Life in the slow lane allowed these mouse-sized creatures to live far longer than their modern-day equivalents. Dr Newham said: 'It was thought the key characteristics of mammals, including their warm-bloodedness, evolved at around the same time. Researchers studied growth rings in the tooth sockets – deposited each year like tree rings – that could be counted to reveal how long the animals lived. An ancient tooth specimen belonging to Morganucodon was sent to Dr Ian Corfe from the University of Helsinki for an initial test. Researchers used 200 teeth specimens which were provided by the Natural History Museum in London and University Museum of Zoology in Cambridge.

Source: Daily Mail October 12, 2020 09:04 UTC