Swiss palaeontologists have discovered a fish jaw featuring rows of reserve teeth with a clever rotating replacement system.
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The fossil is one of thousands of finds unearthed during excavation work along the A16 motorway near Courtedoux in western Switzerland. Many dinosaur remains have been found there over the years, and the Jurassic Period gets its name from the region’s Jura Mountains.
On Tuesday, the canton Jura authorities released images of the left lower jaw of a 155 million-year-old fish called Scheenstia (Bavarian for beautiful animal). Researchers discovered that each molar had a rotating replacement tooth. They assume that the fish, which is considered a mussel lover, sometimes lost all its teeth at once. The replacement teeth could have been replaced within a few days by turning around in the jawbone.
3D image based on x-ray microscopy
Jura.ch/OCC-SAP
Canton Jura’s Paléontologie A16External link project wrapped up at the end of June 2019. But that doesn’t mean the end of scientifically significant discoveries, as the cantonal chancellery has pointed out. Earlier this month, they found a crushed sea turtle.
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Did a dinosaur crush a solitary turtle in the Late Jurassic of Switzerland?
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A Swiss team has found an ancient fossil of sea turtle which appears to have been crushed by a dinosaur in the Jura
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025
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A man flew a drone around the venue on Wednesday evening during the first match of the Women's EURO 2025 in St. Gallen. The 30-year-old violated the absolute ban on flying during match days. He was reported to the police.
More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative
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A total of 257 companies from Switzerland have signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In doing so, they are committing to CO2 reduction targets that are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Swiss accident prevention group sees federal targets at risk
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The Swiss government's target for accident figures is at risk, reckons Mario Cavegn, member of the executive board of the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention.
Feminicide: Swiss justice minister calls for electronic monitoring
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Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans has called for electronic monitoring and an ankle bracelet warning system for perpetrators of violence against women.
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American artist Chaka Khan ‘and friends’ opened the 59th Montreux Jazz Festival on Friday. For over three hours, their show, dedicated to their friend and mentor Quincy Jones, thrilled the audience,
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New dinosaur species discovered in Switzerland
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An early example of a therapod – bipedal and carnivorous – dinosaur uncovered in Switzerland belongs to a previously unknown genus and species.
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Fifteen years ago, the discovery of dinosaur footprints brought construction of a new motorway in the Bernese Jura to a grinding halt.
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