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A newly discovered Stegosaurus species had distinctive skin armor

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A new genus and species of stegosaur from the Middle Jurassic period has been identified from fossilized posterior skulls discovered in the Middle Atlas Mountains, south of Fez, Morocco.

Artist’s impression Tireosaurus atlasix. Image credit: Sci.News.

Tireosaurus atlasix lived in North Africa during the middle Jurassic period, about 165 million years ago.

This species is closely related to Dakentrulus members of the clade Dacenturinae within the Tyreophoran dinosaur family Stegosauridae.

Dr. Mostafa Oukas of Casablanca’s Universidad Hassan II and his colleagues said, “Thireophora is a diverse clade of herbivorous ornithischians consisting of stegosaurs, sclerosaurs, and basal types.”

“Thyleophorans have an extensive fossil record spanning from the Early Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous and are best known from well-preserved specimens from Laurasia.”

“In contrast, fossil remains are poorly known in Gondwana, and most of them are partial,” the researchers added.

“In Africa, thyreophorans may have been present since the Early Middle Jurassic.”

“Stegosaur body fossils have been recorded from the Middle Jurassic of Morocco, the Late Jurassic of Tanzania, and the Early Cretaceous of South Africa.”

“African ankylosaurs are represented by Spicomerus afar from Morocco during the Middle Jurassic period.”

divided partial skeleton Tireosaurus atlasix found in gray marl. El Mars III formation is located in the northern part of the Bourafa region near Bourmane, in the Atlas region of central Morocco.

“In 2021, during a geological mapping mission south of Bourmane, we discovered a new site rich in dinosaur remains in the El Mars III Formation,” the paleontologists said.

“This site, named Bourafa North, is located north of the Bourafa quarry.”

“This material was collected during several consecutive field trips and consists of the posterior skull of a stegosaur, including dorsal vertebrae and ribs, limb bones, and skin armor.”

According to the team: Tireosaurus atlasix had a strange asymmetrical skin armor, unique among stegosaurs.

“Dermal armor is Tireosaurus atlasix “It is composed of up to 4 cm (1.6 in) thick bone oval to subrectangular shaped osteoderms,” ​​the researchers said.

“The asymmetrical texture of the sides, with one side roughly decorated with small holes and strands of fibers and the other with a distinct cross-hatch pattern, is unlike anything previously observed in other stegosaurs and sclerosaurs. It’s clearly different.”

“The bone histology of these osteoderms is reminiscent of the histology of stegosaur tail spines.”

“These osteoderms are interpreted to have been placed in a lying position on the animal’s body, rather than in an upright position.”

Tireosaurus atlasix was estimated to be over 6 meters (19.7 feet) long.

“The axial features indicate that this specimen belongs to a medium- to large-sized stegosaur,” the scientists said.

“The holotype corresponds to an adult individual that has not yet reached its maximum body size.”

discovery of Tireosaurus atlasix is important in understanding the evolutionary history of stegosaurs and other thyreophora dinosaurs.

“Recent discoveries are adraticrit and Tireosaurus atlasix “We provide insight into the early evolution of stegosaurs during the Middle Jurassic of Africa,” the authors concluded.

of findings appear in the diary Gondwana research.

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Omar Zafati other. 2024. A new stegosaur dinosaur (Ornithischian: Thyreophora) with prominent cutaneous armor that lived during the Middle Jurassic period of North Africa. Gondwana research 131: 344-362; doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2024.03.009

Source: www.sci.news

Newly discovered species of mimic spider uncovered in Copal, Colombia

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Myrmarachne colombiana This is the first species of ant-mimicking spider discovered in Colombian copal.

Myrmarachne colombiana. Image credit: George Poinar Jr. / Oregon State University.

“Ants are particularly well-suited for spiders to pretend to be ants,” said George Poyner Jr., a professor at Oregon State University. “Many animals find them unpalatable or dangerous to eat.” said.

“Ants are aggressive to protect themselves. They have strong bites and stinging venom, and can call on dozens of nestmates as allies.”

“Spiders, on the other hand, have no chemical defenses and are solitary, making them vulnerable to predators that want to avoid them, such as larger spiders, bees, and birds. So if spiders could become like ants, There is a high possibility that it will not be used.”

Myrmarachne colombiana It was discovered in a type of fossilized resin known as copal.

“Copal is a less mature form of fossilized resin than amber, which is typically more than 25 million years old. Still, copal can be up to 3 million years old.” Professor Poyner said.

“However, we were unable to determine the age of the resin in this case.”

“The resin blocks I was working with came from Medellin, Colombia, and were too small to perform aging tests without risking harming the spiders inside.”

According to the study, there are currently no records of living ant-mimicking spiders living in Colombia.

“For spiders, this magical transformation into ants is difficult to achieve. Ants have six legs and two long antennae, whereas spiders have eight legs, but only one antennae. “No,” Professor Poyner said.

“To get around these anatomical differences, spiders typically arrange their two front legs in a way that approximates the appearance of antennae.”

“But the number of legs and the presence or absence of antennae are not the only features that distinguish ants from spiders.”

“In spiders, the abdomen and cephalothorax are closely attached, whereas in ants these body parts are separated by narrow areas called petioles.”

“And there are many other small-scale structures that need to be modified to bring spiders closer to ants.” We say it starts with mutation, adaptation, and natural selection.”

“But I think spider reasoning and intelligence are also involved, because spiders often model the subsequent body changes of certain ants in the same environment.”

“In the early days, it was said that all insect behavior was the result of instinct, but this is no longer the case.”

“Some spider groups have developed the ability to look and behave like different types of ants, he added. Spiders that try to blend in with other insects, such as flies, beetles and wasps. There are some too.”

“Most of the mimic spiders belong to the few families that hunt, such as Jumping spiders and Jumping spiders. The Colombian copal specimen looks like a jumping spider.”

“Mimetic spiders also belong to the families Coringidae (Arachnidae), Tomisidae (Flower spiders), and Zodariidae (Arachidae or Arachnidae).”

of study It was published in the magazine historical biology.

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George Poyner. Myrmarachne colombiana sp. n. (Araneidae: Salticidae), a new species of ant-like spider that lives on copal from Colombia, South America. historical biology, published online March 7, 2024. doi: 10.1080/08912963.2024.2320190

Source: www.sci.news

A newly discovered titanosaurus species found in Uruguay

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Paleontologists have announced the discovery of a new genus and species of titanosaur dinosaur, based on fossilized remains discovered in Uruguay’s Paysandu department.

Uderartitan Celeste. Image credit: Soto other., doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2024.105894.

The newly described dinosaur species roamed the Earth during the Late Cretaceous Period, more than 85 million years ago.

Named Uderartitan Celeste, the body length of the ancient giant was 15 to 16 meters (49 to 52 feet).

This species belongs to a superfamily of dinosaurs called titanosaurs. Saltasaurinae.

“Titanosaurs represent the most successful and diverse group of sauropods, with more than 80 species described since the beginning of this century.” Dr. Matias Soto from the Uruguay Institute of Geosciences and its colleagues.

“They were the most abundant large herbivores of the Gondwana supercontinent during the Late Cretaceous, in sharp contrast to the ornithischian-dominated contemporaneous fauna of Laurasia.”

“This clade appears to have originated in South America, where it shows its greatest diversity, with records ranging from Belian-Varangian to Maastrichtian (145 million years ago to 72 million years ago). Masu.”

Fossilized materials of Uderartitan Celeste (60 vertebrae, bone fragments, and associated eggshells) were discovered within the deposit in 2006. Layers of Guichon near Quebracho, Paysandu Department, Uruguay.

“Titanosaur fossils have been known in Uruguay since the early 20th century, when four species were identified based on fragmentary fossils,” the paleontologists said.

“Such references are questionable, but given the strong central protrusion of the tail, there is no doubt that they were titanosaurs.”

“These discoveries were relevant because they allowed us to confirm the presence of Upper Cretaceous rocks in Uruguay, but given recent discoveries in South America, for example, Ninja Titan Zapatai, Tapuasaurus macedoi. Without additional data, older epochs within the Cretaceous cannot be excluded.”

According to the team: Uderartitan Celeste shows unique combinations and possibilities of character autotapomorphy.

This discovery indicates that at least two titanosaur lineages existed in Uruguay during the Late Cretaceous. Saltasauidea and Saltasauidea. Aerosaurini.

“Uderartitan Celeste represents the second sauropod taxon recognized in Uruguay, after the recently reported one. Aeolosaurus vertebrae from Asensio’s formation” said the researchers.

“Phylogenetic relationships between saltasaurids saltasaurids or non-saltasaurids saltasauridae prove the presence of saltasauroids in the Guichon Formation.”

This finding is reported in the following article: paper in diary Cretaceous research.

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Matias Soto other. Phylogenetic relationships of new species of titanosaurs (order Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Uruguay. Cretaceous research, published online March 26, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2024.105894

Source: www.sci.news

Microsoft Appoints DeepMind Co-founder to Lead Newly Formed AI Division

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Microsoft has named the co-founder of the British artificial intelligence research institute DeepMind as the head of its new AI division. Mustafa Suleiman, now 39 years old, co-founded DeepMind with Demis Hassabis and Shane Legg back in 2010. The company was later acquired by Google in 2014 for £400m and has since become the core of Google’s AI efforts. Suleiman left DeepMind in 2019 and will now lead Microsoft AI, a new organization focusing on the US company’s consumer products and research. Several members from Suleiman’s Inflection AI startup will also join the division.

Microsoft has made a multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI, the developer of the ChatGPT chatbot, to develop generative AI technology. Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, praised Suleiman as a visionary product maker and a team leader with a bold mission. The new division will integrate Microsoft’s consumer AI efforts, such as the Copilot chatbot and the Bing browser, which utilizes ChatGPT technology. Copilot is a key element in Microsoft’s AI monetization efforts, enabling users to easily compose emails, summarize documents, create presentations, and more.

Suleiman’s colleague Karen Simonyan, also a co-founder of Inflection AI, will join the new division as a principal investigator. Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported that Apple is in talks to incorporate Google’s Gemini AI product into the iPhone. Inflection AI, backed by Microsoft and Nvidia, has become one of the leading companies in the generative AI race.

Suleiman, who has roots in both Syria and the UK, recently published a book on AI titled “The Coming Wave.” In it, he discusses both the potential benefits and risks of AI technology, calling for an increase in research on AI safety. In an interview last year, he described the book as a “provocation,” noting the importance of predicting future trends and taking action to mitigate potential risks.

Source: www.theguardian.com

A newly discovered spinosaur dinosaur species confirmed in Spain

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New genus and species of spinosaurid dinosaur named Riojavenatrix lacustris It was discovered by paleontologist Eric Isasmendi of the University of the Basque Country.

Artist's reconstruction of spinosaurids Baryonyx. Image credit: Andrey Atubin / CC BY 4.0 Certificate.

Spinosauridae (Spinosauridae) is a family of large theropod dinosaurs known from the mid-Cretaceous period.

These dinosaurs were characterized by long skulls with crocodile teeth and converging conical teeth, and sturdy limbs with huge thumb claws.

They grow to huge sizes and at least one species is Spinosaurus aegyptiushas grown as much or larger than tyrannosaurus rex.

In many species of spinosaurids, the spinal neural spines were significantly elongated, forming a sail on the dinosaur's back.

Spinosaurs are thought to be piscivorous (fish eaters) based on their sharp teeth and skull and jaw features.

Their fossils have been recovered all over the world, including Africa, Europe, South America, and Asia.

The newly identified spinosauridae lived in what is now Spain during the Early Cretaceous period, about 120 million years ago.

with scientific name Riojavenatrix lacustristhis species reached 7–8 meters (23–26 ft) in length and weighed 1.5 tons.

“Riojavenatrix lacustris is one of the newest species of Iberian and European spinosaurids,” Isasmendi and co-authors said.

“It holds a triangular pubic boot. Megalosauridae, and the medial condyle of the femur, marking a transitional stage between the anteroposteriorly directed long axis of non-spinosaurian theropods and the posteromedially directed long axis of spinosaurids. ”

Skeletal reconstruction Riojavenatrix lacustris. Image credit: Scott Hartman.

Fossilized bones are Riojavenatrix lacustris Collected from the Enciso Group, Cameros Basin, La Rioja, Spain.

“with” Riojavenatrix lacustris“Currently, five spinosaurids have been described from the Early Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula,” the paleontologists said.

“Other Iberian spinosaurs are camarillasaurus From Aragon, Valibona Benatrix and prearthritis from Valencia, and iberospinasse It's from Portugal. ”

“Fossil remains prove that large and diverse populations of these carnivorous dinosaurs lived on the Iberian Peninsula.”

“The numerous discoveries within this iconic group raise several new questions about the ecology of these animals,” said Dr. Elena Cuesta, a paleontologist at the Egidio Ferrio Museum of Paleontology and Ludwig Maximilian University. Stated.

“How did these species coexist with each other?”

“These questions prompt us to revisit future, more detailed studies of spinosaurids, which are sure to yield important results.”

of findings It was published in the magazine Zoological journal of the Linnean Society.

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Eric Isasmendi other. Increasing record of European theropods: new basal spinosaurs from the Enciso Group of the Cameros Basin (La Rioja, Spain). Evolutionary implications and paleontological diversity. Zoological journal of the Linnean Society, published online on February 19, 2024. doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad193

Source: www.sci.news

Newly discovered deep-sea worm amazes marine biologists

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Marine biologists at the University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Ensenada Higher Education and Research Center have described a rare new species of deep-sea insect with gills discovered in a methane well off San Diego’s Pacific coast. Named pectine rice triclotti, the new species has an elongated body flanked by rows of feathery, gill-tipped appendages called lateral legs.

pectine rice triclotti, a living male specimen. Image credit: Ekin Tilic.

pectine rice triclotti belong to Nereididae, a segmented, mostly marine family of insects with over 700 recognized species.

Commonly known as lugworms, these organisms are generally found in coastal areas and are usually limited to shallow marine habitats, but can also be found in brackish waters, freshwater bodies, and even moist terrestrial environments.

However, around 10% of the total diversity of lugworms is known to inhabit deep-sea environments.

These nematodes have a long body with rows of bristly parapods on the sides and a set of scissor-like jaws for feeding.

Many lugworm species undergo two distinct life stages: atokes and epitokes.

Pectine rice triclotti was first discovered during a dive in 2009 at a depth of approximately 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) using the submersible Alvin.

“We observed two lugworms swimming close to each other, about the length of a submarine, near the ocean floor,” said Bruce Stricklot, a researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Several specimens of pectine rice triclotti were collected and analyzed for anatomical features and DNA to determine their evolutionary relationships within the Nereididae family.

According to Dr. Greg Rouse, a marine biologist at the University of California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Pectine rice triclotti has unique characteristics compared to other lugworms.

Pectine rice triclotti, while possessing menacing-looking jaws, has unknown feeding habits, with the possibility of feeding on bacteria and other large food particles similar to other insects.

The body color of pectine rice triclotti in its natural habitat is likely rosy due to the darkness at 1,000 meters below the surface.

Further research is needed to explore the reproductive mechanisms and feeding behavior of this newly discovered deep-sea species.

The finding is detailed in the article: paper published in the online journal PLoS ONE.

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TF Villalobos Guerrero et al. 2024. A remarkable new species of deep-sea Nereidae (Annelidae: Nereidiidae) with gills. PLoS ONE 19(3): e0297961; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297961

Source: www.sci.news

Newly Found Fossil Remains in France Offer Valuable Information on Ordovician Polar Ecosystems

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in new paper in diary natural ecology and evolution, paleontologists described the diversity of the Cabrières biota, a new Early Ordovician site in the Montagne Noire in southern France. During the Early Ordovician, this region was an open marine environment located in the southern hemisphere at high polar latitudes, on the margin of the Gondwana supercontinent.

Artistic reconstruction of Cabrière Biota: in the foreground, Unpix (trilobites) and various ostracods including brachiopods and cryoliths (bottom left corner). Behind the trilobites are lobopods, chelicerates, cnidarians (blue), sponges (green), thin branched algae (red and green), hemichordates (purple), and some soft bodies. There are animals. Bivalve arthropods live in the water column along with graptolites. Image credit: Christian McCall, Prehistorya Art.

“Early Paleozoic sites with preserved soft tissues provide a wealth of information about the evolution of past life and improve our understanding of earlier ecosystems, but they are unevenly distributed in time and space. ,” said paleontologist Farid Saleh of the University of Lausanne and his colleagues.

“About 100 soft-tissue preserved assemblages have been recorded from the Cambrian, while about 30 are known from the Ordovician, and only a few have been discovered in early Ordovician rocks. .”

“The distribution of early Paleozoic remains is also paleogeographically biased, as approximately 97% of the biota discovered represents tropical and temperate ecosystems within 65 degrees north and south of the paleoequator.”

“This pattern is especially true for the Ordovician, where very few sites are known to have polar environments.”

“Among the most famous Ordovician sites, Sumchere in South Africa, Big Hill in the United States, and Winneshiek exhibit tropical ecosystems.”

“Given the rarity of Ordovician sites and their lopsided paleogeographical distribution, discovering new biota with preserved soft tissues across the aforementioned paleogeographic zones and environments will deepen our understanding of this period and This is crucial for gaining better insight into the factors driving increases in animal diversity on Earth. ”

Biomineralized species of the Cabriere biota: (a) Trilobites of the genus Unpix(b) gastropods with tubular structures, probably conuraids Sphenothalas(c) biomineralized canine cnidarians; (d) Arthrobrachiopod attached to a spongiosa, probably of the leptomid family. (e) Assemblage formed by an articulated brachiopod (center), a flattened carapace of a probably bivalve arthropod (left and right of center), and the skull of a calimenin trilobite (left). (f) Possibly visceral cyst. Scale bars – (a) and (e) 4 mm, (b) and (d) 1 cm, (c) 5 mm, (f) 2 mm.Image credit: Saleh other., doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02331-w.

In a new paper, paleontologists describe a group of 470-million-year-old (early Ordovician) fossils, named Cabrière Biota, discovered in southern France's Montagne Noire.

The fossil site was discovered by two French amateurs, Eric Montseret and Sylvie Montseret Goujon.

Saleh and his co-authors examined about 400 extremely well-preserved soft tissue fossils taken from the site.

Fossils typically exhibit shades of brown, red, or orange and are embedded within a siliciclastic matrix of mudstone and siltstone, and their colors range from blue to green to yellow.

The Cabriere biota is characterized by a prevalence of sponges and branched algae, which constitute 26% of all identified fossils.

Also included are molluscs (14%), trilobites (12%), brachiopods (9%), cystoliths (7%), and cnidarians (6%).

An interesting feature of this biota is its rarity, with echinoderms being represented by only three specimens.

The Cabrières biota also exhibits the shells of various bivalve arthropods, which constitute 16% of the fossils identified.

Some wormlike organisms are also present in the biota (approximately 1% of identified fossils).

“The Cabrière biota was once located in close proximity to Antarctica and reveals the composition of the southernmost Ordovician ecosystem,” Dr Saleh said.

“The high biodiversity of this site suggests that the area served as a refuge for species fleeing the high temperatures that were prevalent further north at the time.”

“During this period of global warming, animals were certainly living in high-latitude refuges, escaping the extreme temperatures at the equator.”

Dr Jonathan Antcliffe, a paleontologist at the University of Lausanne, said: “The distant past gives us a glimpse of the near future that could happen to us.''

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F. Saleh other. Cabrières Biota (France) provides insight into Ordovician polar ecosystems. Nat Ecole Evol, published online on February 9, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02331-w

Source: www.sci.news

Hubble spots a group of newly formed stars at the end of a colliding galaxy

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Using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers observed seven interacting galaxies with long tadpole-like tidal tails of gas, dust, and numerous stars. Hubble’s exquisite clarity and sensitivity to ultraviolet light led to the discovery of 425 clusters of newborn stars along these tidal tails. Each cluster contains up to a million newborn blue stars.

As seen in this Hubble image, galaxy AM 1054-325 has been distorted from its usual pancake-like spiral shape into an S-shape by the gravity of its neighboring galaxies. As a result, clusters of newborn stars form along tidal tails stretching across thousands of light years, resembling strings of pearls. Image credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/Jayanne English, University of Manitoba.

Tidal tail star clusters have been known for decades. When galaxies interact, gravitational tidal forces pull out long streams of gas and dust.

Two commonly used examples are antennas and rat galaxy It has elongated finger-like projections.

In a new study, astronomer Michael Rodrak of Randolph-Macon College and his colleagues combined new observational data with archival data to determine the age and mass of the tidal tail cluster.

Researchers discovered that these star clusters are very young, only 10 million years old.

And they appear to be forming at the same rate along a tail that extends over thousands of light years.

“It’s surprising that there are so many young objects in the tail,” said Dr Rodrak, lead author of the paper. paper Published in Royal Astronomical Society Monthly Notices.

“It tells us a lot about cluster formation efficiency.”

“With tidal tails, a new generation of stars will be built that otherwise would not exist.”

Tidal tails look like spiral arms of galaxies extending into space.

The outer part of the arm is pulled like taffy by the gravitational tug of war between a pair of interacting galaxies.

Before the merger occurred, galaxies may have been rich in dusty clouds of hydrogen molecules that simply remained inert.

However, during the encounter, the clouds swayed and clashed.

This compressed the hydrogen and triggered the firestorm of star birth.

“The fate of these strung star clusters is uncertain,” the astronomers said.

“They remain intact under gravity and can evolve into globular clusters that orbit outside the plane of the Milky Way.”

“Alternatively, they could disperse and form a stellar halo around their host galaxy, or be thrown off and become stars that wander between galaxies.”

“This pearly star formation may have been more common in the early Universe, when galaxies were colliding with each other more frequently.”

“These nearby galaxies observed by Hubble are proxies for what happened in the distant past, and are therefore laboratories for studying the distant past.”

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michael rodrak other. 2023. Star clusters in tidal dust. MNRAS 526 (2): 2341-2364; doi: 10.1093/mnras/stad2886

Source: www.sci.news

Confirmation of Two Newly Discovered Carboniferous Ctenacan Shark Species in the United States

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An intensive search for ancient marine vertebrates in Mammoth Cave National Park's paleontological resource inventory has yielded a wealth of new fossil data. To date, paleontologists have identified marine vertebrate fossils from four major formations within the park, two of which are the first of marine vertebrate fossils to occur in those formations. It's a record. The Mammoth Cave ruins have yielded more than 70 species of ancient fish, approximately 90% of which are cartilaginous fish (sharks and related species), including two new species: I am. Troglocladodus trimbley and Grikmanius Care Forum.

Reconstruction of a new Ctenacan shark discovered in Mammoth Cave National Park and northern Alabama: Grikmanius Care Forum Two people can be seen swimming in the foreground. Troglocladodus trimbley swimming above. Image credit: Benji Paynose.

Mammoth Cave National ParkLocated in central Kentucky, it is home to the longest cave system in the world.

To date, more than 685 km (426 miles) of corridors within 214 km have been mapped.2 It forms a park. In addition, within the boundaries of the park there are more than 500 small caves.

These cave passages date back 340 to 325 million years and were formed by dissolution by underground rivers, streams, and other drainage channels that cut through a series of limestones covered with durable sandstone. I did.

These passages opened up unique views of these limestones. Limestone is a time capsule containing a wealth of information about the ancient marine environment at the time of its deposition.

From these layers, invertebrate fossils such as horned corals, fan-like bryozoans, brachiopods, gastropods, shelled cephalopods, and a variety of echinoderms are found throughout the various strata that form the cave. It has been.

“Every new discovery at Mammoth Cave is made possible because of collaboration,” said Superintendent Barclay Trimble.

“Our parks team is proud to collaborate and collaborate with the National Park Service Paleontology Program and now the University of Alabama Department of Geological Sciences to make this latest announcement possible.”

Restoration of the St. Louis Shallow Marine Environment and its Fauna Genevieve Formation, Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. Image credit: Julius Csotony.

The two new species are stenacanto shark, Troglocladodus trimbley and Grikmanius Care Forumlikely hunting in an ancient coastal habitat that covered Kentucky and Alabama more than 325 million years ago.

This region was once an ancient sea route connecting what is now eastern North America, Europe, and North Africa, but it later disappeared with the formation of the supercontinent Pangea.

Troglocladodus trimbley It was identified from adult and juvenile teeth found in St. Louis and St. Louis. Genevieve Formation and Bangor Formation of Mammoth Cave.

The ancient shark is estimated to have reached about 3 to 3.7 meters (10 to 12 feet) in length, about the same size as the oceanic white shark.

Grikmanius Care Forum It was mainly identified from teeth in St. Louis, St. Louis.Genebabe and Haney Formations in Mammoth Cave, Hartselle and Bangor Formations in Alabama, but a partial set of jaws and gills from a young specimen Grikmanius Care Forum It was also discovered in Mammoth Cave.

The body length of this species was 3-3.7 meters. The shape of its jaws suggests that it had a short head with a powerful bite to hunt small sharks, bony fish, and right-cone-shaped creatures like squid.

“This discovery pushes the origin of the Ktenacanto shark back more than 50 million years earlier than expected,” the paleontologists said.

of study It was published in the magazine park management forum.

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JM Hodnet other. 2024. Sharks in the Dark: Paleontological inventory reveals multiple contiguous populations of Mississippian cartilaginous fishes (chondrichthyes) in Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. park management forum 40(1); doi: 10.5070/P540162921

Source: www.sci.news

A newly discovered kangaroo lizard species found in India

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A research team led by scientists from Calicut University has described a new species of agamid lizard discovered in the Indian state of Kerala.

Agastya Gama Edge, an uncollected female from the reference locality habitat of Kuramab, Idukki District, Kerala, India. Image credit: Sandeep Das.

The newly confirmed species belong to the following: Agastya Gama, a previously monotypic genus of diurnal, terrestrial, insectivorous lizards of the family Agamiidae.

This genus includes Indian Kangaroo Lizard (Agastya Gama Bed Dormitory) Originally from the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

“Terrestrial agamids, which inhabit the forests of southern India and Sri Lanka, are currently classified into two separate genera. Agastya Gama and Otocryptis It is based on genetic and morphological grounds,” said Calicut University researcher Sandeep Das and colleagues.

“Genus Otocryptis It originally included two species. Otocryptis Bed Dormitory From the southern Western Ghats of India, Otocryptis wigmannii It comes from the humid region of Sri Lanka. ”

“After a long gap, additional species Otocryptis nigristigma Illustrated from the dry forests of Sri Lanka. ”

“In 2018, scientists showed that the Sri Lankan kangaroo skink is paraphyletic with the Western Ghats kangaroo skink.”

“This prompted them to establish a monotypic genus.” Agastya Gama to accommodate Indians. Otocryptis Bed Dormitory however, no molecular data are available. Otocryptis nigristigma”

Agastya Gama Edge Lifetime: (A) An unrecovered adult male from Kuramab, Idukki District, Kerala, India. (B) Females not collected from the same locality. Image credit: Sandeep Das.

named Agastya Gama EdgeThe new species is a small agamid lizard with a body length of 3 to 4.3 centimeters.

“Agastya Gama Edge It is the second species of the genus Agastya Gama” said the researchers.

“On the surface, they are similar. Agastya Gama Bed Dormitory They vary in overall shape, size, and color, but can be distinguished by the combination of letters. ”

Agastya Gama Edge It is currently known only from evergreen forests in the Idukki district of Kerala, India. All records of this species are between 636 and 835 m above sea level.

“We encountered more individuals from March to May,” the scientists said.

“Disturbed habitats such as roadside vegetation and plantation areas had lower numbers compared to undisturbed vegetation types.”

“During the breeding season from March to May, males had creamy spots on their throats. Young individuals were observed in June and July.”

“Discovery of the second species Agastya Gama “The reptile diversity of the Western Ghats is increasing,” they added.

“Agastya Gama Bed Dormitory Its range is home to a variety of habitat types, including myristica wetlands, hilltop tropical evergreen forests in the south, tropical evergreen forests on the west coast, tropical semi-evergreen forests on the west coast, and secondary moist mixed deciduous forests in the south. I am. Agastya Gama Edge So far it has been recorded only from tropical semi-evergreen and evergreen forests. ”

“Our study shows that the two species are geographically separated by about 80 km in a straight line.”

discovery of Agastya Gama Edge is explained in paper It was published in the magazine vertebrate zoology.

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S. Das other. 2024. Discovery of a new species of kangaroo lizard (Squamatora: Agamiidae: Agastya Gama) from the southern Western Ghats of India. vertebrate zoology 74: 151-168; doi: 10.3897/vz.74.e113084

Source: www.sci.news

Newly Found Anti-Aging Cells Offer Potential for Prolonged Youthfulness

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The ‘fountain of youth’ isn’t locked away in a philosopher’s stone or a mythical body of water, according to new research. In fact, US scientists say the key to slowing aging is hidden within our bodies.

It was announced in new research that: The secret to anti-aging lies in white blood cells known as T cells. The researchers behind the study discovered that these cells can be reprogrammed into senescent cell-killing machines known as CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T cells.

When they tested this treatment on mice, they lost weight, improved their metabolism and glucose tolerance, increased physical activity, and led healthier lives. Moreover, there is no tissue damage or toxicity.

“If you give this to old mice, it rejuvenates them. If you give this to young mice, it slows down the aging process. There are currently no other treatments that can do this.” Corina Amor Vegas is an assistant professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in the United States and one of the authors of the paper.

Researchers call this treatment a “living drug.” That’s because when CAR T cells are genetically modified, they become more aggressive in attacking a group of cells known as senescent cells.

Senescent cells are responsible for many of the conditions and diseases that develop as we age, such as obesity and diabetes. As the years go by, we accumulate more and more of them, and this causes a buildup of harmful inflammation. However, CAR T cells may be able to eliminate them and slow the effects of aging.

This treatment is already approved in the United States to treat blood cancers. But this is the first time scientists have shown that CAR T cells can slow or even reduce the effects of aging.

There are already drugs that can eliminate senescent cells, but these must be taken repeatedly. The effects of CAR T cells, on the other hand, are long-lasting. If he takes one dose when he is young, he will be protected for life.

“With CAR T cells, you could potentially get away with just one treatment. For chronic diseases, this is a big advantage. Think about the patients who need treatment,” said Amor Vegas. If administered intravenously, it will be fine for several years. ”

Scientists will then investigate whether the cells not only make you healthier for the rest of your life, but also help you live longer.

read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Texas is the home of a newly discovered wind dragon species

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A new genus and species of a large wind dragon that lived about 218 million years ago has been described from a large portion of its carapace discovered in Texas, USA.

Aerosaurus life restoration chest typothorax. Image credit: Smokeybjb.

Aitosaurus is an extinct quadrupedal heavily armored reptile aetosaurs.

Their name means “eagle lizard” and comes from the fact that their skull resembles that of a bird.

These creatures could reach lengths of up to 6 m (20 ft) and were geographically widespread during the Late Triassic.

“Aetosaurs are a group of quadrupedal armored reptiles whose terrestrial ecology is inferred to include both herbivory and omnivory,” said a paleontologist at the University of Texas at Austin. William Reyes and his colleagues.

“They have achieved a nearly global geographic distribution, but are stratigraphically restricted to the Late Triassic.”

“Most species of wind dragons reach a total length of 2 to 6 meters (6.6 to 20 feet).”

dubbing Garsapelta Murerithe newly identified species grew up to 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) long.

This extinct animal lived in what is now the United States during the Middle Triassic period, about 218 million years ago.

Hypothetical reconstruction of Garsapelta Mureri: (a) Carapace seen from the back, and (bf) cross-sectional view of the carapace seen from the back. Cross-sectional views of (b) posterior neck and anterior trunk, (c) mid-trunk, (d) posterior trunk and sacrum, (e) anterior caudal region, and (f) mid-caudal region. Arrows indicate anatomical direction. A – Anterior, D – Dorsal, L – Lateral, M – Medial. Image credit: Jeffrey Martz / Reyes other., doi: 10.1002/ar.25379.

Its fossilized skeleton was discovered. Cooper canyon formation Located in Garza County, Texas.

It was recovered with an associated carapace containing elements of both the left and right sides of the body.

The discovery of Garsapelta Mureri “This provides new insights into interspecific variation in the carapace of etosaurs,” the paleontologists said.

“It is clear that the morphology of the lateral osteoderm determines the final topological position of the bone. Garsapelta Murerirecover it as a sister taxon of . Desmatostini”

“The similarities between the two are Garsapelta Mureri, Rioaribascus chamensisand the paratipothrasin The discoveries from Colorado's Eagle Basin indicate a biostratigraphic range that we believe is probably limited to Revuelto's putative holochronozone (215 to 207 million years ago), but It suggests that we are working on the emergence of a new group of wind dragons that may be just as old. The latest Adamanian. ”

team's paper appear in anatomical records.

_____

William A. Reyes other. Garsapelta Mureri generation. Such. In November, a new species of wind dragon (archosaur: pseudosaur) was discovered in the middle Cooper Canyon Formation of the late Triassic (middle Norian) in the Dokum Group, Texas, USA, and the morphological characteristics of the wind dragon's carapace. its impact on our understanding of difference; anatomical records, published online on January 11, 2024. doi: 10.1002/ar.25379

Source: www.sci.news

Newly color-corrected image shows that Uranus and Neptune have a greenish-blue hue

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The so-called ice giants Uranus and Neptune are the most distant giant planets in the solar system. Our knowledge of these worlds was revolutionized by his flybys of NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft on January 24, 1986 and August 25, 1989, respectively. Since these Voyager encounters, our knowledge of the visible appearance of these worlds has come primarily from images reconstructed from observations from Voyager 2 Imaging Science System (ISS), images were recorded with several separate filters ranging from ultraviolet to orange. In these images, Uranus appears pale green and Neptune appears dark blue, and the perception of the relative colors of these planets has become generally accepted. However, new research has revealed that the two ice giants are actually much closer in color.

Voyager 2/ISS images of Uranus and Neptune, released shortly after the Voyager 2 flybys in 1986 and 1989, respectively, were used in this study to determine the best estimates of the true colors of these planets. The filtered image was compared with the reprocessed version.Image credit: Irwin other., doi: 10.1093/mnras/stad3761.

Professor Patrick Irwin of the University of Oxford said: “While the well-known Voyager 2 image of Uranus was released in close to ‘true’ color, the image of Neptune has actually been stretched and enhanced. As a result, it was artificially too blue.”

“Although artificially saturated colors were known to planetary scientists at the time and images were published with descriptive captions, over time that distinction has been lost. I lost it.”

“By applying our model to the original data, we were able to reconstruct the most accurate representation to date of the colors of both Neptune and Uranus.”

In the study, Professor Irwin and his colleagues space telescope imaging spectrometer On board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (STIS) Multi-unit spectroscopic explorer (MUSE) ESO’s Very Large Telescope.

This means that the STIS and MUSE observations can be processed unambiguously to determine the actual apparent colors of Uranus and Neptune.

Astronomers used these data to rebalance the composite color images recorded by Voyager 2’s camera. Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).

This revealed that Uranus and Neptune are actually quite similar shades of greenish-blue.

The main difference is that Neptune has a slight hint of additional blue. Models revealed that this is due to Neptune’s thin haze layer.

The study also provides an answer to the long-standing mystery of why Uranus’ color changes slightly during the sun’s 84-year revolution.

The authors first reached their conclusion after comparing images of the ice giant with measurements of its brightness recorded in blue and green wavelengths from 1950 to 2016 by the Lowell Observatory in Arizona.

These measurements showed that Uranus appears slightly greener during the summer and winter solstices, when one of the planet’s poles points toward our star.

However, at the vernal equinox, when the sun is above the equator, the sun takes on a somewhat blue hue.

Part of the reason for this is known to be because Uranus has a very unusual rotation.

During its orbit, it effectively rotates almost sideways. This means that during the planet’s summer solstice, either the north or south pole points almost directly in the direction of the sun and Earth.

This is therefore important because changes in reflectivity in the polar regions have a large effect on Uranus’ overall brightness as seen from Earth.

Astronomers have not been very clear about how or why this reflectance differs.

This led the researchers to develop a model that compares the spectra of Uranus’ polar and equatorial regions.

They found that in polar regions, green and red wavelengths are more reflective than blue wavelengths. Part of the reason is that red-absorbing methane is about half as abundant near the poles as it is at the equator.

But this wasn’t enough to fully explain the color change, so the researchers looked at the gradually thickening icy surface of the planet’s sunlit pole during the summer. We added a new variable to the model in the form of a haze “hood”. We move from the vernal equinox to the summer solstice.

Astronomers believe it is likely made up of particles of methane ice.

When simulated in the model, the ice particles further increased reflection in green and red wavelengths at the poles, providing an explanation for why Uranus is green at the summer solstice.

“This is the first study to match quantitative models with image data to explain why Uranus’s color changes during its orbit,” Professor Irwin said.

“Thus, we prove that Uranus at the summer solstice is greener, not only because methane abundance is reduced in the polar regions, but also because the thickness of brightly scattering methane ice particles is increased. it was done.”

“The misperceptions of Neptune’s colors and the unusual color changes of Uranus have puzzled us for decades. This comprehensive study finally puts an end to both problems. ” said Dr. Heidi Hummel, a researcher at the Association of Universities for Astronomical Research (AURA).

of result will appear in Royal Astronomical Society Monthly Notices.

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Patrick G.J. Irwin other. 2024. Model the seasonal cycle of Uranus’ color and size and compare it to Neptune. MNRAS 527 (4): 11521-11538; doi: 10.1093/mnras/stad3761

Source: www.sci.news

Newly Discovered Resting Behavior of Gray Reef Sharks Will Surprise You

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Considered to be a perpetually mobile predator, gray reef sharks have only ever been observed in motion, leading many to believe that they need to swim to breathe. Credit: © Christopher Leon

The first report of a gray shark resting under a reef shelf in the Seychelles changes our knowledge of how they breathe (they don’t need to keep swimming to stay alive), and the science of sleeping sharks. The basis for this has been clarified again.

A predator in perpetual motion. I can’t sleep in our ocean. If you have this impression of sharks, you’re not alone. There’s a good reason for that. Sharks have to swim to breathe (that’s what we were told). The science of shark sleep and breathing is related, and all sharks use gills for breathing, but he has two ways to move oxygen-rich seawater over the gills.

Some sharks, called obligatory rams, “ram” oxygen-rich seawater over their gills, which requires them to keep moving.other seedThey actively pump seawater over their gills while at rest, called buccal pumps.

Evidence of shark rest: A new perspective

Today’s science shows that sharks may be stationary, and there are also suggestions that sharks are asleep. However, there is no solid evidence regarding the sleep behavior of Ram ventilators. Scientists hypothesize that they may not be sleeping at all, sleeping using half their brains (like sperm whales and bottlenose dolphins), or sleeping against ocean currents. There is.

New paper “Just keep swimming? Observation of resting behavior of gray reef sharks Medicaginus Ambryrrhinchus (Bleeker, 1856),” published this month. Fish Biology Journal This overturns our knowledge of one mandatory ram ventilator. The gray shark is an endangered reef-dwelling shark of the family Ceridae, and was a typical representative of sharks that move for breathing.

First evidence of a gray reef shark resting under a reef shelf in the Seychelles. Credit: Photography by Craig Foster | © Save Our Seeds Foundation

“During a routine research dive around Daros, we discovered a gray shark resting under a reef shelf,” said the head of research at the Save Our Seas Daros Research Center (SOSF-DRC) in the Seychelles. Dr. Robert Block begins speaking. “This is not something we believed they were capable of. Gray sharks have been thought of as a ram-breathing species that cannot rest, so when we find these sharks resting, It turns our basic understanding of them upside down.”

Stationary sharks: a surprising discovery

Researchers encountered gray sharks resting alone or in groups at various locations around the Seychelles. And all the while, the sharks seemed oblivious to the observer’s presence. This is an important observation. Scientists believe that increased arousal threshold is a characteristic of sleep, not just rest.

The sharks remained stationary except for mandibular movements, suggesting that these ram-ventilating sharks switch to buccal pumping behavior. Since there is little current at the site and the shark rests facing on all sides, the idea that resting facing the current is the only way to do so is because there is little water for gray reef sharks.

Craig Foster, founder of the SeaChange project, is one of the divers and an author of the paper. “There’s something special about tiptoeing around 25 meters underwater, staring into the open eyes of a sleeping shark, and moving carefully so as not to wake the peaceful, beautiful shark.” he says.

Implications and future research

“I love anything that challenges our current thinking, and I’ve always thought the gray reef shark is a clear example of a species that needs to swim to breathe. Obviously with this discovery. Dr James Lea, CEO of the Save Our Seas Foundation, is enthusiastic about the implications of this paper. “This raises all sorts of other questions,” he says. “How are they coping? For how long? How often? We still have a lot to learn, and that’s very exciting to me.”

If gray reef sharks can switch up their breathing and rest, we may be able to learn more about similar sharks. “It’s important to understand how they use their environment and how it changes in response to changing environmental conditions,” explains Dr. Lee. “How important is this rest, or even the possibility of sleep, for sharks? And how will they be affected if they are unable to rest if conditions change, such as rising or falling oxygen levels due to climate change? Will I receive it?”

remind us of our connection to nature

The authors all agree that this discovery also tells us a lot about ourselves and our relationship with the natural world. “I hope these discoveries remind us how much we still don’t know and how interesting that is. Science can get quite a lot wrong. That’s a lot, and that’s okay,” Dr. Block recalled. Foster believes what we know about the wild is critical to conservation. “Knowing how our shark family sleeps brings us closer to their fascinating world, and awakens us from our own slumber to remind us that we cannot live without these amazing marine creatures.” ,” he said.

Reference: “Just keep swimming? Observation of resting behavior of gray reef sharks Medicaginus Ambryrrhinchus (Bleeker, 1856)” by Robert W. Block, Craig Foster, and James S.E. Lee, November 20, 2023, Fish Biology Journal.
DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15623

Source: scitechdaily.com

Newly Discovered Fossils Shed Light on Enigmatic Human Lineage in the Levant

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Orthographic view of the static skull, mandible, and parietal bones.Credit: Tel Aviv University

Nesher Ramla homoan ancient hominin group discovered in Israel reveals a complex admixture of Eurasian and African hominins 140,000 years ago, changing perceptions of the origins of Neanderthals.

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown archaic hominin group they named Nesha Ramla. homo” at a recently excavated site in Israel. This group, dating from about 140,000 to 120,000 years ago, is thought to be the last survivor of the Middle Pleistocene. homo. They exhibit a unique blend of Neanderthal and ancient human characteristics and technology.

Neanderthals are thought to have originated and flourished in continental Europe long before modern humans arrived. However, recent evidence suggests a genetic contribution from as yet unknown non-European populations and points to a long and dynamic history of interactions between Eurasian and African hominin populations.

Human interaction in Eurasia and Africa

Here, Israel Hershkovitz, Yossi Zeidner and colleagues present fossil, artifact, and radiometric evidence from the Levantine region of the Middle East that illustrates this complexity. According to Hershkovitz et al., the newly discovered Nesher Ramla homo They exhibit anatomical features that are older than their contemporaneous Eurasian Neanderthals and modern humans, who also lived in the Levant. This discovery indicates that this archaic lineage may represent one of the last surviving populations of the Middle Pleistocene. homo in southwest Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Archaeological context and cultural interaction

In joint research, Zaidner other. We provide archaeological context for the new fossils and report on their associated radiometric dates, artifact assemblages, and the behavioral and environmental insights they provide. Researchers found that Nesher Ramla homo Familiar with technology that was previously known only to a select few homo sapiens And Neanderthals. Taken together, these findings provide archaeological support for close cultural interactions and genetic admixture between different human lineages before 120,000 years ago. This may help explain the different expressions of teeth and skeletal features in later Levantine fossils.

“Interpretation of Nesher Ramla fossils and stone tools will have mixed reactions among paleoanthropologists. Nevertheless, the age of Nesher Ramla materials, the discordant morphological and archaeological similarities , and the site’s location at the crossroads of Africa and Eurasia make this a major discovery,” writes Marta Lahr in an accompanying Perspective.

For more information about this research, see Types of prehistoric humans previously unknown to science.

References:

“Middle Pleistocene Homo from Nesher Ramla, Israel” Israel Hershkovitz, Hilla May, Rachel Salig, Ariel Pokhodzhaev, Dominique Grimaud Hervé, Emiliano Bruner, Cinzia Fornai, Rolf Quam, Juan. Written by Luis Arzuaga, Victoria A. Crenn, and Maria Martinon Torres, José María Bermudez de Castro, Laura Martin Frances, Vivian Soulon, Lou Albesado Ball, Amelie Viale, and Tim Schuler , Giorgio Manzi, Antonio Profico, Fabio Di Vincenzo, Gerhard W. Weber, Yossi Seidner, June 25, 2021, science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.abh3169

“Behavior and culture of Homo during the Middle Pleistocene, 140,000 to 120,000 years ago, and interaction with Homo sapiens” Yossi Seidner, Laura Senty, Marion Prevost, Norbert Mercier, Christophe Farguerre, Gilles Guerin, Hélène Valadas, Mairis Richard, Asmodee Ghaly, Christophe Pécherin, Olivier Tombre, Edwidge Pons-Branch, Naomi Porat, Ruth Shahak Gross, David E. Friesem, Reuven Yeshurun, Zohar Turdjman Yaffe, Amos Frumkin, Gadi Herzlinger, Ravid Eckstein, Maayan Shemar, Oz Valoner, Rachel Salig, Hila May, Israel Hershkovitz, June 25, 2021, science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.abh3020

Source: scitechdaily.com

Newly Discovered Black Hole Found in New Zealand Restroom

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black hole butt

Roger Sharp added another item to his summary of feedback about black holes that can be found on surface maps of our planet (October 7).visitors to Nelson’s Mai Tai Esplanade ReserveNew Zealanders may feel relieved after entering a Blackhole public toilet.

Feedback points out that installing a toilet in an astrophysical black hole would eliminate the need for some expensive parts of modern waste treatment facilities, particularly sewage piping systems and septic tanks.

insert a needle into the patient

How far is it okay to insert a needle a little too deeply into someone’s abdomen? 365 surgeons from 58 European countries gave their opinion on this topic. Their thoughts, desires, and perhaps even dreams are distilled into a study called “.Relevance of Veres needle overshoot reductionBy researchers from the Netherlands and Malta.

These are the needles used to inflate the patient before performing the internal looking and subsequent cutting and manipulation tasks that are the highlight of most laparoscopic surgeries. A special type of needle called a Veres needle has long been the standard device for puncturing and injecting air into people who enter a shop for repairs. This performs much the same function as a simple type of needle used to inflate a soccer ball.

This study investigates the desire and need for a new and better Veress needle design.

The researchers said that surgeons “felt it was important to have a firm grip on the needle shaft, as most respondents held the needle rather than the grip.” The reason is that some surgeons try to stabilize their hands by touching the abdominal wall with their fingers during insertion, and the grip is too far from the abdominal wall. The data also shows that the maximum overshoot should be limited to 0 to 10 mm. ”

Almost every professional activity has a specific tolerance for error. Publication of this paper will make the public more aware of professionals’ general tolerance for overinsertion of injection needles in laparoscopic surgery patients.

goaf gangue

Unfamiliar scientific terminology can be fun, especially when the words are mined from depths that are unfamiliar to most people.

The same goes for gangue and goaf. He came across the feedback while reading a report by Zhanshan Shi of China’s Liaoning University of Technology and colleagues.Simulation test study on filling flow law of gangue slurry in goaf”.

Goaf is the waste that accumulates during mining. Gangue is a seemingly worthless portion of ore extracted from a mine. Goaf necessarily has gangue.

There are also mysteries. The report states that “there is little research on flow rules for gangue slurries in the Goahu sedimentary rock mass.”

This report is a reminder that there is always something yet to be unearthed, even if it is just information.

wooden board

In the vast forest of nominative determinism of people whose names are hilarious and almost eerily related to work, a few trees, namely the names of some people, are particularly suited to the purpose. One is Marlin E. Plank, who served as a forest products research technician at his Pacific Northwest Research Station in Portland, Oregon. He spent much of his professional life estimating how much commercially useful wood could be obtained from certain types of trees.

Stewart Harrison told Feedback of his joy upon discovering Planck’s 1982 paper.Harvesting wood from ponderosa pines in western Montana”.

A trip through the library found more plankitudes, including a plank on a log.Estimating the volume of small-diameter logs of ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine”.

Planck’s most sophisticated log paper may be the one he co-authored with Floyd Johnson in 1975 called .Empirical log rules for Douglas fir in western Oregon and western Washington”. This describes a better way, a low-key and practical way to estimate how much wood you will get if a tree is plank-harvested.

Plank and Johnson said: “The traditional procedure for estimating timber aggregates is based on theoretical log rules, defect deductions, and overrun factors. This procedure is indirect, subjective, and complex. It is also clearly inaccurate. Theory A better procedure is described that is based on actual wood recovery rather than the wood recovery above.”

Planck passed away in 2014. The Planck memorial website says:To plant a tree in your memory, visit the Sympathy Store.”.

Blindfold measures

Greg Rubin squints at a fellow computer security expert who warns that information on a video screen can be extracted from the reflections of video chatters’ glasses (October 28).

he says: “This is what my community has.” is known about For many years. I also sometimes comment on the reflections I see during video calls. Personally, I recommend using simple defense strategies for long and boring conference calls. Close your eyes and take a nap. ”

Mark Abrahams hosted the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and co-founded the magazine Annals of Improbable Research. Previously, he was working on unusual uses of computers.his website is impossible.com.

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Newly Discovered Light Properties Unveiled by Centuries-Old Theorem

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Researchers have used a 350-year-old mechanical theorem that is usually applied to tangible objects to uncover new insights into the properties of light. By interpreting light intensity as equivalent to physical mass, they mapped light into a system to which established mechanical equations could be applied. This approach reveals a direct correlation between the degree of non-quantum entanglement of light waves and the degree of polarization. These discoveries have the potential to simplify the understanding of complex optical and quantum properties through more direct light intensity measurements.

Researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have applied a 350-year-old theorem originally used to describe the behavior of pendulums and planets to uncover new properties of light waves.

Ever since Isaac Newton and Christian Huygens debated the nature of light in the 17th century, the scientific community has grappled with the question: Is light a wave, a particle, or both at the same time at the quantum level? . Now, researchers at the Stevens Institute of Technology have used a 350-year-old mechanical theorem, typically used to describe the motion of large physical objects such as pendulums and planets, to A new relationship has been revealed. The most complex behavior of light waves.

Reveal relationships between light properties

The research, led by Xiaofeng Qian, an assistant professor of physics at Stevens College, and reported in the August 17 online issue of Physical Review Research, shows that the degree of non-quantum entanglement of light waves exists in a direct and complementary relationship. We proved for the first time that it does. It depends on the degree of polarization. As one increases, the other decreases, so the level of entanglement can be directly inferred from the level of polarization, and vice versa. This means that difficult-to-measure optical properties such as amplitude, phase, and correlation (and perhaps even properties of quantum wave systems) can be estimated from something much easier to measure: the intensity of light.

Physicists at Stevens Institute of Technology are using a 350-year-old theorem that explains how pendulums and planets work to uncover new properties of light waves. credit:
Stevens Institute of Technology

“We’ve known for more than a century that light sometimes behaves like waves and sometimes like particles, but reconciling these two paradigms is extremely difficult. We know that,” Chen said. There is a deep connection between the concepts of waves and particles not only at the quantum level but also at the level of classical light waves and point-mass systems. ”

Applying Huygens’ mechanical theorem to light

Qian’s team used a mechanical theorem originally developed by Huygens in his 1673 book on pendulums. This theorem explains how the energy required to rotate an object varies depending on the object’s mass and its axis of rotation. “This is a well-established mechanical theorem that explains how physical systems like clocks and prosthetic limbs work,” Qian explained. “But we were able to show that it can also provide new insights into how light works.”

This 350-year-old theorem describes the relationship between a mass and its rotational momentum. So how does this apply to light, which has no mass to measure? Qian’s team interprets the intensity of light as equivalent to the mass of a physical object, which can be interpreted using Huygens’ mechanical theorem. We mapped those measurements into a coordinate system. “Essentially, we found a way to transform optical systems so that they can be visualized as mechanical systems and described using established physical equations,” he explained. .

Once the researchers visualized light waves as part of a mechanical system, new relationships between wave properties quickly became apparent, such as the fact that entanglement and polarization are clearly related to each other.

“This hasn’t been shown before, but when you map the properties of light onto a mechanical system, it becomes very clear,” Qian says. “What was once abstract becomes concrete. Using mechanical equations, you can literally measure the distance between the ‘center of mass’ and other mechanical points to determine how different properties of light interact with each other. We can show how they are related.”

Elucidating these relationships has important practical implications, as it may allow us to estimate subtle and difficult-to-measure properties of optical systems, and even quantum systems, from simpler and more reliable measurements of light intensity. Qian explained that there is a gender. More speculatively, the researchers’ findings suggest that mechanical systems could be used to simulate and better understand the strange and complex behavior of quantum wave systems.

“It’s still in front of us, but this first study clearly shows that by applying mechanical concepts, we can understand optical systems in entirely new ways,” Qian said. Ta. “Ultimately, this research will help simplify the way we understand the world by allowing us to recognize the essential underlying connections between seemingly unrelated physical laws.”

References: “Bridging coherence optics and classical mechanics: Complementarity of general light polarization entanglement” by Xiao-Feng Qian and Misag Izadi, August 17, 2023. physical review study.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.033110

Source: scitechdaily.com