It will be assigned to a new ICHNOSPECIES Ruopodasaurus clava the footprints of these dinosaurs found in northeastern British Columbia and northwest Alberta confirm the presence of antirosaurus antirosaurus during the Middle North American period.
Cast specimen of Ruopodasaurus clava From the Murray River, British Columbia, Canada. Image credits: Arbor et al. , doi: 10.1080/02724634.2025.2451319.
“There are two major groups in Ankylosaurus,” says Dr. Victoria Arbor, an evolutionary biologist and vertebrate paleontologist at the Royal BC Museum and the University of Victoria.
“The Nodosaurid Ankylosaurs have a flexible tail and four toes, while the Ankylosaurs have a tail club like the Sledgehammer, with only three legs.”
“Unlike the well-known Ichnospecies of the Ankylosaurus. Tetrapodosaurus borealis These new tracks found in North America with four toes – Name Ruopodasaurus clava – There are only three, so anywhere in the world makes the first known example of antirosaurus footprints.”
“Ruopodasaurus clava means “falling lizards with clubs/maces,” referring to both the mountainous areas where these tracks were discovered and the distinctive tail clubs of these dinosaurs.
They don’t know exactly what the dinosaurs made, but Ruopodasaurus clava Although it looks like a footprint, paleontologists know it was about 5-6m long, thorny, armored, and had a stiff or full tail club.
“Ankylosaurus is my favorite group of dinosaurs, so it’s really exciting for me to be able to identify new examples of these dinosaurs in British Columbia,” Dr. Arbor said.
Newly discovered Ruopodasaurus clava The footprint dates back to the mid-Cretaceous period, approximately 100 million to 94 million years ago.
No bones of Ankilosauride were found in North America about 100-84 million years ago, leading to speculation that antirosauride disappeared from North America at this time.
These footprints show that during this gap in the skeletal fossil record, tailed ankylosauruses were alive and well in North America.
This finding also shows that two major ankylosaurus of Nodosaurus – Nodosaurus and Ankylosaurus groups coexist in the same region during this time, including this new three indirect species.
“We’ve seen a lot of experience in the world,” said Dr. Charles Helm, scientific advisor at the Tumbler Ridge Museum.
“It’s really exciting to know that through this research there are two types of Ankylosaurus that call this area home. Ruopodasaurus clava It has been identified only in this region of Canada.”
“The study also highlights how important the Peace Region in northeastern British Columbia is to understand the evolution of dinosaurs in North America.
“This discovery gives us a new part of the puzzle about ancient creatures that once roamed Canadian stuff.”
Findings are reported in a paper in Journal of VertebratePaleontology.
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Victoria M. Arbor et al. Ichnotaxon, a new tyrophoran from British Columbia, Canada, confirms the existence of antirosaurus dinosaurs in the central Cretaceous period of North America. Journal of VertebratePaleontologyPublished online on April 14th, 2025. doi:10.1080/02724634.2025.2451319
The Mid-Lestic Age is considered a dynamic period in European and African history, but is generally considered a static period in East Asia. The discovery of a series of refined stone tools at Long Tang Sight in southwestern China, 50,000-60,000 years ago, challenges that recognition.
A product from the Quina system located at Longtan Site, China. Image credits: Luan et al. , doi: 10.1073/pnas.2418029122.
The Paleolithic period in the Central era occurred about 300,000-40,000 years ago and is considered an important time in human evolution.
This period is related to the origins and evolution of modern African people.
In Eurasia, it is associated with the development of several archaic human groups, such as the Neanderthals and Denisovan.
However, there is a widely believed belief that in most of the Paleostemic period, China’s development had slowed.
“Our discoveries challenge our current understanding of human history and technological development in East Asia,” said Professor Beau Lee of the University of Wollongong.
“This finding challenges a long-established general theory among archaeologists that China-China tools are relatively simple and unchanged.”
Professor Li and colleagues unearthed a rich collection of stone tools at the Longtan archaeological site in Yunnan, China.
This tool revealed a complete kina technology system that includes the cores used to generate large and thick flakes.
The Kina Industry is one of the most representative tool creation strategies developed in the Mid Paleolithic period around 300,000-40,000 years ago.
It is characterized by a steeply scaled retouch of thick flakes, which often produces robust scrapers with heavy edge modifications associated with neanderthals, representing strategies developed during marine isotope stage 4 as a response to open forest grassland environments and cool/dry climates.
The Kina Technical System was discovered in Western and Southern Europe during this period, but was not thought to have existed in East Asia.
The wear traces of Longtanquina scrape suggest that they are used in a variety of materials, including bones, horns, wood, meat, skin, and non-slow plants.
“Evidence has shown that the discoveries at Longtan significantly broadened the geographical distribution of human species, the tools used, and the adaptability to adapt to a variety of climates and environments,” Professor Li said.
“The discovery of Longtan also provides a perspective to understand how the human-leeze species evolved and evolved in East Asia prior to the massive arrival of early modern people 45,000 years ago.”
“Understanding rather old artifacts forces us to rethink models of human migration patterns and technology evolution in this part of the world.”
“This opens an exciting new avenue for research and, as we know, can rewrite East Asia’s prehistoric period.”
a paper The survey results were published this week Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Qi-Jun Ruan et al. 2025. Kinarithic technology demonstrates the diverse late Pleistocene human dynamics of East Asia. pnas 122 (14): E2418029122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2418029122
Sample analysis of Mars Instrument on NASA’s Curiosity Rover detected decane, anteca and dodecane molecules in Gale Crater samples.
This graphic shows the long chain organic molecules, decane, undercane, dodecane, and rover of curiosity from NASA. Image credit: NASA/Dan Gallagher.
“The main scientific goal of Curiosity is to quantitatively assess the possibility of Mars’ habitability in the past or present,” says Dr. Caroline Freissinet, researcher at Atmosphères ET Observation Spatiales at CNRS and Laboratoire.
“Sample analysis in the MARS (SAM) instrument suite on a rover is dedicated to this task by employing inventory of organic and inorganic compounds present on the surface of Mars as potential chemical biosignatures and investigating the nature of the conservation.”
Using SAM instruments, researchers analyzed molecules released from excavated mudstone samples called Cumberlands, collected in Yellowknife Bay, the geological layer of Gale Crater.
They were able to detect three long chain alkanes: decane (c)10htwenty two), unedecane (c11htwenty four), and dodecan (c12h26).
“These long carbon chains, which contain up to 12 consecutive carbon atoms, can exhibit similar characteristics to the fatty acids produced on Earth through biological activity,” the researchers said.
Dodecane represents the highest molecular mass organic molecule ever identified on the surface of Mars.
“Detection of long-chain alkanes shows various causes of organic matter and storage mechanisms in Cumberland samples,” the scientists said.
“Clays and sulfate minerals are expected to play an important role in this long-term storage.”
According to the author, the source of Mars’ long-chain alkanes remains uncertain.
“Laboratory experiments support sources from the saturated forms of linear chains, primary carboxylic acids, i.e. decano acids, dodecano acids, and tridecano acids, for decane, undecano and dodecano acids, respectively,” they said.
“Abiotic processes can form these acids, but are considered to be a universal product of biochemistry, on the ground and perhaps Mars.”
“The origin and distribution of these molecules therefore has great interest in searching for potential biosignatures on Mars.”
Survey results It will be displayed in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Caroline Freecinet et al. 2025. Long chain alkanes are preserved in the mudstones of Mars. pnas 122 (13): e2420580122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2420580122
The Mayall Telescope Star Trail in Arizona houses dark energy spectroscopy equipment
Luke Tyas/Berkeley Lab
Dark energy is one of the most mysterious features of our universe. We don’t know what it is, but it controls how the universe is expanding and its ultimate destiny. Now, the study of millions of heavenly objects reveals that they may have been thinking about all the wrong things that could potentially have dramatic consequences in the universe.
“This is the biggest hint we have about the nature of dark energy in the roughly 25 years since we discovered it,” he says. Adam Reese at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
The results come from three years of data collected by Arizona’s Dark Energy Spectroscopy (DESI). By combining this data with other measurements such as background radiation in cosmic microwaves and maps of supernovas, the DESI team concluded that dark energy may have changed over time.
“This is the cutting edge of human knowledge,” says a member of the DigiTeam. It’ll be Percival At the University of Waterloo, Canada. “We see amazing things throughout the universe.”
Desi is attached to a telescope and works by measuring the “redshift” of light emitted from a distant galaxy, or how that wavelength of light extends as it travels through space. From now on, researchers can determine how much the universe has expanded during the journey of light and calculate how this expansion is changing. So far, the team has analyzed light from nearly 15 million galaxies and other bright objects in the sky.
For decades, physicists have agreed that the universe is expanding at a fixed acceleration. This is a cosmological constant known as the lambda, interpreted as the driving force of dark energy. However, in April 2024, Desi’s measurements provide the first hint that the universe may actually be decreasing faster over time, with the cosmological constants not so constant.
Riess, who is not part of the Desi team, says at the time they were not sure if the discovery would last with more data. In fact, it’s just getting stronger. “It’s very exciting for me to see that. [the team] After another year and after they added more data, no issues were found in the analysis. If anything, the outcome is more important,” he says.
That being said, this discovery still does not meet the “5-sigma” statistical levels traditionally used by physicists to discover it as authentic, rather than as a statistical fluke. Current analysis reaches a maximum of 4.2 sigma, but team members Mustafa Ishak Bouzaki At the University of Texas and Dallas, the team says they believe the results will reach five sigma within two years as Digi continues to acquire the data. “This outcome with dark energy is something we never thought it would happen in our lifetime,” he says.
One of the relief, according to Ishak-Boushaki, is that the discovery relies on Desi’s data as well as several other investigations in the universe. Riess compares the situa…To read more, visit Example Website.
University of Leicester paleontologists Sarah Gabot and Jan Zarashivich have published a new book on how different types of so-called technolosils collapse in the past, including plastic bottles, patios, cell phones, old socks, spherical pens and many other hosts.
Wind turbine blades made from recycled materials may be one of the most surprising fossils discovered by future paleontologists. Image credit: Gemini AI.
But one technical oil that may really turn your head among paleontologists in distant environments in exploring the extraordinary layers of human epoch is the relic of wind turbines.
“The fossils are not from row towers. They are made of metal and made of recycled metal,” Professor Zalasiewicz said.
“But the giant wind turbine blades are made from materials such as fiberglass, epoxy resin, and carbon fiber. These are extremely difficult to recycle, but they make fossils easier.”
“As wind turbines reach their end of life and are removed, huge 50m-long bladed landfills are growing, sliced into truck-length segments and appearing to be neatly stacked together.”
“Some of them have been buried for millions of years, and if you ultimately stumble upon an inquisitive, distant paleontologist, a massive, hollow, sawbone cemetery,” he said.
“Some are crushed and dulled by the movement of the earth, while others are full of mineral growth, but their impressive shape and enormous size shine through the layers.”
“For our distant explorers, they become a huge puzzle. Can they tell us that they were built to grab the wind, providing clean, renewable energy?”
“Perhaps if they can connect them together — just like we're reconstructing the skeletons of today's giant dinosaurs — we can see their aerodynamic shapes.”
“They become one puzzle among the millions we leave behind in our daily lives (and I think they'll also find more ominous fossils left behind by fossil fuel burning).
“There was nothing like this new fossil cornea in the 400 million years of history on Earth.”
“And now we should begin to understand this amazing, surprising, often toxic, what we leave on the planet.”
“To know how our countless discarded objects become fossilized in the distant future will help us deal with the growing mountains that we live in today.”
The author also explains the types of science that appear to show the footprints of distant humans on Earth for the average reader.
It offers a different perspective on fossils and fossils. It expands the ideas of what people think of as fossils and what they can convey to us.
“It was a real adventure to use an understanding of how fossils are formed in the past and apply it to the very new world of what we now call Technofossils,” Professor Gabbott said.
“But then, we were asked a really tough question. Will the most amazing technolosil we're leaving behind will be millions (or billions) now?”
“There are so many candidates comparable to wind turbines because of the 'the strangest human fossil of all time.' ”
“For example, there are countless different shapes that a pair of Y fronts can take when pressed within a layer (and explores a very specific question in the book).”
“There are some very distinctive, and very hard fossil smoke particles that come out of our power plants.”
“There are strange stories of tea bags, chicken feathers, non-stick frying pans, instantaneous patterns of silicon chips, copper wire that wraps around the world.”
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Sarah Gabot and Jan Zarashivich. 2025. How Technorosil becomes our ultimate legacy. OUP Oxford
ah. The internet is a vast reservoir of fury, tribalism, and all the porn in human history. Like many, I find myself drawn to the internet, particularly social media. Every night before bed, I often regret spending too much time interacting with others when I could have been scrolling alone in my own chaotic nest like a zombie. Here are some internet gems that tickle my funny bone, and hopefully yours too.
Alan Partridge is a comedic genius with layers upon layers of stupidity and complexity, a quintessentially British character. Watch him in this interview with Jonathan Ross as he shamelessly promotes his book, “I, Partridge.”
Personal highlight: “I think you can count the number of friends I have in the industry with thumbs and toes…or one hand finger…not including thumbs… I have four.”
Johnny Vegas’s stand-up routines are raw and unapologetically funny, pushing boundaries and challenging audiences. His unique style sets him apart in the world of comedy, a breath of fresh air in today’s politically correct environment.
Eddie Murphy’s James Brown impression is not only spot-on but seamlessly weaved into his stand-up routine. His ability to convey humor without words in his impersonation is truly remarkable, showcasing his comedic genius.
These sketches never fail to entertain, whether as a teenager or an adult. Kayvan Novak’s talent in voice modulation and improvisation is truly impressive, making for top-notch comedy.
This character-based interview format with Caroline Aherne’s Mrs. Merton is a comedic gem. Her ability to deliver cutting questions with a soft demeanor is both smart and entertaining.
A guilty pleasure meme, “Thanks, Rachel” captures the humor in an everyday situation of charger theft, delivering pure and unfiltered emotions in a hilariously relatable way.
While not traditionally funny, Bo Burnham’s “Chicken” offers a unique perspective on the relationship between comedy, performance, and happiness.
“Chicken” explores the pursuit of comedy through a simple yet profound narrative about a chicken crossing the road, leaving viewers to ponder the essence of comedic endeavor.
Paleontologists working in northern Patagonia, Argentina, have excavated fossils of a small Rinconsaurus titanosaurus, a previously unknown species.
Chadititan Kalboy. Image credit: Gabriel Rio.
The newly discovered dinosaurs roamed the globe during the late Cretaceous period, about 78 million years ago.
It has been named Chadititan Kalboythe ancient species belong to the Argentine Titanosaurus group Rinconsora.
“Rinconsen Auria was first established in 2007 with the aim of incorporating the genus. Rinconsaurus and Muirensaur“The “Bernardino Rivadavia” of Argentino de Ciencias Natures and the “Felix de Azara” of Fandacion de Historia Natural, said Dr. Federico Agnolin, a fellow paleontologist.
“This clade contains a tiny Titanosaurus, elongated, lightly constructed – less than 11 m in length.
According to researchers, Chadititan Kalboy It was a very small, Rinconsaurus Titanosaurus constructed of gracyl.
“Compared to the length of the femur Bonatitanestimated body length Chadititan It could be estimated to be about 7 m in length,” they said.
“The new Titanosaurus shows that the Rinconsau factions are characterized by a different physique than other Titanosaurus.
Fossilized bones from several individuals Chadititan Kalboy Fossils found in new areas of Analecto Layer Near General Roca City in the Rio Negro province of Argentina.
“The new area is located within Marine Family Farm, close to the Pasocordoba area, 10km southwest of the city of Loca,” the scientist said.
“The area consists of scattered bad lands and low hills separating the eastern edge of the lowlands of “Salinity Moreno.” ”
“They produced numerous fossil specimens despite their relatively small outcrop size.”
“It's worth mentioning that there is no single osteoderm from Chadititan Kalboy It was discovered in this area,” they added.
“We can assume that these Titanosaurs are absent because no osteoderms were found in connection with other Rinconsenserurs.”
In addition to Chadititan Kalboythe authors unearthed new assemblages of invertebrates and vertebrate fossils.
The collection includes gulfish, lungfish, turtles, crocodile parents, dinosaurs, snails and beetles deposited in small ponds surrounded by dunes and palm trees.
The team revealed the first fossil record of Neocyclotidae (a family of tropical land snails) and the first incontroversial record of Sabrinid genus Reptinariaa kind of small tropical air-breathing land snail.
“In addition to ” Chadititan KalboyFossils identifying mollusks, fish and turtles enrich our understanding of this ancient ecosystem and expand our knowledge of life in Patagonia near the end of the dinosaur era.”
“Just looking at the presence or absence of species in the area can suggest what makes the environment unique.”
“In this case, the rarity of turtle-rich turtles and crocodiles compared to regions in Europe and North America during this period further emphasizes how Patagonia's ecosystems differ when the continent drifted during the Cretaceous period.”
“One of the most prominent aspects of the discovered fauna is its overwhelming freshwater turtle abundance, accounting for more than 90% of the recovered fossils.”
“This high proportion is very rare. Turtles rarely make up more than 50% of fauna, like in joint locales in North America and Europe,” added Dr. Agnolin.
Team's paper Published in the journal Revista Del Museo Argentino Ciencias Naturales.
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Federico L. Agnoline et al. 2024. A description of a new fossil region from the Anagre Formation (Late Cretaceous, Campanian) from northern Patagonia, a new Titanosaurus. Pastor Argentina cienc. nut 26(2): 217-259; doi: 10.22179/revmacn.26.885
The scientist is White Oak (Quercus alba), a rich forest tree species in eastern North America of ecological, cultural and economic importance.
Quercus alba Individual sequences of genome assemblies growing at Star Hill Farm in Loretto, Kentucky, USA. Image credit: D. Larson.
“The Oaks are an important member of many ecosystems around the world,” said a researcher at the University of Tennessee. Meg Staton And a colleague.
“In eastern North America, white oak is a keystone species and is one of the most abundant forest trees across its range.”
“In addition to its ecological and cultural importance, white oak has a very economic importance, including many high value material applications and the main species used in barrel styles for the aging of distilled spirits. It's there.”
“However, few studies have addressed the diversity of white oak genomes. The lack of available genetic and genomic resources now creates barriers to fostering understanding of white oak biology and evolutionary history. It's presenting it.”
In their study, the authors sequenced individual genomes of white oak from a forest near Loretto, Kentucky, USA.
They found that this oak species has a high genetic diversity, many of which preceded divergence from other oaks, and likely could affect divergence time estimates .
“The White Oak genome represents a major new resource for studying genome diversity and evolution. Quercus” said Dr. Staton.
“Also, unbiased gene annotations are key to accurately assessing the evolution of R (disease-resistant) genes. Quercus. ”
“Our paper addresses the degree of genetic diversity and population differentiation in white oaks and how gene content and disease resistance genes evolved. Quercus Related species. ”
The authors say that the amount of standing genetic variation and the degree to which the population is regionally adapted will affect the response of white oaks and other oak species to increasingly common heat and drought stress. It points out.
“The details are interesting for those who are invested in the sustainability of White Oak, across economic, ecological and cultural boundaries,” they said.
Drew A. Larson et al. Haplotype-degradated reference genomes Quercus alba It sheds light on the history of orc evolution. New BotanistPublished online on February 11th, 2025. doi: 10.1111/nph.20463
In the quest for clean energy and a shift away from fossil fuels, scientists may have uncovered new sources of power, potentially hidden in our mountains. A team of researchers from Germany has identified a vast reservoir of hydrogen gas, generated by rocks formed millions of years ago, through advanced simulations.
This discovery is significant as hydrogen (H2) as a power source does not emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, making it a more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. Additionally, the production of hydrogen results in water instead of harmful emissions. However, the challenge lies in the fact that natural hydrogen production is rare, with the current synthetic production relying on fossil fuels.
The main hurdle in hydrogen production is sourcing it naturally. While geological processes can generate natural hydrogen without the need for fossil fuels, the availability of large accessible reserves remains uncertain. The recent study conducted by German researchers could potentially address this issue.
“We may be on the brink of a new era in natural hydrogen exploration,” said Dr. Frank Zworn, the lead author of the study published in the journal Advances in Science. “This could pave the way for a new natural hydrogen industry.”
Researchers at the GFZ Helmholtz Center for Geosciences in Germany utilized simulations of plate tectonic processes to identify a substantial reserve of natural hydrogen.
Natural hydrogen can be generated through various methods, such as bacterial transformation of organic matter or the splitting of water molecules due to radioactivity in the Earth’s crust. However, one of the most promising natural methods involves a geological process known as “serpentinization,” where rocks from the Earth’s mantle react with water to release H2 gas.
According to researchers, when these hydrogen-rich rocks are situated near the Earth’s surface, they can create potential zones for large-scale hydrogen production via excavation. These rocks are brought closer to the surface through processes such as continental rifting and mountain formation over millions of years.
As the crustal plates collide and create mountains, deep mantle rocks push up to the surface of the Earth. ‘Hot spots’ of hydrogen gas were identified where these rocks surfaced. – Image credit: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 USGS/ESEU Frankswaan edition, GFZ
By analyzing two processes, researchers determined that mountain formation offers ideal conditions for hydrogen generation. The combination of cold environments in mountains and increased water circulation could enhance hydrogen levels significantly. Simulations showed that rocks emerging through mountain formations have 20 times the hydrogen capacity compared to those brought to the surface via continental rifting.
Signs of natural hydrogen production have already been observed in mountainous regions such as the Pyrenees, European Alps, and Balkans. The research team anticipates that their findings will inspire further exploration of natural hydrogen in these areas and other mountainous regions.
Professor Sasha Brune, the head of the geodynamic modeling section at GFZ, emphasized the economic prospects tied to natural hydrogen. He stated, “It is now crucial to delve deeper into the migration pathways of microbial ecosystems that consume hydrogen, both shallow and deep, and to gain a better understanding of where potential hydrogen reservoirs can be formed.”
Paleontologists have excavated fossilized remains of two Jurassic bird species in the area of Zenge County, Fujian Province, southeastern China. These 149 million-year-old fossils exhibit early appearances of highly derived bird characteristics, and together with fossils of another bird from the same region, they have the early origins of the birds and the early Jurassic. It suggests bird radiation.
“Birds are the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates,” says Professor Min Wang. Paleontology and Paleontology of Vertebrates The Chinese Academy of Sciences and colleagues said in a statement.
“Specific macroevolutionary studies suggest that their early diversification dates back to the Jurassic period.”
“However, the earliest evolutionary history of birds has long been obscure by highly fragmented fossil records. Archeopteryx Being the only widely accepted Jurassic bird. ”
“nevertheless Archeopteryx It was closely similar, especially due to its distinctive long reptile tail, as it had feathered wings. This is in stark contrast to the short-tailed morphology of modern and Cretaceous birds. ”
“Recent research questions about Aviaran's status. Archeopteryx classifies it as a deinonychosaurian dinosaur, a sister group of birds. ”
“This raises the question of whether there is a clear record of Jurassic birds.”
In their new study, Professor Wang and co-authors discovered and investigated two early bird fossils that were part of the so-called Zhenghe Biota.
One of these birds named Baminornis Zhenghensis the earliest known short-tailed bird.
“Baminornis Zhenghensis The end of the short tail in a complex bone called Pygostyle is a characteristic that can also be observed in living birds,” the paleontologist said.
“Previously, the oldest record of short-tailed birds was from the early Cretaceous period.”
“Baminornis Zhenghensis It is the only Jurassic and the oldest short-tailed bird ever discovered, pushing back the appearance of this derivative bird's distinctive features for nearly 20 million years. ”
According to the team, Baminornis Zhenghensis It also represents one of the oldest known birds.
“A step back and reconsidering the uncertainty of the phylogenetics Archeopteryx we don’t doubt it Baminornis Zhenghensis said Dr. Zhonghe Zhou of the Institute for Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The second unnamed bird is represented by a single fossilized fullcula (wishbone).
“Our results support this introduction to Furcula ornithuromorpha a diverse group of Cretaceous birds,” the researchers said.
Team's work It was published in the journal today Nature.
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R. Chen et al. 2025. The first short-tailed bird from the late late Jurassic period in China. Nature 638, 441-448; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08410-z
Manipulating neuron types can make snacks more likely to resist
5M3Photos/Getty Images
Neurons in the mouse brain tell them to stop eating when they have enough food. And since people probably have the same cells, they may one day manipulate them to help treat obesity.
“The main question we were trying to answer was how our brains sense and respond to different signals.” Alexander Nectau At Columbia University in New York.
To learn more, he and his colleagues used a kind of molecular profiling to distinguish between different cell types in the mouse brain. In the dorsal trunk nucleus, part of the brainstem associated with functions such as feeding, mood, and sleep, we encountered cells that produce a hormone called cholecystokinin, which helps regulate appetite.
To study what these cells feel to make them work, researchers measured their activity as mice spent the day. “Every time an animal eats a bite, activity has risen and then it has become corrupted,” says Nectow. “These neurons sense and use information such as food smells and sights, food tastes, food sensations in the intestines, and neurohormones released in response to intestinal foods and so on. You can actually finish your meal.
Next, researchers used a technique called optogenetics. This involves engineering neurons so that they can turn them on and off with light. The mice slowed their diet when they used light to activate them. The more intense the activation, the slower and stopped the animal.
Neurons sit in the brainstem and are similar ancestor characteristics across vertebrates, so Nectow probably thinks we have them too. “We didn’t confirm that, but my guess is that humans have these neurons.”
The team also discovered that mouse neurons can be activated by compounds called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists. Brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
If these neurons have the same function in people, theoretically, they can either control the feeding habits of obese people or combine this approach with GLP-1-based drugs to increase greater weight loss. They can be adjusted to achieve, says Nectau.
“Understanding the circuits governing meal halts is particularly important in an environment of near-ubiquitous food availability,” he says. Jeff Davis At Swansea University, UK. “The authors used elegant methods to identify these important cell populations.”
Small rocks in the universe revealed that life on earth could have come from asteroids. And life outside of earth suggests that we are one step closer than we thought.
A bold NASA mission known as OSIRIS-REX five years ago The Bennu asteroid is on a course close to colliding with earth, and in the process, it will grab a small sample. A small capsule, containing 120 grams (4 ounces) of asteroid material, landed in the Utah Desert in late 2023.
Since then, scientists have been eagerly waiting to hear the contents of the capsule. Currently, scientists have confirmed that the asteroid contains not only organic matter but also all the components that make up DNA.
Sample return capsules from NASA’s OSIRIS-REX mission are found immediately after landing in the Utah Desert on September 24, 2023. Photo Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
Bennu, currently orbiting close to the earth, is an ancient fragment of our solar system, with its parent asteroid formed about 4.5 billion years ago.
“We now know from Bennu that the ingredients of life are really interesting and complicated,” said Dr. Tim McCoy, the MET stone curator at the National Natural History Museum in the United States and co-leader of new papers.
“We have found the next step on the road to life.”
The breakthroughs suggest that life was formed on earth after asteroid collisions, but this process also occurs throughout the universe, whether through parent bodies or other asteroid collisions. It suggests a new beginning.
How can Bennu help in forming life?
The most important discovery is that Bennu seems to host “Brinny Bros,” which allows minerals and salts to mix. This compound developed into complex structures that form essential ingredients of life.
Researchers suggest that saltwater outside of earth may be an essential environment for birthing organic compounds throughout the universe, including on earth. In addition to the potential of water, these saltwater environments can facilitate prebiotic organic synthesis processes, where building blocks for life can come together.
Surprisingly, the absence of liquid water plays a vital role here. While liquid water is essential for life, chemical reactions needed to form complex structures require a loss of water in the process.
So what mixture forms this life?
The survey results will be published in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy. Researchers around the world analyzed a small part of the sample using an electron microscope, enabling inspection at a resolution equal to a human hair.
“It may seem natural to think that earth, hosting life, has the most widespread collection of organic materials in the solar system,” said Dr. Douglas Vacoc, Research Organization Messaging President of METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence), to BBC Science Focus.
The first museum exhibit of a sample from the Bennu Asteroid was announced at the National Natural History Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in the United States. This is a rock-filled fragment with mass. Photo Credit: James di Loret and Philip R. Lee, Smithsonian
The impressive asteroid collection contains 14 of the 20 amino acids found in all living organisms (protein building blocks), including individual non-protein amino acids not known or existing in known biology. The sample also contains all five nucleic bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, uracil) that form the code of DNA and RNA.
“There are no signs that Bennu’s amino acids were created by living organisms, but as we know, some essential building blocks for life are abundant on this asteroid,” Vacoch said.
How close are we to “life”?
Researchers have yet to understand the complex structure formed at Bennu’s core upon impact.
“We now have a basic building block moving along this path, but how far along this process can progress is unknown,” they said.
It’s not clear if Bennu’s conditions can advance to the next stage of biological evolution.
“Amino acids alone are not enough for life,” said Professor Lewis Dartnell to BBC Science Focus. “These acids need to bond into long chains to start protein production or bind to DNA. The next step in the origin of life requires not just building blocks but assembling these blocks.”
“To create life, these building blocks must begin the production of molecules like proteins and DNA, forming them into cells,” he added.
What is needed beyond organic molecules and water to reach this point? “The missing elements are energy sources like photosynthesis or chemical energy,” said Dartnell. “Additionally, a long period is required to move from simple amino acids to proteins, DNA, cells, and life spans.”
A scanning electron microscope image of carbonated sodium venous in Bennu’s sample – Photo Credit: Rob Wandel, Tim Gooding, and Tim McCoy, Smithsonian
This discovery represents a significant leap in understanding Bennu’s nature.
“By examining Bennu’s chemical composition, we have found clues to its origins and recent discoveries point to its roots in the outer solar system,” said Vacoch.
Bennu’s contents may set a new baseline for exploring other cosmic bodies. The sample was meticulously preserved before analysis, ensuring the integrity of the salt content.
“There is no substitute for traveling to asteroids, collecting pristine samples, and returning them to an Earth research institute,” Vacoch stated. “OSIRIS-REX serves as proof of profound discoveries from sample return missions.”
If the fragments had fallen to earth on their own, the salt content would have been disrupted in the earth’s atmosphere. But with this knowledge, McCoy and his colleagues may find evidence of this saltwater in existing MET stone collections.
“This is like finding what you were looking for on a mission,” McCoy said. “We have found something unexpected. It’s the best reward for all kinds of exploration.”
About our experts
Dr. Douglas Vacoch, President of the Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI), is a research and educational organization that sends signals to nearby stars. He is a member of the International Space Law Research Institute and serves as a general editor for Springer’s Space and Society series.
Professor Lewis Dartnell is a Professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster, specializing in space biology and the exploration of microbial life on Mars. He is the author of Origin: How Earth Created Us and The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch.
Read more:
10 future space missions I’m looking forward to
What do aliens actually look like?
These four signs of alien technology may lead us beyond earth
“tuber “It is a genus of ectomycorrhizal fungi that produces paragenic fruiting bodies known as truffles,” said lead author Dr. Gregory Bonito of Michigan State University and colleagues.
“Many tuber The seeds are well known for their unique aroma and wide range of culinary uses. ”
“Like many other truffle-forming fungi, tuber The species lost the ability to forcefully release spores into the air and instead relied primarily on fungivores to ingest and distribute the spores. ”
“Mycivores such as porcupines, squirrels, pigs, and humans… tuber Sensitive to volatile compounds produced by truffles. ”
One of two new species, Tuber crable veratumis named after the truffle dog and Monza, the dog who discovered it with trainer Lois Martin.
The other is tuber cumberlandensis named after the Cumberland Plateau where it was discovered by Margaret Townsend and her truffle dog, Luca.
“There is a long history of using specially trained dogs, and less frequently pigs, to track the scent of truffles. tuber “In the wild,” the researchers said.
“Truffle hunting dogs are also regularly used for commercial truffle harvesting, as they can find consistently mature truffles faster than other methods such as raking.”
“Raking the soil to find and harvest truffles can have a devastating effect on both the roots and ascus of the plant host.”
“It could also lead to the harvesting of immature truffles.”
“However, a well-trained truffle hunting dog will always find mature truffles, reducing harvest effort and maximizing harvest quality.”
“As such, the use of truffle dogs to harvest commercial truffles has become the standard method used by truffle growers around the world.”
meanwhile Tuber crable veratum It is only known in eastern Tennessee, USA. tuber cumberlandens It has been opportunistically harvested for commercial sale from orchards in eastern North America.
“Historically, attention has been focused on the cultivation and sale of European truffle species, but there is increasing interest in the cultivation, wild harvesting and sale of North American truffle species,” Dr. Bonito added. .
“More and more people are trying their hand at growing truffles, which means more truffle dogs are needed to sniff out these fungal fruits because they grow underground.”
“If you have $20,000 worth of truffles growing underground, you have to find them before they rot. That's why dogs are so important.”
This finding is reported in the following article: paper in diary mycosis.
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Arasan Sou others. 2024. tuber cumberlandens and T. cannileveratumtwo new edibles tuber A species of eastern North America discovered by truffle hunting dogs. mycosis 116 (6);doi: 10.1080/00275514.2024.2407755
Ion traps can control atoms for quantum experiments
Y. Colomb/National Institute of Standards and Technology/Scientific Photo Library
After decades of investigation, researchers observed a series of atoms undergoing a one-dimensional phase change. This was so elusive that it could only happen in a quantum simulator.
“There is only one motive [for our experiment] I'm trying to really understand basic physics. “We're just trying to understand the fundamental states that matter can be in,” he says. alexander shuckardt at the University of Maryland.
He and his colleagues used electromagnetic fields to arrange 23 ions of the element ytterbium in a line, forming a nearly one-dimensional chain. The device can be used for quantum computing, but in this case the researchers used the chain as a simulator instead.
In it, they built a 1D ytterbium magnet one atom at a time. Previous calculations predicted that this type of magnet would become unmagnetized when warmed, thanks to quantum effects. However, no experiments have achieved this phase transition in the past.
One reason for the difficulty is that systems such as quantum computers and simulators typically only work properly when they are very cold. So heating them to cause a phase transition can cause them to malfunction, Schuckert says.
To get around this, he and his colleagues tuned the initial quantum state of the atoms so that over time, the collective state of the 1D magnet changes as if the temperature were increased. This revealed a phase transition that had never been seen before.
The result is very unusual, he says, because chains of atoms are generally not supposed to undergo phase transitions. Mohammad Maghrebi at Michigan State University. The researchers were able to manipulate it precisely because each ion could interact with other ions over large distances, even if they weren't in contact. This caused the entire line to engage in abnormal collective behavior.
Because their simulator allows for such exotic states of matter, it could be used to study theoretical systems that are extremely rare or may not exist in nature, Maghrebi said. say.
Schuckert suggests that quantum simulators could also help explain the strange electrical or magnetic behavior that some materials exhibit in the real world. But for that to happen, these devices will have to be able to reach higher temperatures than they currently do. Currently, researchers can only create models at extremely low temperatures, but within five years it may be possible to simulate even higher temperatures, he says.
And if the simulator could be made larger, for example by arranging ions in two-dimensional arrays, many more existing theoretical systems could be studied, he says. andrea trombettoni at the University of Trieste, Italy. “This would suggest new physics to explore,” he says.
WASP-132 is a unique multiplanet system in that both the inner rocky planet and the newly discovered outer giant planet are in a system that includes a hot Jupiter planet. This suggests that hot Jupiter migrated via a rare dynamically cooled mechanism and helps further our understanding of how hot Jupiter systems form and evolve. .
The WASP-132 system includes hot Jupiter (in the foreground), an inner super-Earth (passing in front of the orange host star), and the cold planet WASP-132d. Image credit: Thibaut Roger, University of Geneva.
A hot Jupiter is a planet with a mass similar to Jupiter, but it orbits closer to its star than Mercury, which orbits the Sun.
Because there is not enough gas or dust for these giant planets to form where they are observed, the established theory is that they originate far from their stars and are not planets. They move inward as the system evolves.
Until now, it was thought that hot Jupiter was orbiting the star alone, as other planets in the system were ejected as it moved toward the star.
Two extra planets in the WASP-132 planetary system now cast doubt on this theory.
“The WASP-132 system is an excellent laboratory for studying the formation and evolution of multiplanetary systems,” said Dr. François Bouchy, an astronomer at the Geneva Observatory.
“The discovery of hot Jupiters alongside inner super-Earths and distant giants challenges our understanding of the formation and evolution of these systems.”
“This is the first time I have observed such a configuration.”
Hot Jupiter WASP-132b orbits its parent star every 7.1 days. Super Earth WASP-132c orbits the star in just 24 hours and 17 minutes.
The newly discovered ice giant, named WASP-132d, will orbit its host star for five years.
Dr David Armstrong from the University of Warwick said: “Finding planets inside the hot interior of Jupiter is particularly rare, so the detection of an inner super-Earth was exciting.”
“We conducted an intensive campaign using state-of-the-art instruments to characterize its mass, density and composition, revealing a planet with a similar density to Earth.”
“The discovery of this planet adds further complexity to the WASP-132 system, as the movement of hot Jupiter towards the host star due to dynamic perturbations destabilizes the orbits of the other two planets.”
“This suggests a more stable, ‘cooler’ migration path for hot Jupiter in the protoplanetary disk that surrounds young stars and is the site of planet formation.”
Regarding this discovery, paper Published in today’s magazine astronomy and astrophysics.
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nolan greaves others. 2025. Discovery of a cold giant planet and measurement of the mass of a hot super-Earth in the multiplanetary system WASP-132. A&A 693, A144; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202348177
American paleontologists have discovered the fossilized remains of a new species of sauropod dinosaur that lived in the northern hemisphere (Laurasian supercontinent) during the Carnian period of the late Triassic period, about 230 million years ago.
reconstruction of Avaitum banduichethe world's oldest known low-latitude dinosaur species. Image credit: Gabriel Uguet.
Until now, it was thought that dinosaurs originated deep in the high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere (Gondwana supercontinent).
The dinosaur fauna of Gondwana and the earliest dinosaur occurrences in the Northern Hemisphere (Laurasian supercontinent) were separated by 6 to 10 million years.
However, the newly described Laurasia species lived at the same time as the oldest known southern dinosaurs.
named Avaitum banduicheThis sauropod is the oldest known Laurasian dinosaur.
“Avaitum banduiche Dr. Dave Loveless of the University of Wisconsin Museum of Geology and his colleagues found that “Dinosaurs lived in Laurasia during or shortly after a period of huge climate change known as the Carnian Plug, which previously led to the diversification of dinosaur species. “It was involved in the early stages of.” .
“The climate at the time was much wetter than before, turning vast, hot desert regions into more hospitable habitats for early dinosaurs.”
Avaitum banduiche It was about 1 meter (3 feet) long from head to tail.
“Avaitum banduiche “It's basically the size of a chicken, but it has a very long tail,” Dr. Lovelace said.
“We think of dinosaurs as giant behemoths, but they didn't start out that way.”
fossil remains are Avaitum banduiche It was discovered in 2013 at Garrett's Surprise (named after Garrett Johnson, the undergraduate field assistant who discovered the locality), a small outcrop of the Popo Aggie Formation in Wyoming.
“These fossils reveal the world's oldest equatorial dinosaur, which is also the oldest North American dinosaur,” Dr. Loveless said.
At the same Garrett's Surprise site, paleontologists also discovered fossilized bones of dinosaur-like creatures called silesaurids.
“The presence of early low-latitude sauropods from the Northern Hemisphere, along with silesaurids, 230 million years ago casts doubt on the hypothesis that the dispersal of dinosaurs from high-latitude Gondwana was delayed.” the researchers said.
“These data fill a critical gap in the early record of the evolution of sauropod dinosaurs and demonstrate a wide geographic distribution from mid-to-late Carnian times.”
their result will appear in Zoological journal of the Linnean Society.
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David M. Lovelace others. 2025. Rethinking the origins of dinosaurs: The oldest known equatorial dinosaur population (Mid-Late Carnian Popo Aggie FM, Wyoming, USA). Zoological journal of the Linnean Society 203 (1): zlae153;doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae153
Misena Crocata is a long-known bacterial species that has been frequently reported from Europe and Japan, but until now it was thought that it did not emit light.
heintzelman others. report evidence of bioluminescence in Misena Crocata And we show that the genome of this species is fully populated with genes related to fungal bioluminescence. Image credit: Heintzelman others., doi: 10.47371/mycosci.2024.03.001.
Misena Crocata It is a species of fungus Misena It is known in Europe, North Africa, Asia, and North America.
It occurs primarily in fallen beech leaves and woody debris, but occasionally in other hardwoods such as oak, ash, alder, and birch.
Misena CrocataThe fruiting bodies of this plant appear from summer to autumn, so they can be easily identified.
It reaches a height of 5-15 cm, has a narrow stalk and exhibits a characteristic color gradation from bright orange at the base to red and pale yellow or cream at the top.
In addition, yellow-red or orange-red stains may be present on the whitish gills.
But most impressively, Misena Crocata When cut, it oozes a distinctive saffron red sap. This is reflected in the common name Saffron Drop Bonnet Mushroom and the Latin epithet of the species. Kurokata It means saffron color.
evidence of bioluminescence Misena Crocata It was discovered by Zurich-based artists Heidi Bagenstos and Andreas Rudolph.
“We wanted to show that bioluminescent mushrooms exist in Swiss forests and that you don't have to travel far to find them,” Bagenstos said.
“One evening, as I was walking through the Albisrieden forest near Zurich, I saw a green light shining through my camera.”
“The bioluminescence of fungi can be so weak that it cannot be seen with the naked eye.”
Bagenstos, Rudolf and Dr. Renate Heintzelmann from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forestry, Snow and Landscape Research further investigated the large collection. Misena Crocata.
They investigated the bioluminescent properties of its fruiting bodies and mycelium using digital imaging and photomultiplier tubes.
Furthermore, they captured the bioluminescence spectrum emitted by the species and confirmed the presence of bioluminescence-related genes in its genome.
“Light measurements show that the fruiting bodies Misena CrocataThe mycelium showed the most bioluminescence, except for the base of the stalk, which was non-luminescent,” the researchers explained.
“As a result, the rotten trees Misena Crocata The mature wood also emits a green glow when split, which lasts up to 4 hours before the wood dries. ”
“When we grew pure mycelial cultures under optimal conditions, they remained bioluminescent for up to 164 days.”
According to the authors, the ecological role of bioluminescence in fungi remains a mystery.
“For some fungal species with intensely luminescent fruiting bodies, bioluminescence may attract arthropods at night, which may facilitate spore dispersal,” the researchers said.
“The spores of Misena Seeds are usually dispersed by wind and in species that do not have luminescent fruiting bodies. Misena CrocataBioluminescence probably plays another, but as yet unknown, role. ”
“As a result of our research, we conclude that it is very likely that there are others that may be more familiar. Misena It is a species whose bioluminescent properties are yet to be discovered,” they added.
“As a result, existing studies of fungal bioluminescence may underestimate the frequency of bioluminescence in mysenoid lineages.”
“In the absence of clear evidence for the absence of bioluminescence, further studies on the evolution of luminescence within the mysenoid lineage are recommended to validate the luminescent properties of putative non-luminescent species.”
a paper The survey results were published in a magazine mycoscience.
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Renate Heintzelman others. 2024. Many bioluminescent Misena An overlooked species? – Case study from M. crocata In Switzerland. mycoscience 65 (4): 173-179;doi: 10.47371/mycosci.2024.03.001
A team of scientists has unveiled a baby mammoth that has been almost perfectly preserved for 50,000 years in the thawing permafrost of eastern Siberia.
Anatoly Nikolayev, head of the Lazarev Mammoth Museum Laboratory at Northeastern Federal University in Yakutsk, eastern Siberia, described the mammoth as a “unique research discovery” and highlighted its extraordinary state of preservation. He mentioned that there were no signs of injury to the head, torso, ears, or mouth.
NEFU scientists called the mammoth, named Yana, the best-preserved specimen in the world in a press release on Monday.
The carcass of the baby mammoth Yana was unveiled after its discovery in the Yana River basin in eastern Siberia, marking the seventh baby mammoth found in the world. It is 4 feet tall, weighs around 400 pounds, and is less than 6.6 feet long.
Maxim Cheprasov, head of the university’s Mammoth Museum, expressed that the discovery of Yana is expected to provide valuable insights into mammoth development, adaptive characteristics, Ice Age habitats, and other essential aspects of mammoth life.
Yana was found by local residents in the Batagaika Crater, the world’s largest permafrost crater, as it continues to expand due to climate change.
Researchers Gavril Novgorodov and Erel Struchkov pose next to the remains of a baby mammoth discovered in June. Gavril Novgorodov/Reuters file
The mammoth was estimated to be about 1 year old at the time of its death. Scientists at the Lazarev Mammoth Museum Research Institute are currently conducting further experiments to confirm Yana’s exact age at the time of its death.
The institute is collaborating with genetic researchers from other parts of the Russian Federation to gain more insights into Yana’s life and environment.
Due to climate change, Russia’s permafrost is thawing, leading to surprising prehistoric discoveries in recent years.
In 2020, scientists in Yakutia in northeastern Siberia uncovered a 32,000-year-old saber-toothed tiger mummy. The following year, in 2021, researchers found a 44,000-year-old wolf carcass in the same area.
Paleontologists have discovered a new species of early gorgonopsian therapsid that was part of the ancient summer humid biome of equatorial Pangea.
Recreating the life of the Gorgonopsians of Mallorca in a floodplain environment. Image credit: Henry Sutherland Sharpe.
Therapsids were a major component of Permian terrestrial ecosystems around the world, eventually giving rise to mammals in the early Mesozoic Era.
However, little is currently known about when and where it originated.
“Therapsids are a diverse and ecologically successful clade of tetrapods, of which the modern representatives are mammals,” says paleontologist at the Museum of Science and Nature in Barea and the Paleontological Institute of Catalonia. said Dr. Rafel Matamares and colleagues.
“The roots of this clade date back to the late Paleozoic era, when non-mammalian therapsids were important components of terrestrial ecosystems.”
“The oldest distinct therapsids known to date were Laranimus dashankoensisprobably from the Rhodian (Late Middle Permian) deposits of Central East Asia.
“However, phylogenetic analyzes consistently show that therapsids are a sister group to the pterosaur ‘perisaurian’ class monoapsids, which originated in Pennsylvania (about 320 million years ago). It suggests that
“This implies a long lineage of therapsid ghosts spanning about 40 million years.”
The newly discovered therapsid is the oldest of its kind, and possibly the oldest therapsid ever discovered.
This dog-like saber-toothed animal does not yet have a species name, but it belongs to a group of therapsids called gorgonopsids.
“Gorgonopsids are more closely related to mammals than to other modern animals,” said Dr. Ken Angielczyk, a paleontologist at the Field Museum.
“They have no modern descendants and are not our direct ancestors, but they are related to species that were our direct ancestors.”
“The oldest known gorgonopsids lived about 265 million years ago, but the newer fossils date from 270 to 280 million years ago.”
“This is probably the oldest chrysophyte on Earth,” said Dr. Josep Fortuny, a paleontologist at the Miquel Crusafont Catalan Institute of Paleontology.
This fossil was discovered on the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea. However, during the time of the Gorgonopsians, Mallorca was part of the supercontinent Pangea.
“The amount of bone remains is surprising,” Dr. Matamares said.
“We found everything from fragments of skulls, vertebrae and ribs to a very well-preserved femur.”
“In fact, when we started this excavation, we did not expect to find so many fossils of this type of animal in Mallorca.”
“If you saw this animal walking down the street, you would think it would look a little like a medium-sized dog, maybe about the size of a husky, but that’s not entirely true,” says Dr. Angielczyk.
“It didn’t have any fur, and it probably didn’t have dog ears.”
“But this is the oldest animal with long, blade-like canine teeth that scientists have ever discovered.”
“These saber-like teeth suggest that this gorgonopsid was the top predator of its time.”
The fact that this gorgonopsian is tens of millions of years older than its closest relatives has changed scientists’ understanding of the evolutionary time of therapsids, key milestones to the emergence of mammals, and, by extension, where we came from. It tells us something about Tanoka.
“Before the age of dinosaurs, there was the age of our ancient mammalian relatives,” Dr. Angielczyk said.
“Most of those ancient mammal relatives looked nothing like what we think of as mammals today.”
“But they were really diverse and had different ecological roles.”
“This new fossil discovery is another piece of the puzzle of how mammals evolved.”
This finding is reported in the following article: paper Published in a magazine nature communications.
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R. Matamares-Andrew others. 2024. Early-Middle Permian Mediterranean gorgonopsids suggest an equatorial origin for therapsids. Nat Commune 15, 10346; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-54425-5
Physicists are Alice Collaboration. Evidence of antihyperhelium-4 has been seen for the first time at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Antihyperhelium-4 consists of two antiprotons, an antineutron, and an antilambda. New results are also the first evidence of the heaviest antimatter hypernuclear still at the LHC.
Illustration of the production of antihyperhelium-4 in a lead-lead collision. Image credit: AI-assisted J. Ditzel.
Collisions between heavy ions at the LHC created quark-gluon plasma, a hot, dense state of matter that is thought to have filled the universe about a millionth of a second after the Big Bang.
Heavy ion collisions also create conditions suitable for the production of atomic nuclei, exotic hypernuclei, and their antimatter counterparts, antinuclei and antihypernuclei.
Measuring these forms of matter is important for a variety of purposes, including helping to understand the formation of hadrons from quarks and gluons, the building blocks of plasma, and the matter-antimatter asymmetry seen in the modern universe.
Hypernuclei are exotic atomic nuclei formed by a mixture of protons, neutrons, and hyperons, the latter of which are unstable particles containing one or more strange types of quarks.
More than 70 years after their discovery in cosmic rays, hypernuclei continue to be a source of fascination for physicists. This is because hypernuclei are rarely found in nature and are difficult to create and study in the laboratory.
Collisions of heavy ions produce large numbers of hypernuclei, and until recently, the lightest hypernuclei, hypertriton (composed of protons, neutrons, and lambda), and its antimatter partner, antihypertriton, have been observed.
Following recent observations of antihyperhydrogen-4, ALICE physicists have detected antihyperhelium-4.
This result has a significance of 3.5 standard deviations and is also the first evidence of the heaviest antimatter hypernucleus ever at the LHC.
The ALICE measurements are based on lead-lead collision data taken in 2018 at an energy of 5.02 teraelectronvolts (TeV) for each colliding pair of nucleons (protons and neutrons).
The researchers examined data for the signals of hyperhydrogen-4, hyperhelium-4, and their antimatter partners using machine learning techniques that go beyond traditional hypernuclear search techniques.
Candidates for (anti)hyperhydrogen-4 were identified by looking for an (anti)helium-4 nucleus and a charged pion with which it decays; identified by. -Three atomic nuclei, an (anti)proton, and a charged pion.
In addition to finding evidence for antihyperhelium-4 with a significance of 3.5 standard deviations and evidence for antihyperhydrogen-4 with a significance of 4.5 standard deviations, the ALICE team found that the production yields of both hypernuclei and measured the mass.
“For both hypernuclei, the measured masses are consistent with current global average values,” the scientists said.
“The measured production yields were compared with predictions from a statistical hadronization model that adequately accounts for the formation of hadrons and nuclei in heavy ion collisions.”
“This comparison shows that the model's predictions closely match the data when both the excited hypernuclear state and the ground state are included in the prediction.”
“This result confirms that the statistical hadronization model can also adequately explain the production of hypernuclei, which are compact objects about 2 femtometers in size.”
The authors also determined the antiparticle-to-particle yield ratios for both hypernuclei and found that they agreed within experimental uncertainties.
“This agreement is consistent with ALICE's observation that matter and antimatter are produced equally at LHC energy and further strengthens ongoing research into the matter-antimatter imbalance in the Universe.” concluded.
Meta has disclosed that it intervened this year to stop around 20 covert influence operations globally. However, the company mentioned that concerns regarding AI-based election distortions may not be realized until 2024.
Nick Clegg, the president of international affairs at Meta, which oversees Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, stated that Russia continues to be the main source of hostile online activity. He expressed surprise that AI has not been utilized to deceive voters during recent busy election periods globally.
The former British deputy prime minister mentioned that Meta, with over 3 billion users, utilized AI tools to create images of political figures like Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, J.D. Vance, and Joe Biden last month. Over 500,000 requests for such images had to be removed before the American election day.
Security experts at the company have been dealing with new operations using fake accounts to manipulate public debate toward strategic goals every three weeks. These operations include Russian networks targeting countries like Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
Another operation based in Russia uses AI to create fake news sites resembling well-known brands to weaken support for Ukraine and promote Russia’s role in Africa while criticizing African countries and France.
Mr. Clegg highlighted that Russia remains the most frequent source of covert influence operations disrupted, followed by Iran and China. He noted that the impact of AI-generated deceptive content from disinformation campaigns appears to be limited so far.
While the impact of AI manipulation on video, audio, and photos has been modest, Mr. Clegg warned that these tools are likely to become more pervasive in the future, potentially changing the landscape of online content.
In a recent evaluation, the Center for Emerging Technology and Security suggested that AI-generated deceptive content influenced the US election discourse, but evidence of its impact on the election outcome is lacking. The report warns that AI-based threats could negatively affect democratic systems by 2024.
Sam Stockwell, a researcher at the Alan Turing Institute, highlighted how AI tools may have shaped election discourse and spread harmful content subtly, such as misleading claims and rumors that gained traction during recent elections.
The shadow of the laser beam appears as a horizontal line against a blue background.
Abrahao et al. (2024)
Usually light casts shadows on other objects, but with the help of rubies, laser beams themselves can cast shadows.
When two laser beams interact, they don’t collide like the lightsabers in the movies. star warssay Rafael Abrahao At Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. In real life, they simply pass through each other. But Abrahao and his colleagues discovered a way for one laser beam to block another, causing its shadow to appear.
The key ingredient was ruby cubes. The researchers illuminated the cube with a green laser beam while shining a blue laser from the side. When green light passed through the ruby’s atoms, its properties changed in a unique way, which affected its response to blue light.
Atoms affected by the green light blocked the blue laser light instead of letting it pass, creating a shadow that was exactly the same shape as the green laser beam. Remarkably, the researchers were able to project blue light onto a screen and see this “laser shadow” with the naked eye.
Abrahao says he and his colleagues had a long discussion about whether what they had created was actually worthy of a shadow. Because moving the green laser beam also moved the green laser beam, we were able to see it without special equipment, and we were able to project it onto commonplace objects like markers, so we finally found a positive answer. I made a judgment.
Historically, understanding shadows has been critical to understanding what light can do and how it can be used, and this experiment has added to scientists’ light manipulation toolbox. Add unexpected technology, he says.
thomas kloba Researchers at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany say their experiment used a known process to create an impressive visual demonstration of how materials can help control light. . For example, the interaction between lasers and rubies is similar to the interaction of materials used in laser eye surgery, and if the laser light becomes dangerously strong, it must be able to react by blocking the laser light. yeah.
Research has revealed a new metabolic pathway involving beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB). Previously known as a liver-produced fuel, BHB is now found to be attached to amino acids by the enzyme CNDP2. The most abundant BHB amino acid, N-β-hydroxybutyryl phenylalanine (BHB-Phe), can impact body weight and metabolism in animal models.
Beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) is an abundant ketone body. All BHB metabolic pathways known to date involve the interconversion of BHB and primary energy intermediates. Moya Garzon others. BHB et al. identified a previously undescribed BHB secondary metabolic pathway via CNDP2-dependent enzymatic binding of BHB and free amino acids. Image credit: Moya-Garzon others., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.032.
Mammals have developed intricate nutrient response pathways linking external energy sources with internal metabolic balance.
These pathways involve changes in cellular energy metabolites serving as both fuel sources and downstream regulators.
BHB, a ketone body, is a key example whose levels rise during low carbohydrate conditions like starvation, intermittent fasting, or ketogenic diet.
In a recent study, Professor Yong Xu of Baylor College of Medicine and team investigated how BHB-Phe, the most common BHB amino acid, affects eating habits and body weight in mice.
“Brain neuron groups regulate feeding behavior, so we mapped the brain to identify regions activated by BHB-Phe,” explained Professor Xu.
“BHB-Phe activated neural populations in the hypothalamus and brainstem, suppressing feeding and leading to weight loss.”
In contrast, mice lacking CNDP2 enzyme, deficient in BHB-Phe, ate more and gained weight.
Interestingly, CNDP2 also produces Lac-Phe, a compound discovered earlier by the research team.
“Lac-Phe from exercise can reduce food intake and obesity in mice,” added Professor Xu.
“But do Lac-Phe and BHB-Phe trigger effects by activating the same brain neurons?”
This discovery points to a possible disruption of the BHB-Phe pathway, present in humans, in obesity and other conditions, warranting further research to understand the mechanism.
“This study unveils new prospects,” commented Dr. Jonathan Long from Stanford.
“In the future, using BHB-Phe to promote weight loss without carbohydrate restrictions may be feasible.”
Maria Dolores Moya-Garzon others. The β-hydroxybutyrate shunt pathway produces anti-obesity ketone metabolites. cell published online on November 12, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.032
A gigantic underwater structure off the coast of the tropical Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean has been confirmed to be the world's largest known coral.
A team of scientists and filmmakers visited a remote location in mid-October national geographic The object was so large that I thought it must be the remains of a shipwreck.
However, for underwater cinematographers, Manu Saint Felix Jumping into the water to get a better look, he was surprised by what he saw.
“I completely remember jumping up and looking down, but I was surprised,” he told reporters during a briefing. Instead of a shipwreck, San Felix encountered the largest coral ever discovered. “It's huge,” he said. “It's almost the same size as a cathedral.”
A coral species located a few hundred meters off the east coast of Marauralo Island was identified as this species. Pavona Kraus. At 34 meters wide and 32 meters long, it is larger than a blue whale and is thought to be 300 years old.
He says the discovery was a “happy coincidence”. enric sala of national geographic's Pristine Seas project aims to encourage governments to protect marine ecosystems through exploration and research. This is by far the largest single coral colony ever discovered, easily surpassing this one. previous record holder – giant porphyry A colony with a diameter of 22.4 meters and a height of 8 meters discovered in American Samoa in 2019.
Over the past two years, record sea temperatures have led to a series of coral bleaching events around the world. But Sala says the giant reef is showing signs of bleaching, while other reefs around the Solomon Islands are showing signs of bleaching. P. Cravath The coral looks healthy. It is an important habitat for marine life, providing shelter and food for fish, shrimp, insects and crabs, he says. “It’s like a big patch of old-growth forest.”
However, corals are not immune from ecological threats, including local pollution, overfishing, and global climate change. Sala said he would like to see more marine protected areas (MPAs) established to protect marine life from localized pollution, in parallel with global efforts to combat climate change. . “Protecting coral reefs won't lower water temperatures, and it won't stop oceans from warming,” he says. “We need to fix it, and we need to reduce carbon emissions. But MPAs can help buy us time by making reefs more resilient.”
A pebble with holes excavated from the ruins of Nahal Ein Geb II. Could be an ancient spindle whorl
Laurent Davin
A 12,000-year-old set of perforated pebbles unearthed in northern Israel may be the oldest known hand-spun whorls. This weaving technique may have ultimately helped inspire the invention of the wheel.
The whorl at the bottom of the spindle, which acted as a flywheel, allowed people to efficiently spin natural fibers into yarn and yarn to make clothing and other textiles. Newly discovered stone tools represent early axle-based turning technology, thousands of years before the first carts appeared, researchers say. Talia Yashuv at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
“If you look back at the discovery of the first car wheel 6,000 years ago, it didn't just come out of nowhere,” she says. “It's important to look at the functional evolution of how transportation and wheels have evolved.”
Yashuv and her colleagues leoa grossmanAlso at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, researchers studied 113 partially or fully perforated stones at the site of Nahal Ein Geb II, an ancient village just east of the Sea of Galilee. Archaeologists have been discovering these chalky, primarily limestone artifacts since 1972. It was probably made from raw pebbles found along the nearby shore.
The 3D scan revealed that the hole had been drilled part way from both sides using a flint hand drill, but unlike modern drills, it remained in the shape of a narrow, twisted cone, Yashuf said. says. A hole 3 to 4 centimeters in diameter usually passes through the center of gravity of the pebble.
Drilling holes from both sides would have balanced the stone and made it more stable to rotate, Yaszhu said. Some of the partially perforated stones had off-center holes, suggesting they may have been discarded by mistake.
Yashov said the team suspected that the stones, which weigh an average of 9 grams, would be too heavy and “ugly” to be beads, and too light and fragile to be used as fishing weights. Their size, shape, and balance around the hole led researchers to believe that these artifacts were spindle-like whorls.
To test their hypothesis, the researchers created a replica whorl using nearby pebbles and a flint drill. then they asked yonit crystalWhy not try your hand at flax spinning with a traditional craftsman?
“She was really surprised at how well they worked, because they weren't perfectly circular,” Yaszhu says. “But in reality, all you have to do is place the hole in the center of the mass, and it's balanced and works.”
If the stone is indeed a spiral, it could be the oldest known rotating spiral, she says. 1991 study of bone and antler artifacts She found what are likely 20,000-year-old whorls, but added that the researchers who examined them suggested the fragments were probably decorative accents on clothing. Still, people may have been using whorls even earlier, using wood and other biological materials that would have degraded.
The discovery suggests that people were experimenting with spinning techniques thousands of years before they invented potter's wheels and cart wheels about 5,500 years ago, and perhaps the whirlpool helped lead to those inventions. Yaszhu says it's possible.
carol cheval But a professor at the University of the Cote d'Azur in Nice, France, isn't so sure. She explains that the whorl works more like a spinning top than a wheel.
And while the artifact is very likely a whorl, the study lacks microscopic data that would reveal any traces of use, as the threads may have made their mark on the stone over time. , says Cheval.
Trace analysis is “beyond the scope” of the current study, Yashuv said.
Ideally, researchers studying ancient whorls would be skilled at spinning themselves, but the study authors said this was not the case. “It really changes the way you think about archaeological discoveries,” she says.
Marine biologists have used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to discover six new species of carnivorous sponges in the cladulidae family on the western edge of the Australian continent.
Abisocladia janusi. Image credit: M. Ekins & NG Wilson, doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-72917-8.
Cladriidae It is a type of carnivorous sponge that is found on ocean ridges and seamount systems around the world.
usually considered Deep-sea sponges are known for capturing prey with specialized structures.
The latest discoveries bring the number of known species of cradlefish fauna in Australian waters to 41.
New species include: Abisocladia janusi, Abisocladia Johnhupeli, Abisocladia Aurora, axonidama challengeri, Cladriza Vanesakinsand Narrabora Ningaroa.
They were collected from two deep-sea regions in Western Australia almost a thousand kilometers apart.
Abisocladia janusi One was found in the Bremer Canyon system and the other five were found in the Cape Range Canyon.
Queensland Museum CEO Dr Jim Thompson said: “These science novice species deepen our knowledge of the cladulidae and highlight the importance of continued exploration and conservation of marine biodiversity. ” he said.
“The description and study of these new species of carnivorous sponges provides important insight into the complex marine ecosystems along Queensland's coastline and highlights the importance of biodiversity and conservation efforts across the region. I’ll highlight it.”
Traditionally, carnivorous sponges have been collected for scientific research by trawling the ocean floor, but recent advances in ROV technology have enabled researchers to study these fascinating creatures in their natural habitat. There has been a revolution in capabilities.
This latest discovery was made during a deep-sea expedition conducted by the Schmidt Oceanographic Institute using an ROV. Subastian Explore the rich biodiversity of Western Australia's underwater landscape.
“During the expedition, I was able to operate the ROV remotely from my desk at the museum,” said Dr Merrick Eakins, Queensland Museum's sessile marine invertebrate collection manager.
“Our research highlights the importance of deep-sea exploration and the role of technological advances in understanding marine biodiversity.”
“These sponges demonstrate the incredible adaptability of life in extreme environments and challenge our understanding of marine ecosystems.”
“The implications of these findings go beyond mere classification. They highlight the need to protect these fragile ecosystems, which are under threat from climate change and human activity.”
team's paper Published in a magazine scientific report.
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M. Ekins and NG. Wilson. 2024. A new carnivorous sponge from Western Australia (Porifera: Porifera: Cladorhididae) collected by remotely operated vehicle (ROV). science officer 14, 22173; doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-72917-8
The neutron star in X-ray binary system 4U 1820-30 rotates 716 times per second, the fastest rate ever observed, according to an analysis of data collected by NASA’s Neutron Star Internal Composition Explorer (NICER). It is one of the rotating celestial bodies. 2017 and 2022.
Artist’s depiction of the X-ray binary star system 4U 1820-30 at the center of globular cluster NGC 6624. Image credit: NASA.
4U 1820-30 It is located approximately 26,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius.
This X-ray binary star system is part of a metal-rich globular cluster called NGC6624.
It consists of two stars: a neutron star and a white dwarf companion. The latter orbits a neutron star every 11 minutes, making it the star system with the shortest known orbital period.
The 4U 1820-30 typically displays short bursts of X-rays that last only 10 to 15 seconds. This is likely due to the ignited helium-rich fuel burning out quickly on the surface.
“Due to its strong gravity, the neutron star pulls matter away from its companion star,” said Dr. Gaurava Jaisawal of DTU Space and colleagues.
“When enough material accumulates on the surface, a violent thermonuclear explosion occurs on the neutron star, similar to an atomic bomb.”
Astronomers observed 4U 1820-30 using NASA’s NICER X-ray telescope mounted outside the International Space Station.
“While studying thermonuclear explosions from this system, we discovered significant oscillations, caused by the neutron star rotating around its central axis at an astonishing speed of 716 times per second. “This suggests that the
“If future observations confirm this, the 4U 1820-30 neutron star would be one of the fastest rotating objects ever observed in the universe, rivaled by a star called PSR J1748-2446. There will only be another neutron star.”
From 2017 to 2021, NICER detected 15 thermonuclear X-ray bursts from 4U 1820-30.
This was one of the bursts that exhibited symptoms known as “thermonuclear burst oscillations,” which occur at a frequency of 716 Hz.
These bursts of oscillations match the rotational frequency of the neutron star itself, meaning it is rotating around its axis at a record speed of 716 times per second.
“During the burst, the neutron star becomes up to 100,000 times brighter than the Sun and releases an enormous amount of energy,” said DTU space researcher Dr. Jerome Cheneves.
“We are therefore working on very extreme events, and studying them will provide new insights into the existing life cycles of binary star systems and the formation of elements in the universe.”
Gaurava K. Jaisawal others. 2024. A comprehensive study of the 4U 1820-30 thermonuclear X-ray burst by NICER: accretion disk interactions and candidate burst oscillations. APJ 975, 67; doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad794e
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope detected a population of 64 brown dwarf candidates with masses ranging from 50 to 84 Jupiter masses in the star cluster NGC 602.
This image of NGC 602 includes data from Webb's NIRCam (near-infrared camera) and MIRI (mid-infrared instrument) instruments. Image credits: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / P. Zeidler / E. Sabbi / A. Nota / M. Zamani, ESA & Webb.
NGC602 is a very young star cluster, about 200,000 light-years away in the constellation Hydra, about 2 to 3 million years old.
Also known as ESO 29-43, this star resides in the wings of the Small Magellanic Cloud.
NGC 602's local environment closely resembles that of the early Universe, with very low abundances of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium.
The presence of dark clouds of dense dust and the fact that the cluster is rich in ionized gas also suggests the presence of an ongoing star formation process.
Together with the associated HII region N90, which contains clouds of ionized atomic hydrogen, this cluster provides a rare opportunity to examine star formation scenarios under conditions dramatically different from those in the solar neighborhood.
Using Webb, Dr. Peter Zeidler and his colleagues at AURA and ESA were able to detect 64 brown dwarf candidates in NGC 602. This is the first rich population of brown dwarfs to exist outside the Milky Way.
“It is possible to detect objects at such great distances only with incredible sensitivity and spatial resolution in the right wavelength range,” Dr. Zeidler said.
“This has never been possible and will remain impossible from the ground for the foreseeable future.”
“So far, about 3,000 brown dwarfs are known, and they all live in our galaxy,” said Dr. Elena Mangiavakas, also from AURA and ESA.
“This discovery highlights the ability to use both Hubble and Webb to study young star clusters,” said Dr. Antonella Nota, executive director of the International Space Science Institute.
“Hubble showed that NGC 602 hosts very young, low-mass stars, but only Webb can conclusively confirm the extent and significance of substellar mass formation in this cluster. Hubble and Webb are an amazingly powerful telescope duo!”
“Our results are very consistent with the theory that the mass distribution of objects below the hydrogen burning limit is simply a continuation of the stellar distribution,” Dr. Zeidler said.
“They seem to form the same way, they just haven't accumulated enough mass to become full stars.”
NSF astronomer Dr. Elena Sabbi said, “Studying the newly discovered metal-poor young brown dwarfs in NGC 602 will shed light on how stars and planets formed under the harsh conditions in the early universe. We are getting closer to uncovering the secrets of this.” NOIRLab, University of Arizona, Space Telescope Science Institute.
“These are the first substellar objects outside the Milky Way,” Manjavakas said.
“We need to be prepared for new breakthrough discoveries in these new objects.”
peter zeidler others. 2024. A candidate for a subsolar metallic brown dwarf is discovered in the Small Magellanic Cloud. APJ 975, 18; doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad779e
The veil of mystery surrounding the Treasury Monument in Petra, Jordan has been lifted once again.
Beneath an ancient building carved out of rock, archaeologists discovered a hidden tomb containing 12 relatively well-preserved human bones and a vast array of grave offerings.
A similar tomb was discovered more than 20 years ago opposite the famous Treasury Building, also known as Al-Khazneh, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Earlier this year, a team of researchers received permission from Jordanian authorities to conduct a week of remote sensing in and around the Treasury, a city center hand-carved into the walls of a desert canyon by the Nabatean people.
“There was always the idea that there might be more graves, but no one has yet been found,” Richard Bates, a geophysicist and professor at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said in an email. “The hope was to find an intact grave.”
A joint Jordanian-American team, which also included the Jordanian Department of Antiquities and the Amman-based nonprofit American Research Center, used ground-penetrating radar to detect the cavity and pinpoint its location and depth. Instead of digging straight through, which would have cut through solid rock and damaged parts of the building, Bates said they carefully dug by hand into the cavity from the outside.
Richard Bates. Excavation at the Treasury. Kindly provided by Professor Richard Bates, University of St Andrews
Inside, in the original burial site, are 12 human bones, one of which is clutching the top of a broken pitcher, most likely dating from the 1st century BC. Bates said the bodies likely included both men and women and ranged in age from children to adults. Although that is not confirmed yet.
“No complete burial has ever been found here before, so this discovery could potentially tell us more about the Nabataean kingdom,” Bates said.
The discovery could also provide new insights into the Treasury itself, whose purpose is still unknown.
“Despite its fame, the Treasury Department remains a mystery to us in many ways,” Pierce Paul Creesman, director of the Center for American Studies, said in an email. “Anything we can do to understand it more deeply is important.”
Visited by more than 1 million visitors a year, the Treasury is the most famous of Petra’s iconic monuments. In Steven Spielberg’s 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, it was featured as the resting place of the Holy Grail in the film.
The newly uncovered tomb excavation was featured in a two-part episode of the American reality television series Expedition Unknown, which aired on the Discovery Channel.
Bates said there are signs of other cavities in the area that could be graves.
“It’s very likely that more will be discovered, so we need to get the funding back and continue the research,” he said.
Our planet’s new small satellite, 2024 PT5, arrived in Earth’s orbit on September 29, 2024.
2024 PT5 is scheduled to capture a temporary flyby from September 29th to November 25th in 2024. Image credit: University of Colorado.
2024 PT5 was discovered by the Asteroid Earth Impact Final Warning System in Sutherland, South Africa on August 7, 2024.
This near-Earth asteroid is about 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter and follows an orbit similar to that of 2022 NX1.
2024 PT5 will become a mini-Earth satellite on September 29 and return to heliocentric orbit 56.6 days later on November 25.
“Near-Earth objects like this offer a glimpse into the formation process of the solar system,” said astrophysicist Dr. Nico Cappellutti. University of Miami.
“Most asteroids in our solar system are rocky remnants left over from the formation of our solar system.”
2024 PT5 is part of Arjuna, an asteroid belt made up of space rocks that follow an orbit around the sun very similar to Earth’s orbit.
“So sometimes they can remain temporarily trapped in our gravitational field,” Dr. Cappellutti said.
“Bringing them this close is a fascinating opportunity.”
“The asteroid, the size of a school bus, is too faint and small to be seen with the naked eye or with amateur telescopes, but its two-month stay around Earth has reinforced our intense interest in space rocks. It helps maintain.”
Two years ago, in what was called the first test of the planetary defense system, NASA crashed a spacecraft into the giant space rock Dimorphos, which could change direction if the asteroid was on a collision course with Earth. proved something.
Private companies also want to send spacecraft to asteroids in hopes of mining the precious metals they contain.
“Asteroids are classified based on their orbits and their contents,” said Dr. Bertrand Dano, also from the University of Miami.
“Some are made entirely of stone, while others contain high concentrations of rare metals, such as platinum and gold for electronics, nickel and cobalt for catalysts and fuel cell technology, and, of course, iron.”
“Mining asteroids is not far off. There are currently millions of asteroids in our solar system, about 2 million of which are larger than 1 km.”
“The resources it contains are a new dream for El Dorado, and there are several companies currently betting on it.”
“Recent missions to rendezvous with, orbit and land on asteroids have proven that space mining may be only a matter of time.”
“However, proceeding with asteroid mining will require huge investments, from the mining equipment that needs to operate in a vacuum to the technology needed to transport the extracted minerals to Earth.”
“And then there’s the spacecraft itself. A dedicated ship that would travel to an asteroid for the purpose of extracting minerals from the asteroid would probably be a robotic ship.”
“A trip to Mars would take about eight months under the best conditions. The space and equipment needed to support life would be put to good use as storage for backup equipment and resources.”
“Because it takes a lot of energy to leave Earth’s gravity, mining missions are better launched from space or from low-gravity bodies such as the Moon, Mars, or Titan, one of Saturn’s natural moons. Sho.”
“Returning to Earth is relatively easy, but dangerous for the material. It would be a shame if all the prizes disappeared. Refining will take place in space, and purified products can be shipped regularly. As far as I know, no one is thinking that far.”
“Yet, asteroid mining could have a 100-fold or more return.”
“Mining platinum or gold from an asteroid and returning it could make you a trillionaire overnight, potentially upending entire economies, trade and markets.”
“Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson once said, ‘The first billionaire in history was the one who exploited the natural resources of asteroids.'”
Named after the otherworldly sounds these tree frogs make, Boufis The rainforests of Madagascar are expanses, some of which remind us of the sounds of technological equipment from fictional works. Star Trek Scientists have named seven new species in honor of the fictional captain of a spaceship. Bufis Khaki, bofis picardi, Bofis Siskoi, Boufis Janeyae, bofis archery, bofis pickay and bofis barnamae.
bofis picardi a male paratype from Anara, Madagascar. Image credit: Vences others., doi: 10.3897/vz.74.e121110.
There are currently 80 described species. Boufis It is the most unique genus of the Malagasy Comoran endemic family. Mantelidae.
Members of this genus are tree frogs with relatively generalized reproductive behavior, usually laying eggs in stream or pond water where tadpoles develop.
Many Boufis species are very vocal, with males emitting loud and clear advertising calls.
“Seven newly discovered species of Hyla genus” Boufis “Frogs, which are found throughout the rainforests of Madagascar, use a special bird-like whistle to communicate with other frogs,” said Professor Miguel Wences of the Technical University of Braunschweig and colleagues.
“The sound of these whistles reminded our team: Star Trek similar whistle-like sound effects are frequently used. ”
“That’s why we named our frogs after Kirk, Picard, Cisco, Janeway, Archer, Burnham and Pike – seven of the most iconic captains of science fiction.”
“These frog calls don’t just sound like movie sound effects. Star Trek But finding them often requires quite a trek,” said Dr. Mark Schaerts, a researcher at the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen.
“While some species are found in areas accessible to tourists, finding some of these species requires extensive expeditions to remote forest fragments and mountain peaks. It was.”
“We believe that here lies the true meaning of scientific discovery and exploration, and that it is based in the spirit of: Star Trek”
For fans of Star Trek, Boufis The call may remind you of the so-called “Boardsman’s Whistle” or the sound from a device called a “tricorder.” To others, it may sound like a bird or an insect.
Dr. Jörn Köhler, senior curator of vertebrate zoology at the Hesse State Museum in Darmstadt, said: “If the frog is just croaking like the European frogs we’re familiar with, it’s likely that it’s coming from a nearby river. “It might not have been audible over the sound of the rushing water.”
“Their high-pitched trills and whistles stand out above all the noise.”
“Due to their appearance, these frogs have traditionally been confused with similar species, but each species produces a distinctive high-pitched whistle, which helps distinguish them from each other and from other frogs. I did.”
This finding is reported in the following article: paper in diary vertebrate zoology.
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M. Vances others. 2024. The Communicator’s Whistle: A Journey Through Taxonomy Bufis mallogesensis This complex reveals seven new morphologically enigmatic tree frogs (Amphibians: Anura: Mantelidae) from Madagascar. vertebrate zoology 74: 643-681;doi: 10.3897/vz.74.e121110
Centaur is a former trans-Neptunian object that has been moved within Neptune's orbit by the planet's subtle gravitational influence over the past several million years, and could eventually become a short-period comet.
29P/An artist's concept showing the gas release activity of Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 from the side. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/L. Hustak, STScI.
Centaurs are transitional objects between primitive transsolar system objects and Jupiter-based comets.
Their composition and activity provide fundamental clues about the processes that influence the evolution of and interactions between these small celestial bodies.
“Centaurs are likely part of the remnants of the formation of our planetary system,” said Dr. Sarah Fudge, a researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and American University.
“Because they are stored at very low temperatures, they preserve information about the volatiles of the solar system's early stages.”
“The web really opened the door for us to impressive resolution and sensitivity. When we saw the data for the first time, we were excited. We had never seen anything like this before. I've never had one before.”
29P changes in intensity every six to eight weeks, making it one of the most active objects in the outer solar system.
They discovered a new jet of carbon monoxide and a jet of carbon dioxide gas never before seen, giving new clues about the nature of the centaur's core.
No signs of water vapor were detected in 29P's “atmosphere,” but this may be related to the extremely cold temperatures present on this object.
Based on the data collected by Webb, the researchers created a 3D model of the jet to understand its direction and origin.
Through modeling efforts, they discovered that the jets were emitted from different regions of the centaur's core, even though the nucleus itself could not be resolved by the web.
The angle of the jet suggests that the core may be a collection of separate objects with different compositions. However, other scenarios cannot be ruled out yet.
fudge others. collected data for 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 using Webb's spectrophotographic capabilities. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/L. Hustak, STScI/S. Faggi, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and American University.
Dr. Jeronimo Villanueva, a researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, said: “The fact that there are such dramatic differences in the abundance of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide across the surface of 29P means that 29P is This suggests that it may be possible.”
“The two parts probably merged to form this centaur, which is a mixture of very different objects that went through separate formation paths.”
“This challenges our ideas about how primitive objects are created and stored in the Kuiper belt.”
The reasons for 29P's brightness outburst and the mechanisms behind its outgassing activity through carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide jets remain two major areas of interest that continue to require further investigation.
In the case of comets, scientists know that their jets are often driven by the release of water gas.
However, Centaur's location means that the nature of its outgassing activity is different from that of comets, as it is too cold for water ice to sublimate.
“We only had time to look at this object once, and it was like a snapshot in time,” said Dr. Adam McKay, a researcher at Appalachian State University.
“I would like to go back and look at 29P over a longer period of time. Is the jet always pointing in that direction? Perhaps there is another carbon monoxide jet that turns on at a different point in the rotation cycle? Is there one?”
“Looking at these jets over time will give us better insight into what is causing these explosions.”
S.Fudge others. Inhomogeneous outgassing regions were identified in active centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1. Nat Astronpublished online on July 8, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02319-3
This article is a version of a press release provided by NASA.
Archaeologists have discovered a 2.7-kilometer (1.7-mile) long Roman defensive wall and moat in the southern Italian region of Calabria that was originally built by Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus to contain Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator and leader of a slave revolt, and his forces.
A 2,070-year-old Roman wall in the Dossone della Meria Forest in south-central Calabria, Italy. Image courtesy of the University of Kentucky.
Spartacus He was a Thracian gladiator who became one of the most famous leaders of a major slave revolt against the Roman Republic known as the Third Servile War (73-71 BC).
Born around 103 BC in what is now Bulgaria, he initially served in the Roman army before being captured and sold into slavery.
In 73 BC, Spartacus and about 70 fellow gladiators Run away They escaped from the gladiator training school in Capua and took refuge on Mount Vesuvius, where they were soon joined by other fugitive slaves.
Spartacus proved to be a skilled leader and tactician, defeating the Roman armies multiple times. Military expansion to an estimated 70,000 slaves and others.
He was not the only leader of the rebellion: two other fugitive gladiators, Crixus and Oenomaus, formed the remaining two factions of the Slave Triumvirate.
This rebellion posed a great threat to Rome, and the Senate sent several legions to put it down.
Despite initial success, Spartacus and his forces were eventually cornered by the Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus.
In 71 BC, Spartacus' forces were defeated in a final battle in Lucania and he was killed, although his body was never found.
Although the Spartacus rebellion was not intended to be a social revolution, it has served as an inspiration to many throughout history as a symbol of resistance against oppression.
“We believe that Spartacus attacked the newly discovered wall to escape a trap set by Crassus,” said archaeologist Paolo Visona of the University of Kentucky.
The Dossone della Meria forest in south-central Calabria, Italy, is home to 2.7 km of ancient stone walls and earthworks.
Archaeologists also unearthed numerous broken iron weapons, including sword hilts, large curved blades, spear tips, spearheads and other metal fragments.
“The discovery was made possible thanks to a tip-off from local environmental groups who knew the wall existed but had no idea what it was,” Prof Visonagh said.
“We surveyed the walls and trenches using ground-penetrating radar, LIDAR, magnetic measurements and soil core sampling.”
Paleontologists have announced the discovery of fossilized bones of a new species of early-branching ceratopsian dinosaur in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
Reconstructing your life Sasayama Magnomus Saegusai Image courtesy of Tanaka Kanon.
The newly discovered dinosaur lived on Earth during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous period, between 113 million and 100 million years ago.
dubbing Sasayama Magnomus Saegusai,animal Measured It is about 0.8 meters (2.6 feet) long and weighs about 10 kilograms.
“This new dinosaur has unique characteristics that make it different from any other dinosaur known to date. CeratopsiansPaleontologist, Hyogo University Tomonori Tanaka and colleagues said In a statement.
“Ceratopsians are a group of herbivorous dinosaurs known for having large horns and frills on their heads, most famously Triceratops.”
“Being a primitive ceratopsian, it lacked the large horns and frills seen in later species. Triceratops.”
Bone fragments Sasayama Magnomus Saegusai They were discovered in the Daisen Shita Formation in southwestern Japan by amateur geologist Adachi Kiyoshi.
“The fossil contains 17 bones, most of which belong to the same individual,” the researchers said.
“Examination of a thin section of the tibia revealed that this was likely a juvenile individual rather than a fully mature one.”
According to the research team's analysis, this new species Aquilops americanusone of the oldest neoceratopsian dinosaurs discovered in North America, followed by its sister species. Auroraceratops rugosus From China.
“Sasayama Magnomus Saegusai “This fossil is closely related to proto-North American ceratopsians and suggests that native Asian ceratopsians may have migrated to North America during the mid-Cretaceous, approximately 110 million years ago,” the authors say.
“At this time, eastern Eurasia and North America were connected by the Bering land bridge, allowing animals to move between the two.”
“Furthermore, extreme global warming has led to the creation of vast forests in the Arctic.”
“The convergence of these two events likely facilitated the spread of ceratopsians from Asia into North America.”
Discovery Sasayamagnome teeth, paper Published in this week's journal Paleontological Papers.
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Tomonori Tanaka others2024. A new species of neoceratopsian (Ornithischia, Ceratopsia) from the Lower Cretaceous Oyamashita Formation (Albian) of southwestern Japan. Paleontological Papers 10(5):e1587;doi:10.1002/spp2.1587
During evolution, new types of cells emerge and perform new functions, resulting in changes in animals. Scientists study the origin and development of these new cell types to understand how they affect the animal’s bodily functions, structure, or behavior.
Scientists previously Mammalian ancestors Mammals live solitary lives, and parental care of young has developed over time in some mammalian groups. A research team led by scientists from Columbia University in New York recently used two closely related mouse species to elucidate how parental care evolved in mammals. The first species, the Asian goshawk, is monogamous and displays strong parenting behaviors, including grooming, herding, and retrieving young that have strayed from their nests. The second species, the deer mouse, is promiscuous and does not display parenting behaviors. The researchers aimed to investigate the genetic drivers of parental care in Asian goshawks.
They performed their experiments on two small clusters of cells located in the top part of each kidney. Adrenal glands These glands produce fat hormones, Steroid hormones Once produced, it immediately affects bodily function. The researchers found that the adrenal glands of monogamous Oldfield mice were six times heavier than those of promiscuous deer mice, an unexpectedly large size difference for such closely related species. When the researchers examined the tissue composition of both glands, they realized that the larger adrenal glands of Oldfield mice were due to larger and more numerous adrenal cells.
To look for molecular differences between the adrenal glands of the two mouse strains, the team studied the RNA molecules in their glands. RNA molecules copy genetic instructions from DNA and carry out the functions of genes. By counting and comparing the types and amounts of RNA molecules in the adrenal glands, the scientists hoped to understand how the adrenal glands functioned differently. They took adrenal tissue from adult mice, broke it down to release the RNA, and counted that RNA. They looked for differences in the amount of RNA, called ribosomal RNA. Akrc18 This level was 3,200 times higher in Oldfield mice than in deer mice, a difference that led the researchers to wonder whether this RNA might be related to the parental behavior seen in Oldfield mice.
The researchers, Akrc18 It produces steroid hormones. Steroid hormones affect parental behavior, so the team tested whether the hormone had an effect on mice. They gave Oldfield mice a single dose of the hormone and measured their parental behavior 20 hours later. They observed that these mice groomed and cuddled their pups longer, brought them back to their nests more frequently, and built stronger nests. In deer mice, which don’t normally show parental behavior, 17% of the injected mice groomed and brought back their pups. From these results, the scientists concluded that the hormone shapes the parental behavior of Oldfield mice.
The researchers also explained that mate bonding is an important aspect of monogamy. To understand partner choice, the researchers measured how long mice huddled with their partners compared to opposite-sex mice of the same species. They found that monogamous Oldfield mice huddled three times longer with their partners than with new individuals, whereas promiscuous deer mice huddled neither with their partners nor with strangers. Injecting the Akrc18 steroid hormone did not change these preferences, suggesting that the hormone only affected parenting behavior and not pair bonding.
The research team found that Oldfield mice had larger adrenal glands and that Akrc18 RNA production was related. To test whether the adrenal glands of the two mouse species had different cell types, the researchers used the RNA from the adrenal glands of both mice that they had previously counted. They used computational methods to search for specific RNAs in the cells and identify what cell types were present. They found that nearly all cell types were shared between the two species, except for one type that was present in Oldfield mice but not in deer mice.
Also, Akrc18 RNA was the most abundant element in these new cells. The researchers examined the structure and composition of the tissue and observed these cells lining the adrenal glands of wolf mice, which are absent in deer mice. The researchers suggested that these cell types may have evolved from existing adrenal cells by increasing production of steroid hormones and related genes. The researchers concluded that the parenting behavior of wolf mice is linked to this new type of cell in the adrenal glands.
Paleontologists unearthed three large seeds (up to 7.2 centimeters long) and 43 fossil leaves of the ancient legume at the Wahana Baratama coal mine near Satui in South Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo.
The newly identified legume lived in Southeast Asia between 40 and 34 million years ago (the Eocene Epoch).
Named Juntungspermum gunneriIt is very similar to the Australian black bean plant. Cassis.
“The tree currently occurs only in the coastal rainforests of northern Australia and nearby islands,” said Professor Peter Wilf of Pennsylvania State University and his colleagues.
Paleontologists found three fossil seeds, 43 leaves and pollen samples. Juntungspermum gunneri of Tanjun Formation South Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo.
Also found were fossil tracks of a variety of birds, burrowing evidence of marine invertebrates, and the fossil remains of turtles.
“The seeds Juntungspermum gunneri “Apart from coconuts and other palm trees, it is one of the largest in the fossil record,” the researchers said.
“They probably grew up to a metre (3 feet) in length – about the length of a baseball bat – and in pods that could hold up to five seeds.”
“This fossil is the oldest legume fossil ever found in the Malay Archipelago and the first fossil record of a plant related to the black bean plant anywhere in the world.”
The researchers suggest that ancestors of the black bean plant migrated from Asia to Australia during a plate collision that brought the continents closer together, allowing for the exchange of plants and animals between the continents.
“The collision of the Southeast Asian and Australian plates, which began approximately 20 million years ago and is ongoing today, has led to a large-scale exchange of plant and animal species between the two continents,” the researchers said.
“This discovery provides the first macrofossil evidence of a migration of plant lineages from Asia to Australia following the Asia-Australia tectonic collision.”
“These fossil seeds are Cassis “They migrated from Southeast Asia to Australia during a tectonic collision and then became extinct in Asia,” said Edward Spagnolo, a doctoral student at Pennsylvania State University.
“This proposal runs counter to most of the existing direct macrofossil evidence of plant migration, which shows lineages migrating from Australia into Asia.”
of result Appears in International Journal of Plant Science.
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Edward J. Spagnuolo others2024. Giant seeds of extant Australian legumes are discovered in Eocene Borneo (South Kalimantan, Indonesia). International Journal of Plant Sciencein press; doi: 10.1086/730538
Deuteron It is believed that atomic nuclei consisting of protons and neutrons, like those of helium-3 nuclei, are formed in collisions between helium-4 nuclei and other nuclei in the interstellar medium. If this were the case, the flux ratio of deuterons to helium-4 should be similar to that of helium-3 to helium-4. However, this is not the case. Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (AMS) are watching.
Aguilar othersThe deuteron flux was measured using the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) on board the International Space Station.
Cosmic rays are high-energy particles with energies ranging from MeV to 10.20 Electronic V.
These properties are studied from measurements of the energy (stiffness) spectrum (number of particles per unit time, solid angle, surface area, and energy as a function of energy), which is characterized by a rapid decrease in the spectrum as the energy increases.
Cosmic rays with energies below PeV are thought to originate in our own Milky Way galaxy.
The elemental composition of these galactic cosmic rays is dominated by hydrogen nuclei, primarily protons, with helium nuclei making up about 10%, and electrons and nuclei heavier than helium making up just 1% each.
The species synthesized in stars, such as protons, electrons, and most atomic nuclei, are called primary cosmic rays.
Light nuclei, synthesized by nuclear fusion in the cores of stars, are more abundant than heavy nuclei because their production becomes energetically unfavorable as mass increases.
The synthesis of atomic nuclei heavier than iron, such as nickel, occurs through explosive phenomena such as supernova explosions that occur at the end of the life of massive stars, so atomic nuclei heavier than iron are extremely rare.
When primary nuclei are ejected from their source in space, they can collide with interstellar material and split into lighter species.
This is the primary production mechanism for atomic nuclei that are energetically unfavorable to produce by stellar nucleosynthesis, such as lithium, beryllium, boron, fluorine, scandium, titanium, and vanadium. These are called secondary cosmic rays.
Compared to primary nuclei of similar mass, secondary nuclei are less abundant and, as stiffness increases, their stiffness spectrum decreases faster than that of primary nuclei.
The energy (or rigidity) dependence of the cosmic ray spectrum arises from a combination of source-directed emission, acceleration, and propagation mechanisms that occur during a cosmic ray's passage through the galaxy.
Cosmic rays are diffusely accelerated by expanding shock waves, propagate diffusely through the interstellar medium, and are scattered by irregularities in the galactic magnetic field, both of which depend on the particle's momentum, and thus on its magnetic stiffness.
Cosmic ray propagation is described by a stiffness-dependent diffusion coefficient that incorporates the properties of turbulence in the galactic magnetic field.
“Hydrogen nuclei are the most abundant species of cosmic ray,” members of the AMS collaboration wrote in the paper.
“They are made up of two stable isotopes: protons and deuterons.”
“Big Bang nucleosynthesis predicts negligible production of deuterium, and over time the abundance of deuterons has decreased from its primordial value, with the ratio of deuterons to protons measured in the interstellar medium being 0.00002.”
“Deuterons are thought to arise primarily from the interaction of helium with interstellar matter, rather than being accelerated in supernova remnants like primary cosmic ray protons and helium-4.”
“Deuterons, along with helium-3, are called secondary cosmic rays.”
For the latest study, AMS physicists examined data from 21 million cosmic deuterons detected by AMS between May 2011 and April 2021.
When investigating how the deuteron flux varies with rigidity, a surprising feature was discovered.
The AMS data show that these ratios differ significantly above a stiffness of 4.5 GV, with the deuteron to helium-4 ratio decreasing more slowly with stiffness than the helium-3 to helium-4 ratio.
Furthermore, and again contrary to expectations, when stiffness exceeds 13 GV, the data show that the flux of deuterons is nearly the same as the flux of protons, the primary cosmic ray.
Simply put, researchers found more deuterons than expected from collisions between main helium-4 nuclei and interstellar matter.
“Measuring deuterons is very challenging due to the large cosmic proton background radiation,” said Dr Samuel Ting, spokesman for the AMS collaboration.
“Our unexpected results show how little we know about cosmic rays.”
“Future upgrades to AMS will increase the acceptance rate by 300 percent, enabling AMS to measure all charged cosmic rays with 1 percent accuracy, providing the experimental basis for the development of accurate cosmic ray theory.”
The team's paper was published in the journal Physics Review Letter.
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M. Aguilar others(AMS Collaboration). 2024. Properties of cosmic deuterons measured with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. Physiotherapy Rev Lett 132(26):261001;doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.261001
Pakdipthes hakataramea Body size would have been similar to that of modern humans Little Blue Penguin (Eudyptula minor)It is approximately 40-45 cm (15.7-17.7 in) in length.
Artist image Pakdipthes hakatarameaPhoto courtesy of Tatsuya Niimura / Ashoro Museum of Paleontology
Pakdipthes hakataramea It lived in New Zealand about 24 million years ago (Late Oligocene Epoch).
This new species was very small, about the size of a little blue penguin. World's smallest — They have anatomical adaptations that allow them to dive.
“Pakdipthes hakataramea “This fossil fills the morphological gap between modern and fossil penguins,” said Dr. Tatsuro Ando, a paleontologist at the Ashoro Museum in Ashoro Town.
“In particular, the shape of the wing bones is very different, and it was unclear how penguins' wings acquired their current shape and function.”
“The humerus and ulna show how penguins' wings evolved.”
“To my surprise, Pakdipthes hakataramea It was very close to the condition of modern penguins, but the elbow joint was very similar to that of older types of fossil penguins.
“Pakdipthes hakataramea This is the first penguin fossil to be found in this combination and is a key fossil that will shed light on the evolution of penguins' wings.”
Fossilized remains Pakdipthes hakataramea The fossils were discovered by palaeontologists Craig Jones and Professor Euan Fordyce during a series of field expeditions in the Hakataramea Gorge in South Canterbury in 1987.
“Analysis of internal bone structure compared with data from modern penguins shows that these penguins had microanatomical features indicative of diving behaviour,” said Dr Carolina Lock, a palaeontologist at the University of Otago.
Modern penguins have excellent swimming abilities, thanks mainly to their dense, thick bones that provide them with buoyancy when diving.
in Pakdipthes hakatarameaAlthough the medullary cavity containing the bone marrow was open, the cortical bone was quite thick, similar to that seen in modern little blue penguins, which tend to swim in shallow waters.
ability Pakdipthes hakataramea Their ability to dive and swim depends on a unique combination of bones.
“Penguins evolved rapidly from the late Oligocene to the early Miocene. Pakdipthes hakataramea “This is a significant fossil from this period,” Dr Locke said.
“Their small body size and unique bone combination may have contributed to the ecological diversity of modern penguins.”
Discovery Pakdiptes hakataramea teeth, paper In Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
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Tatsuro Ando othersA new small penguin fossil discovered from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand and morphofunctional changes in penguin wings. Journal of the Royal Society of New ZealandPublished online July 31, 2024, doi: 10.1080/03036758.2024.2362283
A newly identified brain pathway in mice may explain why placebos, or interventions that should have no therapeutic effect, can relieve pain, and the development of drugs that target this pathway could lead to safer alternatives to painkillers such as opioids.
If someone unknowingly takes a sugar pill instead of a painkiller, they still feel better. The placebo effect is a well-known phenomenon in which people's expectations reduce symptoms even in the absence of an effective treatment. “Our brain can solve the pain problem on its own, based on the expectation that a drug or treatment might work,” says Dr. Gregory Scherer At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
To understand how the brain does this, Scherer and his colleagues recreated the placebo effect in 10 mice using a cage with two chambers: one with a blazingly hot floor and the other with no floor. After three days, the mice learned to associate the second chamber with pain relief.
The researchers then injected molecules into the animals' brains that caused active neurons to light up when viewed under a microscope, and then returned the animals to their cages, but this time they heated both floors.
Although the two chambers were now equally hot, the mice still preferred the second chamber and showed less symptoms of pain, such as licking their paws, while they were there. They also showed more neuronal activity in the cingulate cortex, a brain region involved in processing pain, compared with nine mice that had not been conditioned to associate the second chamber with pain relief.
Further experiments revealed pathways connecting these pain-processing neurons to cells in the pontine nuclei and cerebellum, two brain regions not previously known to play a role in pain relief.
To confirm that this circuit relieved pain, the researchers used a technique called optogenetics, which switches cells on and off with light. This allowed them to activate the newly discovered neural pathway in another group of mice that were placed on a hot floor. On average, these mice took three times longer to lick their paws than mice that didn't have the circuit activated, indicating that they felt less pain.
If this neural pathway explains the placebo effect, “it could open up new strategies for drug development,” he said. Luana Colocca “If we had a drug that could activate the placebo effect, it would be an excellent strategy for pain management,” said University of Maryland researcher David L. Schneider, who was not involved in the study.
“An obvious caveat is that the placebo experience in humans is clearly much more complex. [than in animals]”The pain pathways are very similar to ours,” Scherer said, but because rodents and humans have very similar pain pathways, he believes these findings also apply to humans.
Harenadraco Prima It is the first species of troodontid dinosaur to be discovered in the Late Cretaceous Barungoyot Formation of Mongolia.
Reconstructing your life Harenadraco PrimaImage courtesy of Yusik Choi.
Harenadraco Prima It lived in what is now Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period, 72 to 71 million years ago.
This new species is TroodontidaeA group of bird-like theropod dinosaurs that lived from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous periods.
“Troodontids are a diverse group of theropod dinosaurs commonly characterized by large eye sockets, long hind limbs with asymmetrical metatarsals, enlarged claw bones in the second toe, and many bird-like features,” said paleontologist Seongjin Lee of Seoul National University and his colleagues.
“They have been found in Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous deposits in Asia and North America.”
Harenadraco Prima It was a small troodontid, about 1 metre (3.3 feet) long.
“Harenadraco Prima Like other troodontids, it was small and lightweight, but its tarsometatarsus was extremely thin. Phyllovenator “Among the zoonotic non-avian maniraptorans,” the paleontologists said.
“It also suggests a potentially adaptive high degree of mobility. Harenadraco Prima “It fits into an environment where potential prey, like mammals, and predators, like Eudromaeosaurus, are likely to be agile.”
Harenadraco PrimaThe incomplete skeleton of consists mainly of elements of the left hind limb, Barungoyot Formation In Hermin Tsav, Umnogovi Province, Mongolia.
“The Upper Cretaceous strata of the Gobi Desert are a rich source of many troodontid species, particularly the Nemegt and Djadokta Formations in the Nemegt Basin in Mongolia, and the Ulansuhai Formation in the Bayan Mandakh in China,” the researchers said.
“From the former, eight species of troodontids are now known.”
“However, the Barungoyot Formation is a puzzling exception, as no troodontids have been found in it, even though it is one of the major sedimentary formations in the Nemegt Basin and is interpreted as intermediate in age and environment between the Djadokta and Nemegt formations.”
“The faunal compositions of the Djadokta and Barungoyot Formations are so similar that the absence of troodontids in the latter is even more puzzling.”
Discovery Harenadraco Prima The presence of troodontids was confirmed in all three formations of the Nemegt Basin.
“The discovery Harenadraco Prima“It becomes clear that the ‘gaps’ in the troodontid record were a sampling artifact,” the scientists concluded.
“The fragile nature of the holotype Harenadraco Prima This is further evidence of this.”
“The presence of Harenadraco Prima “The discovery of the Barungoyot Formation also proves that troodontids in the Nemegt Basin were diverse enough to adapt to a variety of environments.”
Team work Published in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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Lee Seong-jin othersThe first Troodontidae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous Barungoyot Formation in Mongolia. Journal of Vertebrate PaleontologyPublished online July 15, 2024; doi: 10.1080/02724634.2024.2364746
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