone. The existence of a hell ant in Brazil shows that ants were already widely distributed and diversified early in their evolution, says the team. 

“Even though there have been hell ants described from amber, this was the first time we could visualize this in a rock fossil,” said Lepeco. 

Lepeco and his team discovered the “remarkably well-preserved" ant specimen while systematically examining one of the world’s largest collections of fossil insects from the Crato Formation, a deposit renowned for its exceptional fossil preservation. The collection is housed at the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo.  

“When I encountered this extraordinary specimen, we immediately recognized its significance, not only as a new species but as potentially the definitive evidence of ants in the Crato Formation,” said Lepeco. “This finding highlights the importance of thorough examination of existing collections—private or in museums—and brings a spotlight to Brazilian paleontology and the underexplored fossil insect fauna of the country.” 

Micro-computed tomography imaging—a 3D imaging technique that uses X-rays to view the inside of an object, or ant in this case—showed that the newly discovered ant was closely related to hell ants previously known only from specimens preserved in Burmese amber—a type of amber found in Myanmar. The finding shows that the ants were widely distributed across the globe and must have crossed Cretaceous landmasses repeatedly, say the authors. But what astonished them most was the hell ant’s specialized features. 

“While we expected to find hell ant features, we were shocked by the characteristics of its feeding apparatus,” said Lepeco. Unlike modern ants with laterally moving mandibles, this species possessed mandibles that ran forward parallel to the head and facial projection anterior to the eyes, the researchers noted.  

“Finding such an anatomically specialized ant from 113 million years ago challenges our assumptions about how quickly these insects developed complex adaptations. The intricate morphology suggests that even these earliest ants had already evolved sophisticated predatory strategies significantly different from their modern counterparts.” 

The discovery of this new ant specimen raises broader questions about the evolutionary pressures that led to the hell ant’s unique adaptations, say the researchers. With advanced imaging tools, it’s now possible to examine such fossil specimens in much greater detail than ever before. 

### 

This research was supported by funding from FAPESP. 

Current Biology, Lepeco et al., “A hell ant from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil.” https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00308-2

Current Biology (@CurrentBiology), published by Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that features papers across all areas of biology. Current Biology strives to foster communication across fields of biology, both by publishing important findings of general interest and through highly accessible front matter for non-specialists. Visit: http://www.cell.com/current-biology. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com. 

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Health care cost concerns and hardships for families of children with disabilities

2025-04-24
About The Study: This study contributes to the existing literature by identifying that while insurance coverage is higher among children with disabilities, their families had higher adjusted odds for all of the financial hardships evaluated, compared with families of children without disabilities. This finding suggests that insurance is inadequate for disabled children. These data demonstrate a need to structure health insurance policies to ensure that children with disabilities have their needed medical ...

Trends in mental health diagnoses among publicly insured children

2025-04-24
About The Study: The percentage of publicly insured children receiving any mental health or neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosis significantly increased between 2010 and 2019, with increases observed for most diagnostic categories examined. These findings highlight the need for access to appropriate services in safety net systems and other settings that serve this population. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Janet R. Cummings, PhD, email jrcummi@emory.edu. To ...

Measles may be making a comeback in the US, Stanford Medicine-led research finds

2025-04-24
Childhood vaccination rates have been falling in the United States, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lower levels of immunity have resulted in a resurgence of measles cases, including a recent outbreak in western Texas that infected more than 620 people, leading to 64 hospitalizations and the deaths of two children. If immunization rates drop further over a prolonged period of time, measles and even other wiped-out diseases — such as rubella and polio — could one day make a comeback in the United States, according to a new study by researchers ...

We still have a representation problem for women in physics – and Canada is no exception

2025-04-24
Fewer than one in 10 senior authors in a prestigious physics journal are women, according to a new study. Of 15 countries, Canada has the worst record. The 33 Canadian-led papers in Nature Physics in the last 10 years had zero senior authors who were women, according to a new study published by the journal. Author Dr. Alannah Hallas, associate professor in the UBC Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute and the department of physics and astrophysics, discusses the results and how they highlight the need for further support for young scientists in the field. What did you find? I was inspired to investigate this topic after speaking to a top scientific ...

Even light exercise could help slow cognitive decline in people at risk of Alzheimer’s

2025-04-24
Researchers at University of California San Diego and Wake Forest University have found that both low and moderate-high intensity exercise could be valuable tools in the fight against Alzheimer’s. The new research, published as two papers in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, describes the results of the EXERT study (Exercise in Adults with Mild Memory Problems), a multi-site clinical trial of lower or moderate-high intensity exercise in sedentary older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s dementia. The researchers also compared their results to an ...

Prostate cancer discovery opens door to more tailored treatments

2025-04-24
Prostate cancer has distinct genetic properties in different groups of men that can be targeted to improve patient outcomes, UVA Cancer Center researchers have discovered. Based on new findings in Chinese men, the researchers are urging similar studies in other groups to advance precision medicine and better tailor treatments. An international team of researchers co-led by UVA’s Hui Li, PhD, looked at what are known as “chimeric RNA” in Chinese men and found both similarities and differences to those seen in Western men. These RNAs can contribute to the growth of cancer and are widely used as both indicators of cancer and targets ...

The potential oncogenic role of serum-derived hsa_circ_101555 as a non-invasive diagnostic/prognostic marker in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

2025-04-24
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the most prevalent malignancy in Egypt and globally. However, non-invasive diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers for early detection of HCC are still lacking. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are one of the promising biomarkers. They are considered stable, long-stranded non-coding RNAs in a sealed circular form held together by covalent bonds. circRNAs have been observed in several genetic studies to play a vital role in the initiation and progression of malignancy. Our current cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the potential role of serum-derived ...

Use of traditional Chinese medicine in Chinese patients with cancer receiving outpatient care: primary reasons and communication with oncologists

2025-04-24
Background and objectives Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used in cancer care in China as an integral part of treatment. This study aimed to understand the motivations of cancer patients in China for adopting TCM in their treatment and to examine their communication with oncologists. Gaining insights into these factors can enhance culturally sensitive, patient-centered oncology care. Methods A consecutive sample of 287 outpatients with cancer was recruited. Sociodemographic and clinical data, TCM usage, ...

Largest imaging spectro-polarimeter achieves first light at the NSF Daniel K. Inouye solar telescope

2025-04-24
Maui, HI – The U.S. National Science Foundation Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, the world’s most powerful solar telescope, operated by the NSF National Solar Observatory (NSO) near the summit of Maui’s Haleakalā, reached a major milestone: achieving first light with its most advanced instrument, the new Visible Tunable Filter (VTF). The solar image it produced shows early promise to the instrument’s scientific capabilities. Designed and built by the Institut für Sonnenphysik (KIS) in Freiburg, Germany, the VTF is the world’s largest imaging spectro-polarimeter, emerging as a centerpiece to the ...

The heart of world’s largest solar telescope begins to beat

2025-04-24
With a primary mirror diameter of four meters, the Inouye Solar Telescope is the largest in the world. Thanks to the optimal observational conditions on the Hawaiian volcano Haleakala and the use of sophisticated methods of image stabilization and reconstruction, the Inouye Solar Telescope has been providing breathtakingly detailed views of our star since 2022: it can make smallest structures visible. To extract as much detailed information as possible about our star from sunlight, the Inouye Solar Telescope is gradually being equipped with additional scientific instruments. They process ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study unexpectedly finds living in rural, rather than urban environments in first five years of life could be a risk factor for developing type 1 diabetes

Editorial urges deeper focus on heart-lung interactions in pulmonary vascular disease

Five University of Tennessee faculty receive Fulbright Awards

5 advances to protect water sources, availability

OU Scholar awarded Fulbright for Soviet cinema research

Brain might become target of new type 1 diabetes treatments

‘Shore Wars:’ New research aims to resolve coastal conflict between oysters and mangroves, aiding restoration efforts

Why do symptoms linger in some people after an infection? A conversation on post-acute infection syndromes

Study reveals hidden drivers of asthma flare-ups in children

Physicists decode mysterious membrane behavior

New insights about brain receptor may pave way for next-gen mental health drugs

Melanoma ‘sat-nav’ discovery could help curb metastasis

When immune commanders misfire: new insights into rheumatoid arthritis inflammation

SFU researchers develop a new tool that brings blender-like lighting control to any photograph

Pups in tow, Yellowstone-area wolves trek long distances to stay near prey

AI breakthrough unlocks 'new' materials to replace lithium-ion batteries

Making molecules make sense: A regional explanation method reveals structure–property relationships

Partisan hostility, not just policy, drives U.S. protests

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: August 1, 2025

Young human blood serum factors show potential to rejuvenate skin through bone marrow

Large language models reshape the future of task planning

Narrower coverage of MS drugs tied to higher relapse risk

Researchers harness AI-powered protein design to enhance T-cell based immunotherapies

Smartphone engagement during school hours among US youths

Online reviews of health care facilities

MS may begin far earlier than previously thought

New AI tool learns to read medical images with far less data

Announcing XPRIZE Healthspan as Tier 5 Sponsor of ARDD 2025

Announcing Immortal Dragons as Tier 4 Sponsor of ARDD 2025

Reporting guideline for chatbot health advice studies

[Press-News.org] The oldest ant ever discovered found fossilized in Brazil