Ancient Polar Forests Where Dinosaurs Thrived Reconstructed in Unprecedented Detail
Affiliate Disclosure
Hey fellow impactful ninja ?
You may have noticed that Impactful Ninja is all about providing helpful information to make a positive impact on the world and society. And that we love to link back to where we found all the information for each of our posts.
Most of these links are informational-based for you to check out their primary sources with one click.
But some of these links are so-called "affiliate links" to products that we recommend.
Why do we add these product links?
First and foremost, because we believe that they add value to you. For example, when we wrote a post about the environmental impact of long showers, we came across an EPA recommendation to use WaterSense showerheads. So we linked to where you can find them. Or, for many of our posts, we also link to our favorite books on that topic so that you can get a much more holistic overview than one single blog post could provide.
And when there is an affiliate program for these products, we sign up for it. For example, as Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.
What do these affiliate links mean for you?
First, and most importantly, we still only recommend products that we believe add value for you.
When you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission - but at no additional costs to you.
And when you buy something through a link that is not an affiliate link, we won’t receive any commission but we’ll still be happy to have helped you.
What do these affiliate links mean for us?
When we find products that we believe add value to you and the seller has an affiliate program, we sign up for it.
When you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission (at no extra costs to you).
And at this point in time, all money is reinvested in sharing the most helpful content with you. This includes all operating costs for running this site and the content creation itself.
What does this mean for me personally?
You may have noticed by the way Impactful Ninja is operated that money is not the driving factor behind it. It is a passion project of mine and I love to share helpful information with you to make a positive impact on the world and society. However, it's a project in that I invest a lot of time and also quite some money.
Eventually, my dream is to one day turn this passion project into my full-time job and provide even more helpful information. But that's still a long time to go.
Stay impactful,
At Impactful Ninja, we curate positive and impactful news for you. Follow us on Google News or sign up for our free newsletter to get these delivered straight to your inbox—just like our expert roundup below!
📰 The quick summary: Scientists have recreated detailed illustrations of the forest environment where dinosaurs thrived in polar southern Australia 120 million years ago, providing new insights into how plants evolved during one of Earth’s warmest periods.
📈 One key stat: 120 million years ago, areas of modern Victoria, Australia were located up to 80 degrees south of the equator within the polar circle, yet supported thriving dinosaur populations despite months of darkness.
💬 One key quote: The transition from a world without flowers to one with flowers has fascinated scientists for centuries, most famously Charles Darwin who labelled them “an abominable mystery”.
1️⃣ The big picture: Scientists have created the first detailed illustrations of the forest environment where dinosaurs lived in polar southern Australia 120 million years ago. During the Early Cretaceous period, this region experienced one of Earth’s warmest eras with no polar ice caps and high sea levels due to increased volcanic activity releasing carbon dioxide (CO2). Despite being located within the Antarctic Circle and experiencing months of darkness, these polar forests supported diverse dinosaur species including plant-eating ornithopods and carnivorous therapods. The research provides crucial insights into how plants evolved during this period, particularly tracking the emergence and rapid expansion of flowering plants. For more details, visit the scientific study about recreating the forest home of polar dinosaurs in detail for the first time.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: This research fills important knowledge gaps about Earth’s ancient ecosystems by reconstructing entire forest environments rather than just focusing on the dinosaurs themselves. Scientists can now visualize complete polar forest ecosystems from 120 million years ago with unprecedented detail, showing the complex interplay between plants and animals. The findings reveal how flowering plants first emerged and rapidly spread globally during a warming period, outcompeting other plant species. By understanding these ancient climate conditions and their effects on biodiversity, researchers gain valuable insights that help predict and address our current climate challenges.
3️⃣ What’s next: Future research can build on these detailed forest reconstructions to better understand dinosaur behavior and ecology within these polar environments. Scientists might explore additional fossil sites across Australia to compare regional differences in ancient forest compositions. This knowledge of past warming periods and biodiversity responses provides crucial context for addressing today’s climate change challenges.
Read the full story here: The Conversation – Forest home of ‘polar dinosaurs’ 120 million years ago in southern Australia recreated in detail for the first time
