specimen

A storeroom specimen that changed the origins of modern lizards by millions of years has had its identity confirmed.

In the new study, researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Manchester conducted a variety of experiments on Ecballium specimens grown at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden.

This time the issue was much simpler — as the authors themselves wrote, “the discovery emphasizes that terrestrial biota can rapidly colonize extraterrestrial specimens even given contamination control precautions.”

"Further, the fact that all of this work took place on museum specimens underscores the importance of maintaining these collections for future study."

The specimen is complete with nearly every single bone preserved and unusually, it is preserved in three dimensions, where most pterosaurs tend to be crushed flat.