113-million-year-old ‘hell ant' is the oldest ever found, scientists say
Credit: X
An overlooked fossil in a Brazilian museum has now been identified as the oldest known ant specimen, dating back 113 million years. This discovery has been published in the journal Current Biology.
The fossil, named Vulcanidris Cratensis, was reportedly found in the Crato Formation of northeastern Brazil, a site which is well renowned for its well-preserved fossils. Anderson Lepeco, a researcher at the Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo, stumbled upon the specimen in September 2024 while examining the museum's collection. "I was just shocked to see that weird projection in front of this (insect's) head," Lepeco told CNN.
This ancient ant belongs to the extinct subfamily
Haidomyrmecinae
, commonly referred to as "hell ants." As per reports, these ants are characterized by their scythe-like jaws, which served as a way to impale a prey. Unlike the previous hell ant fossils found in Myanmar, this one was preserved in rock which made it a rare find.
Credit: X/@Extinct_AnimaIs
The discovery suggests that ants were already widespread during the early Cretaceous period. Phil Barden, an associate professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology who studies insect evolution, commented on the significance of the find. "This new find now represents the oldest ant known; it extends the known fossil record for ants by about ten million years," Barden said via email to CNN.
Micro-computed tomography imaging revealed that Vulcanidris cratensis had anatomical features linking it to wasps, indicating a common ancestry. Its wings had more veins than those of modern ants, and its jaws projected forward from near the eyes, functioning like a "forklift" to capture prey, according to Lepeco.
Credit: X/@Extinct_AnimaIs
The fossil's preservation in rock, rather than amber, provides a unique opportunity to study the morphology of early ants. This discovery pushes the timeline of evolution of ant.
In the modern world, ants are among the most abundant insects on Earth, found on every continent except Antarctica. However, they evolved approximately 145 million years ago, diverging from ancestors shared with wasps and bees.
The discovery of Vulcanidris Cratensis sheds light on the early diversification of ants and their role during the age of dinosaurs. It emphasizes the importance of museum collections in uncovering significant paleontological findings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Indian Express
How face of a woman who lived 10,500 years ago, now reconstructed, challenges ‘genetic uniformity' among European hunter-gatherers
With DNA extracted from the body's remains, researchers have reconstructed the face of a woman who lived approximately 10,500 years ago in present-day Belgium. The findings of this analysis challenge earlier assumptions about genetic uniformity among European Mesolithic populations. The team, led by scientists from Ghent University, used advanced genetic and archaeological methods to bring the prehistoric figure to life—revealing a woman with blue eyes, slightly lighter skin, and distinct facial features. Archaeologist Philippe Crombé told CNN 'good quaity' DNA was taken from the woman's skull. The woman's facial reconstruction, including skin tone, hair, and eye colour, was derived from ancient DNA analysis, while other elements like her jewelry and tattoos were informed by broader archaeological evidence. The findings challenge previous assumptions that European hunter gatherers shared the same genetic makeup, according to Project Lead Isabelle De Groote. It also shows that there was already considerable variation in skin color among different populations. 'She had lighter skin than many other Mesolithic people studied so far,' Groote said. 'From the skull, we could also tell she was between 35 and 60 years old…. She had a high nasal bridge and strong brow ridges,' she added, highlighting that the features were similar to the Cheddar Man in the UK. Crombé noted that while most Mesolithic DNA samples belong to a similar genetic group, 'it is to be expected that in the wide area of Western Europe there's some variability, as there is today.' The woman's remains were discovered in the Margaux cave in Dinant during an excavation in the late 1980s, alongside the bodies of eight other women. Many of the bodies were sprinkled with ochre—an indicator of symbolic or ritual behavior—and covered with stone fragments. One skeleton bore post-mortem cut marks. De Groote noted that the 'cave was used over several hundred of years so that they were places of memory that people would go back to despite their mobile hunter-gatherer lifestyle.' 'They were still moving around because they were entirely dependent on natural resources,' Crombé explained. 'That forced them to move their settlements regularly.' The team is now working to analyse relationships among the buried individuals and studying dietary habits, including how much fish they consumed. (With inputs from CNN)
NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
Scientists Recreate Face Of 10,500-Year-Old Woman Using DNA
Researchers at Ghent University have reconstructed the visage of a pale, dark-haired, blue-eyed prehistoric woman who lived 10,500 years ago in what is now Belgium. They produced an amazing image, depicting the face of a woman who lived and died in the Meuse River valley, using ancient DNA. In 1988, the remains of the Mesolithic woman were found in the Margaux cave, which is close to Dinant. She was a hunter-gatherer from Western Europe, the same group as the popular Cheddar Man from Great Britain. DNA studies showed the Margaux woman's eyes were blue, just like Cheddar Man's. She did, however, have a somewhat lighter complexion than the majority of other Mesolithic individuals in Western Europe examined so far. It is a minor but crucial detail, according to the project's lead geneticist, Dr. Maite Rivollat. The reconstruction of her face and living conditions was made possible by a mix of anatomical, genetic, and archaeological data. Ghent University archaeologist Isabelle De Groote told CNN that the 'Meuse Woman' was from the same ethnicity as the Cheddar Man, who lived in what is now the United Kingdom at the time, but had a lighter complexion. "We could also infer from the skull that she was between 35 and 60 years old," De Groote told CNN. The prehistoric Belgian woman also resembled Cheddar Man with a prominent nasal bridge. "She also has noticeable brow ridges, even though she's a woman," De Groote added. University archaeologist Philippe Crombe said that "quite good quality" DNA was extracted from the woman's skull so that "a very detailed reconstruction" could be made. While some of her features, like her jewellery and tattoos, are based on archaeological data gathered from previous digs in the River Meuse basin, helping researchers create a picture of the woman's daily life — her complexion, hair, and eyes are all based on ancient DNA. The creative team also used archaeological evidence, such as tools, shells, paints, and camp remnants. This made her world come to life, along with her face. Every detail was meticulously recreated, from hunting methods to transportation, from plants to animals. The remains of the 'Meuse Woman' were discovered in the Margaux cave in Dinant in 1988-1989, along with the remains of eight other women. This was "an unusual finding" because the majority of Mesolithic burial sites include a mix of men, women, and children. The reconstruction was carried out in cooperation with Dutch artists Kennis and Kennis and researchers from the ROAM project (a Regional Outlook on Ancient Migration), an interdisciplinary effort comprising archaeologists, bioanthropologists, geneticists, and artists.
India Today
4 days ago
- India Today
Just like fingerprints, your breath is unique: Study
Exciting and really groundbreaking research has shown that all of us breathe differently, just like we all have different fingerprints. The study published in Current Biology shows that individual patterns of inhalation and exhalation can be used as a personalised "breathprint", identified with almost 97 per cent from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel worked together to develop a small wearable device that could monitor airflow through the person's nose. They tested it on 97 adults for 24 hours. The device could even correctly identify people with 43 per cent accuracy in the first hour, increasing to 96.8 per cent after 24 seems so simple, but it is strongly tied to our brain," said Noam Sobel, a neuroscientist and one of the researchers. "We determined the pattern of breathing at the nose is individual to the person and part of the distribution of their emotions and health." The researchers utilised a unique protocol of analysis, called BreathMetrics, to investigate 24 distinctive characteristics of nasal breathing. In addition to being able to identify the nasal breathing phenotypes, the researchers were also able to indicate if the traits of breathing would reveal some psychopathology (i.e., if the person has anxiety) or indicate their body mass index (BMI) was lower or higher based on their breathing traits. For example, a person more prone to anxiety while asleep had breath cycles noted to be shorter, and breath patterns showed uneven Soroka, the lead scientist, explained that, beyond the mechanics of breathing, the integrative networking of the brain impacts breathing. "Breathing is not just a mechanical process but is impacted by brain function and activity. "So far, breath has shown potential for diagnosis," she the study findings, it appears that breathing patterns could potentially be used to diagnose psychopathologies like anxiety and physical issues like obesity without needing invasive the word 'breathprint' has been used within the research community for many years in respiratory science, the research team was unable to test the emerging theory due to a lack of technology. With the small wearable device they were able to use for this research, they can now present this theory using data for the first the future, scientists want to study how this technology can be applied to medical diagnostics and treatments. Can we avoid disease by looking at breathing? Can we enhance mental wellness by simply changing our breath?Time will tell - and research. But one thing seems certain: every breath we take may be telling a story that science is just beginning to decipher.
