ScienceDaily: Fossils & Ruins News

Researchers describe the morphological and genomic features of a ''macro' microbe' -- a giant filamentous bacterium composed of a single cell discovered in the mangroves of Guadeloupe. Using various microscopy techniques, the team also observed novel, membrane-bound compartments that contain DNA clusters dubbed 'pepins.'

Evolutionary theories of ageing predict that all living organisms weaken and deteriorate with age (a process known as senescence) -- and eventually die. Now, researchers show that certain animal species, such as turtles (including tortoises) may exhibit slower or even absent senescence when their living conditions improve.

The Jurassic cephalopod Vampyronassa rhodanica, thought to be the oldest known ancestor of the modern-day vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis), was likely an active hunter -- a mode of life that is in contrast with its opportunistic descendant. Scientists came to this conclusion after analyzing microtomographic data of this rare fossil.

Megalodon sharks, which went extinct about 3 million years ago, were three times longer than modern great white sharks and were apex predators at highest trophic level ever measured. Researchers used the traces of nitrogen trapped in shark tooth enamel to calculate the trophic levels of the prehistoric predators.

Researchers recently turned to pottery to tease apart the navigational history of the Caribbean, analyzing the composition of 96 fired clay fragments across 11 islands. The study was conducted in the Greater Antilles and marks the first time that pottery artifacts from the Lucayan Islands -- The Bahamas plus the Turks and Caicos Islands -- have been analyzed to determine their elemental composition and origin.

Scientists have successfully sequenced and studied the whole genome of eight 1,700-year-old individuals dated to the Three Kingdoms period of Korea (approx. 57 BC-668 AD). The first published genomes from this period in Korea and bring key information for the understanding of Korean population history.

A team has been studying the current state of research on the plant colonization of land that occurred some 500 million years ago.

Launched on the anniversary of the conflict, a new study suggests that mystery still surrounds what happened to the bodies of Waterloo militaries.