Fossils of the three newly identified mammal species from Northeast China's Liaoning province Adam Shaheen Bears Jersey , which have scientific names of Shenshou lui (a), Xianshou linglong (b) and Xianshou songae (c). The species date from about 160 million years ago. Photo Provided by Chinese Academy of Sciences
It may not have been the friendliest place for small furry creatures, but three newly identified squirrellike mammals thrived in the trees during the Jurassic Period, with dinosaurs walking below and flying reptiles soaring above.


Scientists announced on Wednesday the discovery in China of fossils belonging to the three creatures in a find that sheds light on a poorly understood collection of ancient mammals Mitchell Trubisky Bears Jersey , and indicates that mammals as a group appeared earlier than some experts thought.


The three species come from a group called haramiyids that previously had been known only from isolated teeth and fragmented jaws. Scientists had not even been sure they were mammals at all.


The nicely preserved fossils from Liaoning province proved definitively they were mammals, in part because of the presence of three bones of the middle ear characteristic of all mammals from shrews to whales to people.


The three species - whose scientific names are Shenshou lui, Xianshou linglong and Xianshou songae - date from about 160 million years ago, a time when dinosaurs ruled the land. But a number of recent fossil discoveries have shown that mammals were far more diverse during that period than previously recognized.


The three species likely looked like small squirrels Anthony Miller Bears Jersey , with slim bodies and elongated fingers and toes, indicating they were dedicated tree dwellers. They had long and probably prehensile, or grasping, tails James Daniels Bears Jersey , another feature that helped them stay in the tree branches.


"I would predict that they spent even more time in the trees than squirrels," said Jin Meng, a vertebrate paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, who led the study published in the journal Nature.


Based on the shape of their teeth Roquan Smith Bears Jersey , they probably were omnivorous, eating insects, nuts and fruit, Meng said. The remains were so well preserved that they showed more than just the hard parts such as teeth and bones that commonly fossilize Eddie Goldman Youth Jersey , but also soft parts such as fur and the animal's guts, he added.


The three species had an estimated weight ranging from about that of a mouse, 28 grams, to that of a small squirrel Kevin White Youth Jersey , about 280 grams. While they may have looked and acted like today's squirrels, they were only very distantly related to them.


The researchers said these fossils, along with other evidence, suggest that the first true mammals that evolved from mammallike ancestors appeared perhaps 208 million years ago. Some scientists have contended that mammals entered the picture millions of years later than that.

An illustrated display highlights two new mammal genuses Cody Whitehair Youth Jersey , Shenshou and Xianshou, demonstrated by researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.





by Keren Setton


JERUSALEM， Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Days after U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated， the Israeli government announced its plans to build an additional 2，500 homes for Jewish settlers in the West Bank.


In the past， such an announcement immediately resulted in an American condemnation. This time it was smooth sailing for the Israeli government.


It was a farewell message from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to former U.S. President Barack Obama. The two often clashed on the issue which put a strain on their relationship.


At the time of the announcement， Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel "was resuming normal life in Judea and Samaria (the bibilical name of the West Bank)."


The right wing government in Israel felt restricted during the years of the Obama administration. Although settlement building continued， it was not at a satisfactory pace for Netanyahu and his allies.


Israel's construction plans did lead to a Palestinian outcry. Their fear， together with the majority of the international community， is that the more Israel tighten's its grip on the West Bank， the hopes for them achieving a state become dimmer. Palestinians see the West Bank as a critical part of their future state.


Israeli settlements in the West Bank have been a contentious topic since Israeli forces captured the West Bank during the 1967 Mideast War.


Once under its rule， Israel immediately started settling the area with Jewish citizens. However， it never officially annexed the land， aside from East Jerusalem.


In the West Bank， which Israelis often refer to by its biblical name Judea and Samaria， there are approximately 385，000 Jewish settlers， nearly tripple the figure for 1993 when the Oslo Accords were signed.


Palestinians see the territories as part of their future state and the settlements which have been expanding annually since 1967 are a major stumbling block for them.


The international community is at odds with Israel on the issue， leaving the country largely isolated in the international arena.


Only recently did the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution condemning Israel， saying settlements are illegal.


Anat Ben Nun is the Director of Development and External Relations at Peace Now which is an Israeli organization aimed at promoting a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians and functions as a settlement watch-dog， monitoring their evolution on the ground.


She explains the legal standing of the territories， as many in the international community see it.


"According to the Geneva conventions and the Hague regulations， an occupying power cannot transfer its own population to the occupied territory and this is exactly what Israel has been doing"



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