SJK Audio Edition
SJK Audio Edition
Science Journal for Kids
E153: What can fossils tell us about growing up? [SJK Audio Edition]
8 minutes Posted Mar 20, 2025 at 1:29 am.
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Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/what-can-fossils-tell-us-about-growing-up/  or watch at: https://youtu.be/CCO7RT8lOnU

Summary: A new fossil find shows that the ancestors of mammals grew up more slowly in the Jurassic Era than they do now.

Abstract: Did you know that some animals like crocodiles and sharks keep growing larger as they get older? Mammals are not like that. We only grow during the first part of our lives. We were curious about how this trait evolved, so we used X-rays and 3D imaging to look at two small mammal-like fossils from the Jurassic. The fossils were from a juvenile and an adult. We found they grew more slowly than mammals do today. This helps us better understand the evolution of mammals.



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