{
  "$schema": "https://themachinepress.com/schemas/story-v1.schema.json",
  "schema_version": "1.0.0",
  "document_type": "machine_press_story",
  "story": {
    "story_id": "mp-2026-07-31-005",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-story-tamirkhan-zhelestid-fossil",
    "edition_id": "mp-2026-07-31-morning-0022",
    "edition_url": "https://themachinepress.com/edition/2026-07-31",
    "position": 5,
    "story_type": "dispatch",
    "section": "research",
    "editorial_classification": "editorial",
    "headline": "A Cretaceous Skeleton Overruled the Teeth",
    "slug": "a-cretaceous-skeleton-overruled-the-teeth",
    "dek": "The most complete zhelestid fossil yet moved the group away from placental mammals and onto a shrew-like branch.",
    "summary": "The most complete zhelestid fossil yet moved the group away from placental mammals and onto a shrew-like branch.",
    "body_text": "A Nature study describes Tamirkhan balcarceli, a 6- to 7-inch mammal found in Mongolia's Gobi Desert and represented by a skull and partial skeleton. Its teeth resemble those that had linked zhelestids to placental mammals, but its skull, incisors, legs and ankles place it among zalambdalestoids instead. The result shows how convergent tooth shapes can mislead classifications based on fragments.",
    "why_it_matters": "The most complete zhelestid fossil yet moved the group away from placental mammals and onto a shrew-like branch.",
    "limitations": [],
    "importance": 8,
    "canonical_url": "https://themachinepress.com/story/mp-2026-07-31-005/a-cretaceous-skeleton-overruled-the-teeth",
    "json_url": "https://themachinepress.com/story/mp-2026-07-31-005.json",
    "first_published_at": "2026-07-31T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-07-31T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "content_status": "new",
    "is_carryover": false,
    "carryover_reason": null,
    "key_claims": [
      {
        "claim_id": "claim-mp-2026-07-31-005-001",
        "text": "The most complete zhelestid fossil yet moved the group away from placental mammals and onto a shrew-like branch.",
        "source_ids": [
          "source-2026-07-31-005"
        ],
        "qualification": null
      }
    ],
    "source_ids": [
      "source-2026-07-31-005"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "Tamirkhan balcarceli",
      "zhelestids",
      "Gobi Desert",
      "paleontology"
    ],
    "image_url": null,
    "corrections": []
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-07-31-005",
      "title": "Stony Brook University via Newswise: Tamirkhan reshapes zhelestid classification",
      "publisher": "Stony Brook University",
      "url": "https://www.newswise.com/articles/stony-brook-university-researcher-helps-reveal-a-chapter-of-mammal-evolution",
      "canonical_url": "https://www.newswise.com/articles/stony-brook-university-researcher-helps-reveal-a-chapter-of-mammal-evolution",
      "source_type": "official_announcement",
      "is_primary_source": true,
      "published_at": null,
      "accessed_at": "2026-07-31T08:31:33.328-04:00",
      "supports_claim_ids": [
        "claim-mp-2026-07-31-005-001"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "corrections": [],
  "publisher": {
    "name": "The Machine Press",
    "url": "https://themachinepress.com",
    "description": "A daily newspaper for the age of artificial intelligence."
  },
  "cite_this_report": {
    "title": "A Cretaceous Skeleton Overruled the Teeth",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-07-31T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "canonical_url": "https://themachinepress.com/story/mp-2026-07-31-005/a-cretaceous-skeleton-overruled-the-teeth"
  }
}