This surprising mammal fossil is giving scientists something to chew on
Steady2 outlets reported this in 3 reports over 2 days - a further 1 report reprinted copy already published elsewhere
original reportingcopies
Wed, 7 October 2026peak 2 reports on Wed, 7 October 2026Sat, 10 October 2026
What it is about
middle JurassicJessica TheodorChang-Fu ZhouThomas MartinUniversity Of ChicagoUniversity Of BonnPaleontological Museum Of LiaoningUniversity Of CalgaryNeander University Of Chicago MegacaudaChinaInner Mongolia, Nei Mongol, ChinaShandong, Jiangsu, ChinaLiaoning, Liaoning, ChinaBonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, GermanyNature
Who published it, and when
original reportcopyfirst to report
wmra.org
Times of India
7 Oct, 19:59over 3 days10 Oct, 16:28
1 report left out of the cascade - too little in common with the story to place
How it spread - 2 original reports, 1 reprint
Wed, 7 October 2026
1 report- NPR News19:59
It's likely you've already chewed and swallowed some tasty morsel today. But when did that ability emerge? New evidence points to at least the middle Jurassic, back when dinosaurs still reigned.
1 reprint
- wmra.org7 Oct, 19:59their copy
Sat, 10 October 2026
1 report- Times of India16:28first to report
Scientists have identified a 165-million-year-old mammal predecessor from China that had a broad tail for swimming and throat bones similar to those of modern mammals. Named Megacauda sungei, the Jurassic-era animal could chew and swallow food using specialised structures. Published in Nature, the findings offer new insights into how early mammals developed different feeding abilities.