New analysis of a newly discovered dinosaur fossil in Wyoming suggests dinosaurs roamed the northern hemisphere millions of years earlier than previously thought. This finding challenges the prevailing theory that dinosaurs originated in Gondwana and later spread to Laurasia. The fossil, estimated to be around 230 million years old, is now the oldest known Laurasian dinosaur.
Dinosaurs roamed the northern hemisphere millions of years earlier than previously thought, according to new analysis of the oldest North American fossilsA newly described dinosaur whose fossils were recently uncovered is challenging the existing narrative, with evidence that the reptiles were present in the northern hemisphere millions of years earlier than previously known.
The UW-Madison team has been analyzing the fossil remains since they were first discovered in 2013 in present-day Wyoming, an area that was near the equator on Laurasia. The creature, named, is now the oldest known Laurasian dinosaur, and with fossils estimated to be around 230 million years old, it's comparable in age to the earliest known Gondwanan dinosaurs.
The climate during that period, lasting from about 234 to 232 million years ago, was much wetter than it had been previously, transforming large, hot stretches of desert into more hospitable habitats for early dinosaurs.s fossils, which revealed that the dinosaur was present in the northern hemisphere around 230 million years ago.
"Typically, the research process in communities, especially Indigenous communities, has been one sided, with the researchers fully benefiting from studies," says LeClair-Diaz."The work we have done with Dr. Lovelace breaks this cycle and creates an opportunity for reciprocity in the research process."University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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