DISPATCHES
FROM THE FRONT LINES
OF SCIENCE
AND INNOVATIONFOSSIL FIND
ANCIENT BUG ZAPPER
ANALYSIS REVEALS FOSSIL IS THE OLDEST KNOWN
EXAMPLE OF A SLINGSHOT-TONGUED AMPHIBIAN.
AN AMBER-ENTOMBED FOSSIL with an
exquisitely preserved skull (left) —even
some muscles intact—is the oldest known
example of a slingshot tongue, found in
amphibians called albanerpetontids.
Details about “albies” have been elusive;
another albie fossil previously was mis-
identified as its distant cousin the chameleon. But new analysis
by Sam Houston State University researcher Juan Daza and his
colleagues identified this fossil, above,* from Myanmar, as a new
albie species that lived 99 million years ago. Writing in Science, Daza’s
team added to albies’ profile: Lizardlike, with scales and claws, likely
living in or around trees, these sit-and-wait predators used their long,
powerful tongues to nab small invertebrates. —DINA FINE MARON
PHOTOS: DAVID GRIMALDI (AMBER); KELLY BARNES, GETTY IMAGES (DOG); YANG NIU (PLANT, BOTH);
EDWARD STANLEY, FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (CT SCAN: SKULL)
ADAPTATIONEvolving
to Evade
Harvest
For centuries in
China’s Hengduan
Mountains, herbal-
ists have collected
Fritillaria delavayi
plant bulbs for
use in traditional
medicine. A recent
study found some
F. delavayi have
changed color
from light green to
gray or brown
to match their
rocky habitat—a
camouflaging more
common in heav-
ily picked areas. It
seems this clever
plant is evolving
to be less visible
to its primary
predator: humans.
—HICKS WOGANSniffing out the deadly virus
Scientists are training working dogs
to detect COVID-19–related compounds
in human sweat. Sniffers such as Floki
(right), an English springer spaniel
at Australia’s University of Ade-
laide, could be deployed to
airports, hospitals, and other
facilities worldwide to help
screen for the virus. —HWBREAKTHROUGHS (^) | EXPLORE