The calcitic layers of the eggshells of archosaurs (including crocodilians and birds) and turtles are composed of eggshell units. Those growing from the shell membrane are called primary eggshell units (PEUs), while those growing within the calcitic layer are called secondary eggshell units (SEUs). Although extremely rare in modern bird eggs, SEU is a common feature in dinosaur eggs. Due to the lack of in-depth research on this structure, whether it is biogenic or abiogenic is still debatable.

Newly sequenced ancient genomes from Yunnan, China, have shed new light on human prehistory in East Asia. In a study published in Science on May 29, a research team led by Prof. Fu Qiaomei at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences analyzed data from 127 ancient humans, dating from 7,100 to 1,400 years ago. The results show that this region is pivotal to understanding the origin of both Tibetan and Austroasiatic (i.e., ethnic groups with a shared language group in South and Southeast Asia) population groups.

Archaeopteryx is one of the most famous fossil animals in the world. Its discovery shortly after the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species offered strong support for the theory of evolution. For more than 160 years, this enigmatic “first bird” has fascinated scientists and the public alike. However, due to the limitations of preservation and technology, many mysteries about this ancient animal have remained locked in the Solnhofen limestone where they were found. The newly described Chicago specimen, acquired by the Field Museum in 2022, is the smallest known Archaeopteryx, roughly the size of a pigeon. It is nearly complete, with many bones preserved in relatively three dimensions, and includes rare traces of soft tissues such as skin, toe pads, and feathers—making it a landmark specimen in the study of early bird evolution.

A research team led by Professor WANG Min from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has discovered two bird fossils in Jurassic-era rocks from Fujian Province in southeast China. These rocks date back approximately 149 million years. The fossils fill a spatiotemporal gap in the early evolutionary history of birds and provide the evidence yet that birds were diversified by the end of the Jurassic period.

Recently, an international research team identified rare snow leopard fossil records from various Panthera fossil sites across the Eurasian continent and used them to reveal the snow leopard’s unique evolutionary path. The study was authored by Associated Prof. JIANGZUO Qigao, from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Associated Prof. LI Xinhai from the Institute of Zoology of CAS, and several researchers from Italy, Portugal, and France. Their work was published in Science Advances. Prof. DENG Tao and WANG Shiqi, from IVPP are co-corresponding authors.

Despite the long history of consumption of fermented dairy, little is known about how the fermented microbes were utilized and evolved over human history. Here, by retrieving ancient DNA of Bronze Age kefir cheese (~3,500 years ago) from the Xiaohe cemetery, a group of Chinese scientists explored past human-microbial interactions.