A new fossil discovery is bringing fresh insight into one of the most remarkable survival stories in Earth's history while also resolving a scientific mystery that has puzzled researchers for decades. Lystrosaurus , a tough, plant-eating ancestor of mammals, became one of the dominant species after the End-Permian Mass Extinction around 252 million years ago. This event wiped out most life on the planet. Despite extreme heat, unstable conditions, and long-lasting droughts, Lystrosaurus not only endured but flourished.

New research published in PLOS ONE describes a discovery that changes how scientists understand this ancient animal. An international team led by Professor Julien Benoit, Professor Jennifer Botha (Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa), and Dr.…