NEWS

Carolina Sandhills Salamander (Eurycea arenicola) in life, from North Carolina. Photo: Todd Pusser. Click to enlarge. [RALEIGH, NC] – Already possessing more salamander species than any other state in the country with 63, North Carolina has just added one more to make it 64. The aptly named Carolina Sandhills Salamander (Eurycea arenicola) is found in… Read More >

From the forests of northeastern Cambodia, another frog species new to science is scientifically named! Males of the Cambodian Fanged Frog (Limnonectes fastigatus) have long pointed ‘fangs’. Photo © Jodi Rowley. Click to enlarge. The Fanged Frogs of Southeast Asia are truly remarkable beasts. Males have a particularly large, muscular head and sport “fangs” (actually… Read More >

Dueling Dinosaurs. Copyright NCMNS. Illustration: Julius Csotonyi. Museum Head of Paleontology and associate research professor at NC State Dr. Lindsay Zanno discussed the recent Dueling Dinosaurs announcement with The Abstract this week. She discusses what excites her most about this project and why these fossils are creating a rumble in the global science community. Read… Read More >

What image comes to mind when you hear the word “sponge”? A brightly-colored rectangle used to clean dirty dishes? An adorable, yellow cube-shaped, pants-wearing cartoon character? A beautiful, living animal found attached to a tropical coral reef? Frankly, none of those options popped into my head when I saw the greyish blob in the photos… Read More >

CNN — Researchers have long known that the meat-eating Tyrannosaurus rex had a teenage growth spurt, gaining around 35 to 45 pounds per week, to reach its colossal size. But up until now, it hasn’t been clear whether all dinosaurs shared this growth pattern. Was a T. rex-style period of extreme growth the only way… Read More >