Small Fossils May Reveal Ancient Life Around a Whale
A newly identified brittle star species was found beside whale bones in Denmark.
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have a of from in . The to 9.5 .
The from a in 2018. The in the , but not in .
to the of , the that the on or the on the . The they .
Source: Museum of Southern Jutland via Brightsurf, 2026-11-03.
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Try 2 questions about this story, then explain one idea in your own words. Check the text whenever you need to.
In this lesson: Use a comparison sample to understand an inference about where ancient animals lived.
Grammar in this story: Passive past participles after a noun
samples taken beside the bones
Taken beside the bones means “samples that were taken beside the bones”. It specifies the location of the samples used in the comparison.
Your turn
Explain how the comparison samples helped the researchers, and name one question they could not answer.
See one possible answer
The remains appeared beside the whale bones but not in samples farther away, suggesting an association with the whale. The fossils could not reveal exactly what the brittle stars ate.
Your answer can be different. Give a reason and use your own words.
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