Palaeontologists have found fossilised teeth and jaws of three hitherto unrecognised mammals — Conacodon hettingeri, Miniconus jeanninae, Beornus honeyi — in the Great Divide Basin of Wyoming. The fossils suggest that these mammals were not bigger than a giant rodent or a small-sized cat and thrived during the early Puercan age, within almost 328,000 years after the dinosaurs disappeared. They belong to a group called condylarths. They were somewhere related to the ungulate family, which also includes the ancestors of today’s hooved mammals. The findings suggest that the diversification of mammals after the extinction of dinosaurs began much earlier than previously predicted by researchers. The discovery of these three new species also demonstrates how many more “unique pockets of diversity” might have thrived in different locations during this age.
About 66 million years ago, a massive asteroid struck the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and wiped dinosaurs off the face of the earth. Researchers had previously agreed that all species that survived in the aftermath of the catastrophe would have been the size of rats or mice. Previously discovered fossils suggested that condylarths was the most abundant group of mammals in North America during the early Puercan age. However, researchers had to dig deep to place the new fossils within the established taxonomy of animals.
The team compared the fossilised teeth with the specimens of 25 other condylarths and another distantly related mammal. They used a computer programme to analyse 64 characteristics of each specimen’s teeth and studied how closely these species related to other mammalian ancestors from the same era. After the analysis, researchers concluded that these species were part of a family called the periptychids.
Periptychids are usually distinguished from other condylarths by their swollen teeth, which suggests that these species did not live on flesh. Beornus honeyi had large inflated premolars and molars. Miniconus jeanninae had an unusual extra cusp on its molars while Conacodon hettingeri showed a short lobe on its last molar. The teeth structure and hardness suggested that these mammals survived on hard materials such as seeds. They could have been omnivores.
The new findings were compiled in a paper by Jaelyn Eberle and Madelaine Atteberryon in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. The specimens under investigation were kept in the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. The exhibited collection also comprises more than 400 other specimens from the same site.
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NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has made its second close flyby of the sun. The spacecraft travelled at a speed of 692000 kilometres per hour. It moved within 6.1 million kilometres of the sun. This event took place on March 22. A signal confirming its good health was received on March 25. The signal confirmed that all systems on board were working as planned. The probe was designed to study solar winds and collect data from the sun’s outer atmosphere. The mission is being used to help scientists understand solar activity that affects Earth.
More About The Mission
According to NASA’s announcement, the probe’s instruments were activated during the pass. They were used to study the corona. This is the outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere. The spacecraft was operated on its own during the flyby. It had been programmed in advance. Scientists believe this data may help them understand why the corona is hotter than the sun’s surface. The data is also being used to study changes in space weather. This information is considered important for protecting satellites and communication systems on Earth.
Quote from NASA
In a press release issued by NASA, acting Administrator Janet Petro said that the mission has entered a zone no spacecraft has visited before. Petro said this while addressing the media at the agency’s Washington headquarters. She said that the research is expected to change how solar science is studied in the future.
Award given to the team
As per a statement released by the National Aeronautic Association, the mission team was given the 2024 Robert J. Collier Trophy. The team includes experts from NASA and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Ralph Semmel, Director at Johns Hopkins APL, said that the mission was once believed to be impossible. He shared this in an interview with NASA’s press team. The next close flyby is expected to take place on June 19.
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