Via ScientificComputing: NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has revealed unexpected details on the surface of the giant asteroid Vesta. New images and data highlight the diversity of Vesta’s surface and reveal unusual geologic features, some of which were never previously seen on asteroids. These results were discussed on March 21, 2012, at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference at The Woodlands, TX…. … “Our analysis finds this bright material originates from Vesta and has undergone little change since the formation of Vesta over four billion years ago,” said Jian-Yang Li, a Dawn participating scientist at the University of Maryland, College Park. “We’re…

Via Discover Magazine: … Paleontologists have long wondered by so many fossilized dinosaurs have their necks contorted into painful-looking positions—the phenomenon even has a name: opisthotonus. Various hypotheses have suggested the dinosaurs died in pain, or that their unusual posture is from rigor mortis. Could be, though, it’s just what floppy necks do in water, according to a recent study involving chicken carcasses…. More

After listening to Dr. Fred Smith, Illinois State University about homo sapiens neanderthalis at Burpee Museum’s Paleofest,  This new article made much more sense!  Via Scientific American: First of Our Kind: Could Australopithecus sediba Be Our Long Lost Ancestor?  

Via Seattle Times (hat tip Floyd) New research by UW scientists says a group of mammals called “multis” flourished long before dinosaurs went extinct, contradicting previous theories about the rise of mammals… more

From BBC via hat tip from Floyd Scientists say the specimens display features that are quite distinct from fully modern humans The remains of what may be a previously unknown human species have been identified in southern China. The bones, which represent at least five individuals, have been dated to between 11,500 and 14,500 years ago. But scientists are calling them simply the Red Deer Cave people, after one of the sites where they were unearthed. The team has told the PLoS One journal that far more detailed analysis of the fossils is required before they can be ascribed to…

Via IO9 – hat tip from Floyd Two pint-sized relatives of the famous Triceratops have been discovered in Alberta, giving us our best understanding yet of how these horned dinosaurs expanded into North America. The best part? Neither was much more than a meter or so long. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is unveiling these two new species, Unescopceratops koppelhusae and Gryphoceratops morrisoni…. more Check out the illustration that goes with the news story.   

From NYTimes (hat tip – Floyd): … New research by American and Chinese scientists shows that the animal had a predominantly glossy iridescent sheen in hues of black and blue, like a crow. This is the earliest known evidence of iridescent color in feathers. The animal also had a striking pair of long, narrow tail feathers, perhaps to call attention to itself in courtship. In the study, published online Thursday in the journal Science, the researchers compared the patterns of pigment-containing cells from a Microraptor fossil with those of modern birds.… more  

This is your chance to be part of history and help ESCONI publish this new revision of the Mazon Creek Fauna book by buying a $100 share. Buy as many shares at $100 each that you can.  When we sell enough books, we will repay your shares (with no interest) but with our thanks. Repayment will depend on how quickly the books are sold and printing costs are recovered. Contact Irene Broede or Karen Nordquist to participate. Please make checks out to “ESCONI Associates”. Andy Jansen, ESCONI Librarian, provides this historic article (.pdf), written by ESCONI’s First Secretary, Stella Barrick, on…