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Research: Teeth of saber-tooth predators proved to be extremely efficient in piercing their prey.

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Saber-toothed tiger predators — such as the famous saber-toothed tiger Smilodon Fatalis — evolved multiple times between different mammalian groups. Their unusual teeth were functionally optimal and highly effective at stabbing prey, a new study led by researchers has found. University of Bristol Paleontologist.

Graphics illustrating optimal functionality repeat the evolution of the extreme sabertooth shape. Image credit: Talia Pollock.

Dr Talia Pollock from the University of Bristol said: “Our research helps us to better understand how extreme adaptations evolve, not just in saber-toothed predators, but throughout nature.” Ta.

“By combining biomechanics and evolutionary theory, we can reveal how natural selection shapes animals to perform specific tasks.”

Dr. Pollock and his colleagues used 3D-printed steel tooth replicas in a series of occlusal experiments and advanced computer simulations to analyze the shape and performance of teeth in 95 different carnivorous mammal species, including 25 saber-toothed species. .

They discovered that the long, sharp, blade-like teeth gave the sabertooth a real advantage as a specialized weapon for capturing prey.

This discovery helps explain why saber teeth have evolved so many times, at least five times independently in mammals, and also explains the possible eventual demise of saber teeth. There are also things.

Their increased specialization may have acted as an evolutionary ratchet, making them highly effective hunters, but would put them at greater risk of extinction as ecosystems change and prey becomes scarce.

Another important finding challenges the conventional idea that saber-toothed predators fall into two categories: dark-toothed and scimitar-toothed.

Instead, researchers found a variety of saber-tooth shapes ranging from long, curved teeth. barborofelis fricky For straighter and stronger teeth Dinofelis Barlowi.

This adds to a growing body of research suggesting that the hunting strategies of these predators are more diverse than previously thought.

The research team now plans to expand their analysis to all tooth types and uncover the biomechanical tradeoffs that have shaped the evolution of diverse tooth structures across the animal kingdom.

Professor Alistair Evans from Monash University said: “This discovery not only deepens our understanding of saber-toothed predators, but also has far-reaching implications for evolutionary biology and biomechanics.”

“Insights from this study could also help inform bio-inspired designs in engineering.”

The result is today journal current biology.

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Talia Pollock others. 2025. Functional optimality underpins the repeated evolution of extreme “sword-tooth” morphology. current biologyin press.

Source: www.sci.news

IXPE uncovers a new extremely luminous X-ray source in our galaxy

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Cygnus X-3It is an X-ray binary system located about 7,400 parsecs (24,136 light years) away in the constellation Cygnus, and analysis of the data indicates that it is a type of extremely luminous X-ray source. NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Probe (IXPE).

The halo around Cygnus X-3. Image courtesy of NASA.

“X-ray binaries are interesting systems that consist of two objects: a normal star and a compact object such as a black hole or neutron star that sucks material from the companion star,” explained astronomer Aleksandra Beredina from the University of Turku and her colleagues.

“To date, several hundred such sources have been identified in our Milky Way galaxy.”

“When it comes to the most powerful phenomena in the Universe, the release of gravitational energy in binary X-ray systems stands out as an extremely efficient process.”

“Among the first X-ray binary systems discovered in the Universe is the Cygnus X-3 system,” the researchers added.

“Since the early 1970s, this binary system has been noted for its ability to briefly appear as one of the most powerful radio sources, only to fade or disappear completely after a few days.”

“This unique feature prompted early efforts to coordinate astronomical observations around the world through telephone coordination.”

“The peculiar behaviour of this system during this short-lived, high-energy event contrasts with its normal nature and led to it being named ‘Astronomical Mystery Cygnus X-3’ by R.M. Helming in 1973.”

“Since then, there have been numerous efforts to understand its properties.”

Dr. Veredina and her co-authors used the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer to measure the X-ray polarization of Cygnus X-3.

“The X-ray polarization images provide insight into the composition of matter surrounding the compact object in Cygnus X-3,” the researchers said.

“We found that this compact object is surrounded by a dense, opaque membrane of material.”

“The light we see is a reflection from the inner walls of a funnel formed by the surrounding gas, similar to a cup with a mirror on the inside.”

“Cygnus X-3 is a type of Ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX), which consumes material at such a rate that a significant portion of the infalling material does not fall within the event horizon, but rather is ejected out of the system.”

“ULXs are usually observed as points of light in images of distant galaxies, and their radiation is amplified by the focusing effect of the funnel around the compact object, acting like a megaphone,” said Professor Juri Poutanen from the University of Turku.

“But these sources are so far away – thousands of times the extent of the Milky Way – that they appear relatively faint to X-ray telescopes.”

“This discovery reveals that luminous counterparts to these distant ULXs exist within our own Galaxy.”

“This important discovery marks a new chapter in our investigation into the source of this extraordinary universe, providing an opportunity to study its extreme matter consumption in detail.”

of result Published in the journal Natural Astronomy.

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A. Veredina othersIXPE discovered Cygnus X-3 as an ultra-luminous X-ray source in the galaxy. Nat AstronPublished online June 21, 2024, doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02294-9

Source: www.sci.news

Unusual rainfall leads to temporary lake formation in extremely arid Death Valley

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View from a kayak on Death Valley Temporary Lake, February 9, 2024

Michael Kohler/NPS

Heavy rain has fallen in California in recent weeks, resulting in the remarkable formation of a rare temporary lake in Death Valley, the driest place in the United States.

Record levels of rain have flooded California over the past month. Numerous atmospheric river storms (narrow bands of highly concentrated moisture in the air) worsen wet conditions, putting up to 37 million people at risk of flooding.

Heavy rainfall also hit Death Valley National Park along the California-Nevada border. In fact, it rained so much that the park's Badwater Basin, normally a dry salt flat, temporarily turned into a shallow lake.

At 86 meters below sea level, the basin is the lowest point in North America and was home to an ancient body of water that researchers named Lake Manly tens of thousands of years ago.

Over the past few decades, the lake has been backfilled several times. In August 2023, rains associated with Hurricane Hillary formed a lake 11.3 kilometers long and 0.6 meters deep, which shrank in the following months. Well, it has been replenished once again. The current maximum length of the lake is nearly 10 kilometers and the depth is approximately 0.3 meters.

Last year, Death Valley National Park Closed for several weeks after Hurricane Hillary This is because flooding damaged the road network and limited opportunities for visitors to explore the temporary lake. This time, the park opened and the re-emergence of Lake Manly attracted tourists, including swimmers and kayakers.

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Source: www.newscientist.com