Author Archives: twilightbeasts

In cold pursuit

Posted on May 28, 2021 by twilightbeasts

From feathered dinosaurs to woolly mammoths, countless animals that no longer live have come to pervade modern popular culture. Snuck into a world of dragons, witches, and ice zombies in Game of Thrones (or A Song of Ice & Fire), … Continue reading →

Posted in Dire Wolf | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

A beautiful world

Posted on May 14, 2021 by twilightbeasts

Our planet is remarkable. Think about it for a second. Oceans full of fish, mammals, invertebrates. Land covered by plants, incredible insects, and amazing animals. The skies full of birds, mammals, and insects. All this life around us living, surviving, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The World Before Us

Posted on April 23, 2021 by twilightbeasts

Tom Higham helps run the Research Laboatory for Archaeology and the History of Art (RLAHA) at the University of Oxford. He has been a pioneer of improving the efficacy and accuracy of radiocarbon dating, introducing methods that are now global … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The forgotten dogs of South America

Posted on March 19, 2021 by twilightbeasts

Abya Yala was the land of dogs for a long time.* This is where they evolved. On a solitary, large landmass drifting through a vast ocean. A landmass that Europeans would later call North America. These very familiar animals evolved … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nothing but the tooth

Posted on January 21, 2021 by twilightbeasts

Teeth are probably one of the best parts of an animal. They are tough. They Hard. They can chomp down food. What’s more when the animal dies, they stand more of a chance of outlasting the brittle bones. They take … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeuphractus outesi | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The most (and least) read posts of 2020!

Posted on January 2, 2021 by twilightbeasts

2020 has undoubtedly been the strangest year for all of us. Trying to carry on with our lives and work has been challenging during a pandemic, and I know that many of us have lost people close to us over … Continue reading →

Posted in Arctic Ground Squirrel, DNA, foraminifera, Kauri tree, Sabre tooth Cat, Shrew, Woolly Mammoth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Marching up the wrong tree

Posted on December 21, 2020 by twilightbeasts

Before Darwin published his theory of evolution through natural selection, On the Origin of Species, evolution wasn’t a new concept. It had been discussed by many different people of science as early as the Ancient Greeks. It was how evolution … Continue reading →

Posted in Homo sapiens | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

G(e)nomic Wisdom

Posted on December 4, 2020 by twilightbeasts

When I first started doing ancient DNA way back in two thousand and [polite cough], every base pair was a win. Nature papers were published with less sequence than you’d now expect a fresher to produce in their first lab … Continue reading →

Posted in American Lion, Cave Lion, Cheetah, DNA, European Jaguar, Leopard, Lynx, Sabre tooth Cat | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Story of the King Rabbit

Posted on September 2, 2020 by twilightbeasts

‘And he said, “Very well, I will bless your bottom as it sticks out of the hole. Bottom, be strength and warning and speed for ever and save the life of your master. Be it so!” And as he spoke, … Continue reading →

Posted in Mouse Goat, Nuralagus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Evolutionary History of Extinct and Living Lions

Posted on May 22, 2020 by twilightbeasts

I’m fairly obsessed with cave lions. If one were to open up my head and look at my brain’s RAM it would be something like 70% facts about extinct species of cat, 20% stuff that my wife and kids tell … Continue reading →

Posted in American Lion, Cave Lion, DNA, Homo sapiens | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments