Unique Fossil Discovery Shows Antarctic Was Once Much Warmer
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 20:35
in Paleontology & Archaeology
A new fossil discovery -- the first of its kind from the whole of the Antarctic continent -- provides new evidence to support the theory that the polar region was once much warmer. Scientists made the new fossil discovery in the Dry Valleys of the East Antarctic region. The fossils (ostracods) come from an ancient lake -- 14 million years old -- and are exceptionally well preserved, with all of their soft anatomy in 3-dimensions. This rare find has implications for tracking the polar ice cap.