Tag Archives: hands

Newly Discovered Mongolian Bird-like Dinosaurs boasted Strong, Robust Hands

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Paleontologists have discovered a new species of Dromaeosaurus dinosaur from a nearly complete and unique skeleton found in Mongolia during the 2000s.

Reconstruction of Sri Lapax. Image credit: Connor Ashbridge / CC by 4.0.

This newly recognized dinosaur lived during the Campanian stage of the Cretaceous period, approximately 75 million years ago.

Based on various derived traits of the skull, vertebrae, and overall skeletal structure, this species can be classified within a group of bird-like theropods known as Dromaeosauridae.

It has been named Sri Lapax, marking it as the second species in this genus, following Sri Devi, which was identified in 2021.

“Dromaeosauridae represents a clade of small to medium-sized theropod dinosaurs that have been found in various Cretaceous deposits across North America, Asia, Europe, South America, and extending as far as Antarctica and Madagascar.”

“Remnants of feather-like structures, true pennaceous feathers, and gastrointestinal remains can be observed in well-preserved Dromaeosaurus specimens from the Lower Cretaceous period, such as Daurong Wanggi, Sinornithosaurus millenii, and Micro Raptor Zhaoianus.”

“Together with Troodontids, Dromaeosaurids are generally acknowledged as the closest modern relatives of birds.”

The nearly complete skeleton of Sri Lapax was discovered in the Djadochta Formation in Mongolia.

“This Dromaeosaurus specimen was illegally collected prior to 2010 and subsequently passed through private collections in Japan and the UK before being obtained by a French company,” noted paleontologist Eldonia.

“The precise location of the discovery remains unknown.”

“We plan to propose a tentative origin for it in the Mongolian Ukhaa Tolgod region based on documentation relating to the specimen.”

Holotype of Sri Lapax prior to preparations at the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences in Belgium in 2010. The arrows denote single femurs reconstructed using parts from both original femurs (which were separated during preparation). Image credit: Moutrille et al., doi: 10.1080/08912963.2025.2530148.

Sri Lapax exhibits a unique combination of vertebral and pelvic characteristics along with notably robust hands.

“One of the most distinctive features of Sri Lapax,” the researcher remarked.

“When adjusted for equal length, the phalangeal elements of the Pollex are about 150% more robust laterally compared to homologous elements in other Djadokhtan Dromaeosaurids, and these hands are stockier than those found in other known Dromaeosaurids.”

“We propose that frequent interactions with the Serratopsians, along with aggressive behaviors from those species, may have driven the development of more robust forelimbs and stockier hands in several Djadokhtan velociraptorines.”

“Assuming that Sri Lapax shared predatory habits with its close relative Velociraptor mongoliensis, the more robust construction of its hands suggests an adaptation for hunting larger and sturdier prey compared to typical Velociraptor diets.”

A study detailing this discovery was published online in the journal Historical Biology on July 13, 2025.

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Léa Moutrille et al. New bird-like dinosaurs from the Mongolian Upper Cretaceous period indicate niche diversification among belosirapthrins with particularly robust hands. Historical Biology published online on July 13th, 2025. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2530148

Source: www.sci.news

An Octopus Embraces the Fantasy of Rubber Hands, Just Like Us

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Plain-body octopus can be misled into believing false arms are their own

Kawashima and Yuzuku Ishima/Lucys University

Similar to humans, octopuses can be deceived by an illusion that leads them to believe that artificial arms are genuinely theirs.

This phenomenon, known as the rubber hand illusion, was first identified in the late 1990s, wherein a person’s hidden real hand is stroked alongside a fake hand placed before them. This trick was later found to impact other mammals, such as mice.

Recently, Kawashima and Samia, alongside Yuzuru Ikeda at the University of Ryukyu in Okinawa, Japan, discovered that octopuses are likewise susceptible to this illusion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ajppo0qyy

The experiment involved the plains of octopuses (Callistoctopus aspilosomatis) placed in a test tank. Soft gel fake arms, set atop an opaque partition, were placed over one of the octopus’s real arms, obscuring it from view. A researcher then stroked both the actual and fake arms simultaneously with a plastic caliper.


About eight seconds later, the researchers pinched the fake arm with tweezers. All six octopus subjects exhibited defensive behaviors, including color changes, arm retraction, and attempts to escape, across 24 trials.

The illusory effect diminished when the test was conducted without synchronized stroking, used non-synchronized stroking, or when the fake arm’s position didn’t align with the real arm.

During the experiment, the octopus could see false arms resting over a partition that obscured their actual arms

Kawashima and Yuzuku Ishima/Lucys University

According to Ikeda, the experiments reveal both advantages and disadvantages in the neural wiring of both octopuses and humans. “The illusion indicates an octopus’s ability to predict and anticipate, critical for survival,” he states. “Conversely, this capacity arises from neural conflicts and processing errors, suggesting a flaw.”

Kawashima asserts that this investigation will contribute to the understanding of octopus capabilities related to human experiences. “Our results imply that octopuses could serve as a vital model for studying the evolution of body ownership,” she mentions.

Peter Godfrey-Smith at the University of Sydney in Australia found the findings surprising. “This indicates that octopuses possess a complex body image,” he comments. “I was intrigued that the ‘positional mismatch’ scenario indeed worked—showing that the octopus didn’t perceive the rubber arm as its own in that specific situation.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Signs of a Deepfake: Dirty chins, strange hands, and odd numbers

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This is a crucial election year for the world, with misinformation swirling on social media as countries including the UK, US and France go to the polls.

There are major concerns about whether deepfakes – images and audio of key politicians created using artificial intelligence to mislead voters – could influence election outcomes.

While it has not been a major talking point in the UK elections so far, examples are steadily emerging around the world, including in the US, where a presidential election is looming.

Notable visual elements include:

Discomfort around the mouth and jaw

In deepfake videos, the area around the mouth can be the biggest clue: There may be fewer wrinkles on the skin, less detail around the mouth, and a blurry or smudged chin. Poor syncing between a person’s voice and mouth is another telltale sign.

The deepfake video, posted on June 17, shows Nigel Farage simulating the destruction of Rishi Sunak’s house in Minecraft. Deepfake satire trend A video showing politicians playing online games.

A few days later, Another Simulation Video Keir Starmer was seen playing Minecraft and setting up traps in “Nigel’s Pub”.

Dr Mhairi Aitken, an ethics researcher at the Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national AI lab, says the first feature of Minecraft deepfakes is, of course, the “absurdity of the situation”, but another sign of AI-generated media and manipulation is the imperfect synchronization of voice and mouth.

“This is particularly clear in the section where Farage is speaking,” Aitken said.

Another way to tell, Aitken says, is to see if shadows fall in the right places, or if lines and creases in the face move in the way you expect them to.

Ardi Djandzheva, a researcher at the institute, added that the low resolution of the overall video is another telltale sign people should look out for because it “looks like something that was quickly stitched together.” He said people have become accustomed to this amateurish technique due to the prevalence of “rudimentary, low-resolution scam email attempts.”

This lo-fi approach also shows up in prominent areas like the mouth and jawline, he says: “There’s an excessive blurring and smudge of facial features that are the focus of the viewer’s attention, like the mouth.”

Strange elements of the speech

Another deepfake video featured audio edited from Keir Starmer’s 2023 New Year’s speech pitching an investment scheme.

If you listen closely, you’ll notice some odd sentence structure: Starmer repeatedly says “pound” before a figure, for example “pound 35,000 per month”.

Aitken said the voice and mouth were again out of sync and the lower part of the face was blurred, adding that the use of “pounds” before the numbers suggested a text-to-speech tool had probably been used to recreate Starmer’s voice.

“This mirrors typical spoken language patterns, as it is likely a written-to-speech tool was used, which has not been confirmed,” she says. “There are clues in the intonation as well, which maintains a fairly monotonous rhythm and pattern throughout. A good way to check the authenticity of a video is to compare the voice, mannerisms and expressions to a recording of a real person to see if there is consistency.”

Face and body consistency

This deepfake video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calling on civilians to lay down their arms to Russian forces was circulated in March 2022. The head is disproportionately large compared to the rest of the body, and the skin on the neck and face is a different color.

Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and an expert on deepfake detection, said this is “a classic deepfake.” The immobile body is the telltale sign, he said. “The defining feature of this so-called Puppet Master deepfake is that the body is immobile from the neck down.”

Discontinuities throughout the video clip

The video, which went viral in May 2024, falsely shows U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller telling a reporter that “there are virtually no civilians left in Belgorod,” justifying the Ukrainian military’s attack on the Russian city of Belgorod. The video was tweeted by the Russian embassy in South Africa and has since been removed, according to Russian media. BBC journalist.

Source: www.theguardian.com