24-Million-Year-Old Fossil Unearthed In Assam Reveals Stunning Link To Western Ghats
Scientists have discovered fossilised leaves in Assam's Makum Coalfield, dating back around 24 million years, which have a unique connection to the Western Ghats. A research team from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in Lucknow studied the fossil leaves and found they closely resemble modern plants from the Nothopegia genus, according to the findings published in the journal Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology.
Researchers stated that Northeast India once provided a perfect home for Nothopegia, but over the course of millions of years, the landscape was altered, owing to monumental forces such as the rise of the Himalayas.
The movement of tectonic plates and the subsequent emergence of the mountain range in India's northernmost region led to sweeping changes in temperature, rainfall, and wind patterns. These geological upheavals cooled the northeast, rendering it inhospitable for many tropical plant species, including Nothopegia, which vanished from the region. However, to this day, the species has survived in the climatically stable Western Ghats, making it a living relic of an ancient ecological past.
"Fossil evidence from northeast India suggests that the genus once had a much broader range during the late Paleogene, thriving under equable climatic conditions similar to those found in its present habitat in the Western Ghats," the study highlighted.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Science and Technology, by using advanced climate tools like the CLAMP method, the scientists found that northeast India had a warm and humid climate during the late Oligocene, akin to the climate in the Western Ghats today.
The study shows that extinction and migration due to climate change is not a new phenomenon. It has been happening and shaping our planet's biodiversity for eons.
"This fossil discovery is a window into the past that helps us understand the future," said study co-author Dr Harshita Bhatia, highlighting the need to protect biodiversity refuges like the Western Ghats, where ancient lineages continue to persist against the odds.
Recent studies predict that more than 60 per cent of tropical terrestrial endemic species may face extinction due to climate change, with the Western Ghats potentially losing all their endemic plants by 2050.
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NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
24-Million-Year-Old Fossil Unearthed In Assam Reveals Stunning Link To Western Ghats
Scientists have discovered fossilised leaves in Assam's Makum Coalfield, dating back around 24 million years, which have a unique connection to the Western Ghats. A research team from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in Lucknow studied the fossil leaves and found they closely resemble modern plants from the Nothopegia genus, according to the findings published in the journal Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. Researchers stated that Northeast India once provided a perfect home for Nothopegia, but over the course of millions of years, the landscape was altered, owing to monumental forces such as the rise of the Himalayas. The movement of tectonic plates and the subsequent emergence of the mountain range in India's northernmost region led to sweeping changes in temperature, rainfall, and wind patterns. These geological upheavals cooled the northeast, rendering it inhospitable for many tropical plant species, including Nothopegia, which vanished from the region. However, to this day, the species has survived in the climatically stable Western Ghats, making it a living relic of an ancient ecological past. "Fossil evidence from northeast India suggests that the genus once had a much broader range during the late Paleogene, thriving under equable climatic conditions similar to those found in its present habitat in the Western Ghats," the study highlighted. According to a statement by the Ministry of Science and Technology, by using advanced climate tools like the CLAMP method, the scientists found that northeast India had a warm and humid climate during the late Oligocene, akin to the climate in the Western Ghats today. The study shows that extinction and migration due to climate change is not a new phenomenon. It has been happening and shaping our planet's biodiversity for eons. "This fossil discovery is a window into the past that helps us understand the future," said study co-author Dr Harshita Bhatia, highlighting the need to protect biodiversity refuges like the Western Ghats, where ancient lineages continue to persist against the odds. Recent studies predict that more than 60 per cent of tropical terrestrial endemic species may face extinction due to climate change, with the Western Ghats potentially losing all their endemic plants by 2050.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
This 24-million-year-old leaf fossil in Assam has stunned scientists– here's why
In a finding that sheds new light on India's ancient past, scientists have discovered fossilised leaves in Assam's Makum Coalfield that point to a surprising link between northeast India and the Western Ghats. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now These fossils are over 24 million years old and are helping researchers better understand how plants spread and survived through major climate changes across the Indian subcontinent. Ancient leaves tell a story of changing climates A research team from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in Lucknow studied the fossil leaves and found they closely resemble modern plants from the Nothopegia genus. Today, these plants grow only in the Western Ghats and are not found in northeast India. What makes this discovery remarkable is that it's the oldest known fossil record of Nothopegia anywhere in the world, dating back to the late Oligocene period. Climate shifts shaped plant migration As stated by the Ministry of Science and Technology, by using advanced climate tools like the CLAMP method, scientists found that northeast India had a warm and humid climate during the late Oligocene, very similar to the climate in the Western Ghats today. These conditions were ideal for tropical plants like Nothopegia to grow. But things changed when the Himalayas began to rise because of tectonic shifts. The region got cooler, and rainfall patterns changed, making it harder for tropical species to survive. As a result, plants like Nothopegia slowly disappeared from the northeast but continued to thrive in the Western Ghats, where the climate stayed more stable. Tracing biodiversity through time As mentioned by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the study, published in the journal Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, used fossil evidence along with climate modelling to trace how Nothopegia plants moved over time. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The findings highlight how climate change has played a key role in where plants survive and how they spread across different regions. According to Dr. Harshita Bhatia, co-author of the study, 'This fossil discovery is a window into the past that helps us understand the future.' The study highlights that while plants have moved to new areas over millions of years because of natural climate changes, today's climate shift is happening much faster, and it's mostly caused by human activity. Thumbnail image credit: Canva. For representative purposes only.
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Time of India
Scientists discover 34 million year old hidden river world buried under 2 km of Antarctic ice
The North and South poles remain hidden beneath the thick icy cover of snow year-round, and as a result, most parts of the poles remain largely unexplored by humankind, concealing numerous secrets underneath. Beneath the thick ice of East Antarctica lies a hidden world, untouched for over 34 million years. This frozen expanse, more than 10 million square kilometers wide, has long concealed a forgotten landscape. The way leading to the secrets of the hidden landscape A team led by Stewart Jamieson at Durham University made this discovery with help from RADARSAT, a Canadian satellite system. The technology allowed them to detect small changes in the ice surface, revealing the shape of the land buried below. What found something as extraordinary as an ancient river-carved terrain, that was about the size of Wales, locked under nearly two kilometers of ice. 'It's like uncovering a time capsule,' Jamieson said as reported by the Brighter Side news. The untouched condition of the landscape might be due to its extreme age. Preserved beneath the ice sheet's crushing weight, the land remained unchanged since long before glaciation began. This hidden world dates back to a period when Antarctica was not the icy desert we know today. Back then, the continent was part of Gondwana, a supercontinent shared with Africa, South America, and Australia. Instead of ice, Antarctica had flowing rivers, forests, and roaming dinosaurs. That changed about 20 million years ago when glaciers took over, freezing the region's history beneath a growing sheet of ice. How did Antarctica go from Gondwana to Glaciation? The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) began forming during the Eocene-Oligocene transition around 34 million years ago, as global temperatures plummeted and CO2 levels dropped below a critical threshold. High-altitude regions such as the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains and Transantarctic Mountains became nuclei for the growing ice masses. Over millions of years, these glaciers expanded, eventually combining into the massive ice sheet that persists today. The EAIS has undergone significant fluctuations throughout its history. During the Miocene period, approximately 17 to 14 million years ago, the ice sheet expanded and retreated in response to climatic shifts. Evidence from marine sediments suggests periods of retreat during warmer intervals, such as the mid-Pliocene warm period and the interglacial periods of the Pleistocene. These fluctuations left persistent imprints on the subglacial area, giving it the features that are now detectable through modern geophysical surveys. Technology tells us more Using the RADARSAT satellite system, scientists observed subtle changes in the slope of the ice's surface. These tiny clues helped reveal a massive, hidden terrain carved by rivers millions of years ago, long before the ice sheet even existed. To dig deeper, scientists used radio-echo sounding (RES) and computer models to study the land below. Their discoveries showed a landscape that didn't match modern ice flow patterns, proving it had formed long before glaciation. They even used flexural modeling to test whether ancient highlands were once part of one continuous landform, later broken up by natural erosion. But why does this matter today? Understanding this ancient environment helps scientists predict how the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) could behave in our warming world. Jamieson's team, whose study appeared in Nature Communications, talked about the importance of this work for climate science. 'Understanding how this massive sheet might respond to human-driven climate change is a pressing concern,' he said. This discovery also tells a bigger message that the Earth's past, present, and future are deeply connected. As noted in Scientific American, these buried landscapes are like time machines. By unlocking their secrets, we can better prepare for tomorrow's climate challenges, and possibly help protect the fragile ecosystems still clinging to life today.
