Category Archives: Paleontology

Man’s best friend… or lucrative businessman?

Dogs are man’s best friend. Or, that’s what people say. I don’t know if dogs see us like that ’cause even though we feed and house and cuddle them, we also act like crackheads and do crazy stuff to them; and I can’t imagine what that does to an animal’s self-esteem. I mean, bro, IContinue reading “Man’s best friend… or lucrative businessman?”

Are we naturally violent and bloodthirsty?

Ever since Darwin’s theory that humans evolved from “lesser” beings like monkeys and apes was reluctantly accepted by the scientific community, everyone from archeologists to psychologists have argued about whether we have it in ourselves to be peaceful, or whether or not war is a natural state of humanity. Darwin himself thought that humans wereContinue reading “Are we naturally violent and bloodthirsty?”

When did we start wearing clothes?

Clothes, when you think about it, are kind of weird. Like, we’re the only species to wear clothes, unless you count shells in. However, shells are used for defensive purposes, just like a suit of armor, but clothes don’t make us invincible. Some clothes protect us from the cold and from getting wet, so theyContinue reading “When did we start wearing clothes?”

Australopithecus afarensis ‘Lucy’

Lucy is one of the most complete and famous early human skeletons that we have ever found, from a species called Australopithecus afarensis, or the Southern Ape of Afar, which is a region in Ethiopia. Lucy was discovered by anthropologist Donald Johanson in 1974, as part of an otherwise unsuccessful mission. Lucy was a hugeContinue reading “Australopithecus afarensis ‘Lucy’”

Australopithecus anamensis

The australopithecines were the first hominins to be found that we know for certain came after the human-chimpanzee split. The others that we’ve covered yet are still teetering on the edge of the split between humans and chimpanzees. Australopithecus anamensis is the first of this genus, and it was 4 million years old. Au. anamensisContinue reading “Australopithecus anamensis”

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Looking at the human family tree can be a bit too confusing, as we can’t really make out that much from fossils. For example, from fossils, we may never know if an animal liked one kind of fruit better than another or if two human species got on better than other human species. However, itContinue reading “Sahelanthropus tchadensis”

Anchiornis: True Colors

In popular culture, dinosaurs are usually bland reptilian monsters that are basically larger-than-life crocodiles. While this representation with brown and green scales and thin, sinewy bodies does serve its purpose of frightening the audience (i.e. Jurassic Park), its not scientifically accurate from what we know. Browns and greens are common colors for reptiles, but they’reContinue reading “Anchiornis: True Colors”

Zuniceratops: Missing Link?

If we go back in time, one may recall Nothronychus, the therizinosaur that I wrote about for my N dino. In that post, I mentioned Zuniceratops as living in the same era and place as Nothronychus; namely, New Mexico in the Late Cretaceous. Zuniceratops means ‘Zuni horned face’ because the region that it was foundContinue reading “Zuniceratops: Missing Link?”