THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

The bone hidden in a drawer for 40 years that turned out to be ... ByXANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR Published:09:23 EDT, 29 June 2026|Updated:09:33 EDT, 29 June 2026 63 Viewcomments For 40 years it has been lying forgotten in a drawer – but a rediscovered fossil has turned out to be the first dinosaur bone ever found in Antarctica. The specimen was originally found on an expedition in 1985 but the team who unearthed it were not sure what it was. It has spent the last four decades stored away in the geology collection of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) inCambridge. But now, after close analysis by palaeontologists, it has been confirmed as a tail bone from a titanosaur – a group that included the largest animals to ever walk the Earth. The fossil is the only one from the continent to be found in a rock layer known as the Santa Marta Formation, dating back to the Late Cretaceous about 82 million years ago. Professor Paul Barrett, Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum,London, said: ‘At first glance this appears to be an unremarkable fossil, but it holds an important place in the history of Antarctic exploration as the first dinosaur fossil found on the …

A Fossil From Antarctica Sat in a Drawer for 40 Years. It Turned Out to ... The bone was collected in December 1985 by the late geologist Mike Thomson, who described it as a "vertebra of large reptile" in his field notebook. British Antarctic Survey The biggest scientific breakthroughs can come from the most mundane places. A forgotten fossil that sat in a collection drawer for around 40 years is now providing a rare glimpse at the dinosaurs that roamed what is now Antarctica—and which paths they may have traveled around the south. The specimen, an 82-million-year-old fossilized tail vertebra, marks the first dinosaur fossil ever recovered from the southernmost continent, scientists report in a study published on June 29 in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica . It belonged to a titanosaur—a member of a group that included the largest dinosaurs known to walk the Earth. Geologist Mike Thomson collected the fossil in December 1985. He and other members of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) were conducting an expedition to map rock layers on James Ross Island. At the time, Thomson thought that the vertebra came from an ancient marine creature, like the other fossils found by the…

Antarctica's first dinosaur fossil found in drawer after 40 years A bone found in Antarctica in 1985, and kept in a drawer in England for almost four decades, turns out to belong to one of the largest types of dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth.

First Antarctic Dinosaur Bone Found After 40 Years — A fossil that had long appeared unremarkable—and sat forgotten in a drawer for decades—has been confirmed as the first dinosaur bone ever discovered in Antarctica. The find offers rare insight into how these giant herbivores lived in one of Earth’s most extreme and fossil-poor regions. The specimen was originally collected in 1985 during a geological expedition to James Ross Island, off the Antarctic Peninsula. Geologist Mike Thomson recorded the discovery in his field notebook on December 9, sketching the small, carefully drawn fossil and noting: “Vertebra of a large reptile,” estimating its width at about 10 centimetres. At the time, the team assumed it belonged to a marine reptile and stored it in the British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) geological collection in Cambridge—where it remained untouched for nearly 40 years. Recently, paleontologists re-examined the fossil and confirmed it is a tail vertebra from a titanosaur—a group of sauropod dinosaurs that included the largest land animals ever to walk the Earth. Dr. Mark Evans, head of collections at BAS, spotted the fossil while reviewing thousands of samples returned from An…

First dinosaur fossil from Antarctica found in drawer after lying forgotten ... WATCH NOW: The most mind-blowing discoveries bringing history back to life GB NEWS BySusanna Siddell, Published: 29/06/2026 Dr Mark Evans made the remarkable discovery merely by chance The first dinosaur fossil from Antarctica has been found in a drawer after lying forgotten for 40 years. The fossil was first unearthed in 1985 but remained tucked away in the geology collection at the British Antarctic Survey headquarters in Cambridge. Now, palaeontologists have determined the bone is a tail vertebra from a Titanosaur, a group that included the most massive land animals in Earth's history. The creature roamed Antarctica approximately 82 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous Period, when the now-frozen continent was blanketed in dense woodland rather than ice sheets. The specimen was collected during an expedition to James Ross Island, with geologist Dr Mike Thomson meticulously recording the find in his field notebook on December 9, 1985. His entry included a small sketch alongside a description noting it as the "vertebra of a large reptile" measuring roughly 10 centimetres across. The…

First dinosaur bone from Antarctica found in a drawer BBC News An unassuming-looking fossil that spent 40 years lying forgotten in a drawer has turned out to be the first dinosaur bone ever found in Antarctica, the BBC reports. The specimen was unearthed in 1985, but the team that discovered it was not sure what it was – so it was stored away in the geology collection of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge. Now the fossil has been studied by palaeontologists who have confirmed that it is a tail bone from a type of dinosaur called a Titanosaur – this group contained the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth. The discovery helps to reveal more about how these beasts lived in a part of the world where the fossil record is sparse. Siranush Ghazanchyan Send an email June 29, 2026, 11:04 Less than a minute Show More Share Facebook X Reddit VKontakte Telegram Share via Email Print

Fossil Kept in a Drawer For 40 Years Turns Out to Be Antarctica’s First Evidence of Dinosaurs : ScienceAlert https://www.europesays.com/us/904953/ A fossil that has been sitting in a drawer for 40 years has turned out to be the…#us #news #usnews

Antarctica’s first-ever dinosaur bone discovered collecting dust in drawer for over 40 years Dino fossils are a rare find in Antarctica due to unforgiving ice caps, though the frigid continent was once home to lush forests.

First-ever dinosaur bone from Antarctica had been sitting in a drawer for decades <p>A fossil that was sitting in a collection drawer for decades has been found to belong to the first dinosaur remains ever discovered in Antarctica.</p>

A rare dinosaur fossil from Antarctica is found tucked away in a drawer A rare dinosaur fossil from Antarctica is found tucked away in a drawer NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have stumbled on a rare dinosaur fossil from Antarctica, tucked away for decades in a drawer. Posted 6/29/2026, 7:23:12 PM Updated 6/29/2026, 7:53:12 PM Related Associated Press AP Science AP World news AP Oddities AP U.S. news This image provided by the Natural History Museum shows a fossil found in Antarctica that belongs to a group of dinosaurs called titanosaurs. (Natural History Museum via AP) By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN — AP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have stumbled on a rare dinosaur fossil from Antarctica, tucked away for decades in a drawer. The bone comes from the tail of a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur called a titanosaur. Scientists haven't yet identified the species it belongs to. Other WRAL Top Stories It was discovered in 1985 during an expedition to Antarctica's James Ross Island and collected by geologist Mike Thomson. Working with the British Antarctic Survey, Thomson was mapping the area's rock layers and collected marine reptile fossils to help with future dating efforts. He reco…

First dinosaur bone from Antarctica found in a drawer Home News International News First dinosaur bone from Antarctica found in a drawer International News First dinosaur bone from Antarctica found in a drawer June 29, 2026 0 13 WhatsApp Facebook X Linkedin Email Print The fossil was originally found in 1985 on James Ross Island in Antarctica Rebecca Morelle, Science Editor and Alison Francis, Senior Science Journalist (BBC) – An unassuming-looking fossil that spent 40 years lying forgotten in a drawer has turned out to be the first dinosaur bone ever found in Antarctica. The specimen was unearthed in 1985, but the team that discovered it was not sure what it was – so it was stored away in the geology collection of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge. Now the fossil has been studied by palaeontologists who have confirmed that it is a tail bone from a type of dinosaur called a Titanosaur – this group contained the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth. The discovery helps to reveal more about how these beasts lived in a part of the world where the fossil record is sparse. Tony Jolliffe/BBC News The discovery was recorded in geologist Mike Thomson’s notebook Dr Mark E…

Fossil Kept in a Drawer For 40 Years Turns Out to Be Antarctica’s First Evidence of Dinosaurs : ScienceAlert https://www.europesays.com/ie/562834/ A fossil that has been sitting in a drawer for 40 years has turned out to be the…

First dinosaur bone from Antarctica found in a drawer The fossil, collected in Antarctica in 1985, is part of the tail of a beast called a Titanosaur.