New research using the most comprehensive study of feathered dinosaurs and early birds has revised the evolutionary relationships of dinosaurs at the origin of birds.

Hauffiopteryx altera (Latin for different from) has been identified as a new species of Ichthyosaurs by researchers from McGill University and the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart in Germany.

Ichthyosaurs (‘fish lizards’), a group of tuna-shaped reptiles that inhabited Earth’s seas during the Mesozoic Era, were discovered by scientists in the early 19^th century. Similar to the modern-day dolphin, ichthyosaurs underwent profound adaptions to aquatic environments including limbs transformed into flippers, a dorsal fin, and a tail fin.

According to Virginie Millien, an assistant professor at McGill and curator of zoology and paleontology at McGill's Redpath Museum, warmer temperatures preferentially benefit one of the Lyme diesease tick's most important hosts, the white-footed mouse, which has expanded its range northwards, and outcompeted other mice. The result is that Lyme disease has become a far more pressing health issue in southeastern Canada than ever before.

The McGill 24 Seeds of Change project to create a Virtual Fossil and Dinosaur kit closed at midnight on May 26, 2020, and raised $2,069.78 from 9 donations (including $290 in McGill24 Matching Funds).

While smaller dinosaurs needed speed, huge predators like T. rex were optimized for energy-efficient walking, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.

Two people connected to the Redpath Museum died on April 8, 2020: Robert “Bob” Lynn Carroll, vertebrate paleontologist, aged 81 years old and Joan Clark, patent lawyer, aged 90 years old.

Dr. Andrew Hendry (photographed with iguana friend) and Dr. Andy Gonzalez have been included in the list of McGill researchers among the world’s most cited by the Web of Science group. Read about it here.