In a remarkable journey back to the Jurassic Era, scientists have used cutting-edge technology to uncover secrets about Orthosuchus stormbergi, a small, early ancestor of today’s crocodiles. Unlike its modern relatives, which are renowned for their massive size and aquatic prowess, this tiny croc offers unique insights into the evolution of its lineage. Standing out for its slow growth and diminutive adult size, Orthosuchus paints a fascinating picture of ancient ecosystems and crocodilian history.

Scientists from South Africa and Brazil have provided empirical evidence that pollen grains of rival plants may compete with one another for space on pollinators, thus influencing whose pollen is going to make it to the next flower – or not.

In an article published in The American Naturalist this week, they argue that because plants can manipulate where and how much pollen is placed on the bodies of pollinators, plants may have developed strategies that are similar to sperm manipulation in animals.