The discoveries, including the tiny Eosteus chongqingensis and the predatory Megamastax amblyodus (the largest early vertebrate found so far, before the Devonian), reveal critical stages in the evolution of nearly all modern vertebrates.
Published in Nature on March 4, 2026, the studies resolve long-standing questions about the early evolution of bony fishes, the ancestors of 98% of living vertebrates, including humans.
Fossils unearthed in southern China provide a rare view of the ancestral anatomy that underpins modern fish and, eventually, terrestrial vertebrates.
Eosteus, measuring just three centimeters, combines features of modern bony fish with traits seen in extinct cartilaginous fish and armored placoderms.
Its “mosaic” anatomy places it at the base of the bony fish lineage, just before the major split into ray-finned and lobe-finned fishes.
Meanwhile, Megamastax, over one meter long and dating roughly 423 million years ago, was the largest known vertebrate of the Silurian period, an era marked by the recovery from ice age extinctions, stabilized warm climates, and high sea levels.
High-resolution CT scans revealed complex tooth cushions in its jaws, solving a decades-old mystery about isolated fossil teeth and demonstrating that early vertebrates could reach substantial sizes, supporting sophisticated predator-prey ecosystems long before the so-called “Age of Fishes.”
Together, these findings position southern China as a cradle of early vertebrate evolution, mapping the emergence of jaws, teeth, and complex anatomy that paved the way for the vertebrate lineage leading to humans.
Life reconstruction of the biggest Silurian vertebrate Megamastax amblyodus. Credit Image by NICE PaleoVislab, IVPP
The overall populations of China’s wild fauna and flora are showing a steady upward trend, according to the administration. Latest monitoring data indicates that wild populations of flagship species, including giant pandas, snow leopards and Siberian tigers, have kept growing.
Wild populations of endangered plant species have also recorded notable recoveries. The number of Abies beshanzuensis in the wild has exceeded 4,000 individuals, while Manglietiastrum sinicum has grown to 15,000 individuals. The population of Paphiopedilum purpuratum has also increased to more than 200 individuals.
Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), the administration said it will launch a series of key wildlife conservation projects and advance international cooperation regarding giant panda conservation and wildlife treaty compliance, in a bid to promote the high-quality development of wildlife conservation in China.
The review, conducted by a team of experts from the IAEA, started on March 2, 2026, and will run until March 9, 2026. Throughout the week, the experts will examine whether Rwanda meets the key requirements needed to embark on a nuclear power programme.
Among the critical areas under review are the country’s national policy framework on nuclear energy, financing mechanisms for constructing nuclear facilities, and the overall regulatory and institutional setup.
The team will also assess Rwanda’s capacity to prevent and manage potential risks associated with nuclear power plants, including safety, security, and environmental protection measures.
Dr. Fidele Ndahayo, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB), said the country has for years been investing in nuclear energy development.
He noted that Rwanda has established academic programmes in nuclear science, imported nuclear-based medical equipment, and implemented other initiatives aimed at building national capacity.
He explained that undergoing such a review is a crucial step in determining whether Rwanda is on the right track toward building a nuclear power plant.
“We want them to assess us based on the 19 infrastructure issues they use to determine a country’s level of preparedness,” he said. “They will evaluate where we stand as a country. We are confident that the process will go well and that, if the basic requirements are met, we will be able to move to the second phase.”
Dr. Ndahayo added that a positive assessment can strengthen Rwanda’s credibility internationally and improve its chances of securing financing for nuclear projects.
“This review will help build international confidence by showing that Rwanda is following the proper procedures. That will support us in mobilizing funding to construct these plants,” he said.
Aline des Cloizeaux, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Power who is leading the expert team, clarified that the role of the mission is to promote the safe and peaceful use of nuclear technologies in line with its global mandate.
This week, she said, their work mainly focuses on providing advice on areas that need improvement and identifying where further efforts are required so the country can continue implementing its nuclear power programme.
Rwanda has set a target to have a nuclear power plant operational by 2030. To achieve this goal, the country has been working with various international partners.
In 2023, Rwanda signed an agreement with Dual Fluid Energy Inc to pilot a nuclear reactor project in the country. The initiative is part of broader cooperation with institutions from Russia and the United States focused on developing Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
SMRs are smaller-scale nuclear power plants capable of generating up to 100 megawatts of electricity or less. They can be installed on relatively small sites, typically covering between 15 and 50 hectares, and can operate with a workforce of around 230 employees. Their compact design allows them to be deployed even in remote areas.
According to research by the World Nuclear Association, nuclear energy significantly reduces carbon emissions.
Studies indicate that nuclear power can cut approximately 29 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per gigawatt-hour (GWh) of electricity generated, making it one of the low-carbon energy options available.
Rwanda has set a target to have a nuclear power plant operational by 2030.
Hydrolysis mirrors the natural decomposition process but accelerates it. The body is placed in a pressurised metal chamber filled with water and about 5% alkaline solution, such as potassium hydroxide, and heated to around 150°C for three to four hours.
The process dissolves soft tissue, leaving only bones, which are dried and reduced to a fine white powder. Families may keep, scatter or bury the remains, as they would with conventional ashes.
Scotland’s public health minister, Jenni Minto, described the change as a response to growing public demand for greater choice. She said decisions about funeral arrangements are deeply personal and stressed that hydrolysis would be subject to the same regulatory standards as existing methods.
Kindly Earth, the company holding exclusive UK rights to manufacture hydrolysis equipment, said Scotland’s first facility could take up to nine months to become operational, pending planning and water authority approvals. The firm called the move a historic moment for the funeral sector.
Already legal in parts of the United States, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, hydrolysis is seen as producing no direct toxic air emissions and potentially reducing the need for single-use coffins.
Supporters say interest in sustainable funeral options continues to grow across the UK.
Cremations account for almost 80% of UK funerals, according to the Cremation Society.
Elsewhere in the UK, the Law Commission in England and Wales is considering a regulatory framework for new funerary methods, including hydrolysis and human composting.
The water cremation process dissolves soft tissue, leaving only bones, which are dried and reduced to a fine white powder.
The reptile was first spotted around midday on Saturday in Ironbark Creek at Federal Park in Wallsend, about 100km north of Sydney, by a group of teenagers.
Stephanie Kirsop, whose son was among those who saw the animal, initially dismissed the sighting.
“This is a trick … it looks like a crocodile but that’s probably a log,” she told The Guardian.
After visiting the creek herself, she realised it was indeed “this little crocodile swimming around in the water.”
The discovery, near a public pool and primary school, prompted calls to wildlife rescue group Wires, the Australian Reptile Park and New South Wales police.
Once a Police officer confirmed the sighting, crocodile handlers led by Billy Collett from the Australian Reptile Park were deployed.
After unsuccessful attempts on Saturday, the team returned Sunday with a motorised boat and captured the reptile about 3km downstream.
Collett said their main concern was the animal’s welfare, noting they were about 2,500km away from the species’ natural range in northern Australia.
The freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni) is native to northern Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Authorities suspect it may have been an escaped pet. The animal has since been taken to the Australian Reptile Park on the NSW Central Coast for veterinary checks. Police said it remains unclear how it ended up in the creek.
Billy Collett (pictured) and his team found the crocodile near wetlands approximately 3km downstream from where it was first spotted. Photograph: Australian Reptile Park
To address these challenges, the Government of Rwanda, in partnership with the World Bank, launched the Volcanoes Community Resilience Project (VCRP). The initiative aims to protect vulnerable areas and prevent disasters from undermining local livelihoods.
Valued at more than $300 million (approximately Rwf 435.6 billion), the project is structured around four key components: flood prevention, expansion of the national park, land restoration, and public awareness and capacity building. Together, these efforts seek to improve living conditions for communities in the region.
Flood prevention and environmental restoration
To mitigate flooding, monitoring equipment is being installed along rivers and waterways in the Vunga corridor. About 15 hydrological stations have already been set up to measure water levels, flow speed, and volume — work led by the Rwanda Water Resources Board.
Land restoration activities are being implemented by the Rwanda Environment Management Authority. These include tree planting, construction of radical terraces on steep hillsides, and training for farmers on effective water management in agricultural fields.
The project plans to establish nurseries and carry out afforestation across 1,177 hectares, promote agroforestry on 10,388 hectares, where more than 86,000 trees have already been planted, and restore 2,955 hectares of degraded forest.
Radical terraces will be developed on 12,740 hectares, with 87 hectares already completed. Contour bank terraces are planned for 81,376 hectares, of which 47 hectares have been implemented so far.
In addition, 10,000 household water tanks will be distributed, where 140 have already been provided, alongside 10,000 cows under the Girinka program, with 40 cows delivered to date.
Expansion of Volcanoes National Park
A major component of the project is the expansion of Volcanoes National Park, which alone is expected to cost about $230 million.
Currently covering about 16,000 hectares, the park will expand by 3,740 hectares — a 23% increase — to reduce human-wildlife conflict and strengthen conservation.
The expansion will require the relocation of residents living within and near the new park boundaries. Business owners such as hotel operators will be compensated or supported to operate eco-friendly forest lodges that comply with park conservation standards, including reforestation requirements and strict environmental guidelines.
As part of the first phase, a “Smart Green Village” will be constructed to house 510 families affected by relocation.
Resettled residents are also receiving training in modern agriculture through the Kinigi Horticulture Hub, which includes greenhouses covering 1,250 square meters. Initial crops include pepper, tomatoes, and cucumbers, selected for their strong market demand and profitability. The hub is projected to generate Rwf 45 million annually, with operating costs estimated at Rwf 11 million.
Project scope and implementation
Launched in 2023, the five-year VCRP is scheduled to run until 2028. It is being implemented in disaster-prone districts including Musanze, Burera, Rubavu, Nyabihu, Ngororero, Rutsiro, Gakenke, and Muhanga.
The project is being carried out through collaboration among several national institutions, including the Rwanda Environment Management Authority, Rwanda Water Resources Board, Meteo Rwanda, and the Rwanda Development Board.
Residents to be resettled are receiving training in modern agriculture through the Kinigi Horticulture Hub, which includes greenhouses covering 1,250 square meters.
In a statement released on Thursday, the park’s management also disclosed that conservation teams successfully fitted GPS collars to three lions and one elephant in February 2026, to enhance real-time monitoring of animal movements.
Seventeen white rhinos and eight black rhinos were also fitted with in-horn VHF transmitters to strengthen protection and tracking. During the same operation, eight black rhinos were safely darted, an achievement that surpassed last year’s total of seven.
The park acknowledged the contribution of Dr. Richard Harvey of Wildscapes Vets, as well as its Conservation & Research, Field Operations, and Law Enforcement teams, and the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association for their professionalism in this exercise.
Why contraception for lions
Speaking with IGIHE, park officials explained that animals such as lions live within clearly defined boundaries and cannot easily migrate beyond the protected area.
“A wetland between Rwanda and Tanzania, together with a river that forms a natural border between the two countries, further restricts wildlife movement and dispersal. In such enclosed conditions, when predator populations reproduce successfully in a confined space, careful management is required to maintain ecological balance,” reads a statement shared with IGIHE.
The park explained that in small enclosed protected areas, lions have a significant impact on prey populations.
When lion numbers grow rapidly, prey species may decline, which is why reproduction is managed over longer intervals.
“This can also alter vegetation patterns depending on whether grazing animals decrease or increase in certain areas. Some species may disappear from the ecosystem. Lions themselves may eventually face food shortages, and human-wildlife conflicts near park boundaries could increase.”
Excess lions in enclosed parks cannot naturally relocate elsewhere. Each cub born affects the balance of the ecosystem. “The objective is not to stop reproduction entirely, but to mimic natural processes that regulate population growth in the wild. Veterinary-administered contraception can delay the age at first birth in females and extend intervals between litters, gradually slowing population growth,” adds the statement.
The lion population in the park has now reached about 70 individuals. In 2015, the Government of Rwanda reintroduced seven lions, including five females, as part of efforts to restore the species in the park.
Established in 1934, the park covers 1,120 square kilometers and is home to some of the world’s most iconic wildlife, including lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo. Data from African Parks, which manages the park, shows that in 2025 visitor numbers rose to 59,538, generating $5.06 million in revenue.
Of those visitors, 51,769 were paying guests, an 8% increase compared to 2024. Rwandan citizens accounted for 47% of visitors, international tourists for 47%, and foreign residents living in Rwanda for 6%.
The lion population in the park has now reached 70 individuals.Akagera National Park has placed five lionesses under contraception.Seventeen white rhinos and eight black rhinos were also fitted with in-horn VHF transmitters to strengthen protection and tracking.Akagera National Park’s management also disclosed that conservation teams successfully fitted GPS collars to three lions and one elephant.The exercise was conducted in February 2026.
The findings, published in the scientific journal Zootaxa, highlighted the extraordinary and still unfolding biodiversity of the Cardamom Mountains, where many species occur nowhere else on Earth, said the press release issued by the Ministry of Environment and Wild Earth Allies.
The species, Cyrtodactylus kiriromensis, belongs to a group of bent-toed geckos once thought to represent a single widespread species, the press release said, adding that continued research has since revealed this group to consist of multiple distinct, site-specific species found across the Cardamom Mountains.
The new species was observed on tree trunks, at the base of trees, on rock boulders near streams, and along forest trails at night in semi-evergreen forest, the press release said, adding that it is named after Kirirom National Park, a protected area in Kampong Speu Province characterized by pine forest, semi-evergreen and evergreen forest, and bamboo stands.
The park is a popular destination for visitors to the region.
“The discovery of new biodiversity species clearly confirms the critical importance of green cover within protected areas, which holds invaluable significance for both people and nature,” said Khvay Atitya, undersecretary of state and spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment.
“Protected areas play a fundamental role in conserving natural resources and protecting the environment, and in ensuring sustainability for present and future generations,” he added.
Wild Earth Allies Cambodia Conservation Manager Neang Thy said the discovery reminded that Cambodia’s biodiversity was still far from fully documented.
“Even in well-known protected areas like Kirirom National Park, there are species waiting to be recognized. Continued field research is essential to understanding and protecting the country’s unique wildlife,” he said.
Kamping Poi bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus kampingpoiensis). Credit: Hun Seiha / Fauna & Flora
According to BBC, Clark, who visits Northumberland annually with her husband Gerard to hunt for the island’s famed “Cuddy’s beads,” took the fossil home and shared it on a Facebook fossil identification group. Thousands of likes and comments later, experts confirmed that she had uncovered a significant specimen: part of a crinoid, an ancient marine animal.
Crinoids, sometimes called “sea lilies,” first appeared over 500 million years ago during the Cambrian period. They have a flexible stem anchored to the seabed, with branching arms at the top. The stem is made of small discs called ossicles, which, when connected, form a columnal — the part Christine discovered .
Dr Jan Hennissen, senior paleontologist at the British Geological Survey (BGS), explained that the stem had split lengthwise and curved, giving it its “mouth-like” appearance. He added that it likely originated from the Alston Formation, a dark limestone approximately 350 million years old.
Holy Island’s fossils hold a rich history: centuries ago, locals believed the crinoid discs were “Cuddy’s beads,” created by St Cuthbert to impart spiritual blessings. While crinoid fossils are common along the Northumberland coast, complete specimens are rare, making Christine’s find particularly remarkable.
Though she has received offers to buy it, Clark plans to keep the fossil, enjoying the amusement it brings to visitors and fellow fossil enthusiasts alike.
According to SA News, the discovery was made by Dr. Massimo Meregalli from Italy and Dr. Roman Borovec from the Czech Republic.
These respected entomologists recently published their research on flightless weevils found in remote parts of the park. These tiny insects live in the soil, hidden under shrubs, and mostly come out at night, making them very hard to find and study. Therefore, their discovery required meticulous fieldwork in the Richtersveld’s challenging environment.
SA News quoted a statement by South African National Parks (SANParks) as saying, “With the support and guidance of Richtersveld National Park Nursery Curator Pieter van Wyk, the researchers explored the remote Armmanshoek Valley, an area not previously surveyed for soil insects.”
“Their efforts resulted in the identification of multiple new species, further confirming the Richtersveld as a hotspot of endemism and scientific importance,” it said.
To honor the park’s importance for conservation and SANParks’ support for research, the scientists named a newly found group and species “Richtersveldiella sanparkensis.”
This is the first insect species to be officially named after SANParks and Richtersveld National Park. The researchers have also previously honored the local culture by naming other groups, Khoisan and Nama, recognizing the long history of connection between the communities and this unique land.
“These discoveries highlight the importance of continued scientific exploration within protected areas and reinforce SANParks’ commitment to conserving not only iconic wildlife and landscapes, but also the often-overlooked species that form the foundation of healthy ecosystems,” SANParks said.
“The naming of Richtersveldiella sanparkensis stands as a lasting scientific tribute to the Richtersveld and SANParks’ ongoing dedication to biodiversity conservation,” it added.
To honor the park’s importance for conservation and SANParks’ support for research, the scientists named a newly found group and species “Richtersveldiella sanparkensis.”
