90-million-year-old bird fossils help predict Earth's future

Scientists have discovered the 90-million-year-old fossil of a new bird species with a wingspan of more than a meter and sharp teeth in the Canadian Arctic.

90-million-year-old bird fossils found in the Canadian Arctic. Photo: Michael Osadciw.

A team of geologists from the University of Rochester in the US discovered the 90-million-year-old fossil of a new bird species in the Canadian Arctic, Business Insider reported. The bird, named Tingmiatornis arctica, is one of the oldest birds ever discovered in the northern hemisphere.

The bones of Tingmiatornis arctica show that it looked like a cross between a seagull and a cormorant, with a wingspan of more than a meter. In addition, the bird had sharp teeth and features that helped it dive underwater.

The Tingmiatornis arctica fossil was discovered in a lava field formed after several volcanic eruptions. Volcanoes spew carbon dioxide into the Earth's atmosphere, causing a greenhouse effect that warms the climate, creating conditions that allowed birds to thrive.

"Ecological factors such as food sources, freshwater environments and warm climates made this area a great habitat for Tingmiatornis arctica," explained John Tarduno, dean of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Rochester.

The new bird helps build a clearer picture of the ecosystem that existed 93.9-89.8 million years ago in the Canadian Arctic. It was very different from today's Arctic temperatures.

“The fossils show us what the world looked like without ice in the Arctic,” said Richard Bono, a doctoral student in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Rochester.

This discovery will provide more information about the global warming phenomenon that occurred at that time, as well as forecasts about future climate change on Earth.

According to VNE