National Geographic => Pyramid Discovered in Bosnia?
An amateur archaeologist has uncovered proof that a four-sided hill near Visoko, Bosnia is of man-made origins. Not only have they discovered cut stone slabs to form the side, but also passages underneath.
If it proves to be a pyramid, it will be the first discovered in Europe, and is estimated at 12,000 years old.
Technorati Tags: Archaeology, Blog, Science
National Geographic => Snakes Evolved on Land, New Fossil Find Suggests
Seems like it’s been a good month for fossils in Argentina, at least for announcements, anyway.
Even today, some snakes have vestigial legs, indicating that, in earlier forms, they had functioning legs before loosing them to evolution. There is some debate as to whether they evolved first on land or in the water.
This new find in Argentina is of a primitive snake form that still has functioning hip and back legs, suited for crawling or digging. This lends evidence to the land-based evolution scenario.
Technorati Tags: Blog, Natural Sciences, Paleontology, Science
New Scientist => Invention: The TV-advert enforcer
This might just be the greatest, healthiest invention ever made by mankind.
Philips has filed for a patent that would allow utilization of a “commercial-flag” in television broadcasts that could be deciphered by your TV and VCR and prevent you from changing the channels or fast-forwarding.
Personally, I think something like this would lead to millions of people turning off the damned TV and getting a life. (They could take up blogging, for example.) People would be more active, loose weight and just generally eat more granola.
Presumably version 2 of this device will prevent the TV from being turned off and physically restrain you from leaving the room or taking your eyes off the screen.
Technorati Tags: Blog, Commentary, Technology, Science
Here’s an article (Columbus Dispatch => Discovery of Evolutionary Link Was a Scientific Inevitiability) that not only dismisses the significance of the recent discovery of Tiktaalik Roseae but makes me feel good about it at the same time.
Tiktaalik Roseae is one of those “missing links” we’re always hearing so much about. These are transitional animal forms not yet discovered in the fossil record. Critics (note that I didn’t say “serious” critics) of Paleontology sometimes argue that without these missing links, the Theory of Evolution is just speculation without evidence. This is nonsense designed to cloud the fact that we have collected thousands if not millions of data points in Paleontology, Geology, Physics, Biology, Molecular Biology and a host of other scientific fields supporting it.
Many such “missing links” have been found over the years. Each time one is found, the gaps in the record get smaller and the “missing links” just move to the gaps. There will always be gaps because, without every single skeleton of every animal that ever lived there will always be a little shadow in the corner that someone can try to drag up and claim renders everything else discovered before anomalous.
Pelontologists knew that Tiktaalik Roseae had to be out there somewhere. They knew roughly where it had to be (in time) and they went searching for it and found it. This certainly is not meant to diminish the work that went into the task, because I’m certain it was an impressive feat, but the initial implication is that they essentially “proved” something that was already well-known.
Here’s to Tiktaalik Roseae for coming out of the shadows!
(Note:, OK, OK, the article in the Columbus Dispatch doesn’t really dismiss the significance of the discovery.)
Technorati Tags: Blog, Natural Sciences, Paleontology, Science
And I don’t mean my kids either.
Mapusaurus Roseae a new species of carnivorous dinosaur has recently been discovered. Discovered in Argentina, this brute weighed in at 8 tons and 43′ long. (Tyrannosaurus Rex being only a wimpy 39′ long.)
The fossil find was discovered as a group of different individuals, leading paleontologists to speculate that Mapusaurus was a social, pack-hunting animal. One possible prey for this massive carcharodontosaurid was the largest known dinosaur, the massive sauropod, Argentinosaurus.
ABC News => Huge Meat-Eating Dinosaur Discovered
Technorati Tags: Blog, Dinosaur, Natural Sciences, Paleontology, Dinosaurs, Science
I was perusing the archives of New Scientist Magazine when I ran across an older article that I can’t believe I’d missed.
It’s the tale of Leonardo, the 77 million year old brachylophosaurus (hadrosaur) discovered in 2000. The really amazing thing about Leonardo is that he fossilized in a mummified state, meaning that 90% of his soft tissue was preserved.
The specimen is so well preserved that his beak, nails, musculature and even his stomach contents were preserved for study. It was an amazing find, and I can’t believe I never heard this one.
Anyway, he can apparently be seen at Judith River Dinosaur Foundation in Montana, and you can read about him here too, or buy a DVD.
Better than reading about him, you can also go on a real dig and learn to use a toothbrush the way a paleontologist does.
Maybe this summer I’ll let my wife and kids go to Taiwan for 5 days while I go to Montana!
Technorati Tags: Blog, Natural Sciences, Paleontology, Science
This article from livescience.com talks about recent discoveries of new species in the Himalayas.
I particularly like the 2″ wasps deadly enough to kill a yak. Next time I go to Taiwan, I’m not going to quite as worried about the nasty 1.5″ wasps they have there.
They’ve also discovered new species of mice, monkeys, frogs and several insects. It really reminds us just how unexplored some parts of the world still are.
I remember when I was in 5th grade (30+ years ago) I asked my teacher (who was a science buff) why it wasn’t possible that there was some remote corner of the Earth where dinosaurs still existed, and he told me that the Earth had been so well explored everywhere there just wasn’t any place left to find anything new.
OK, a wasp is not as big as a dinosaur, but still…
Technorati Tags: Blog, Natural Sciences, Science
New Pyramid Found in Mexico City
I giant 1,500 year-old pyramid has been found beneath a hill in Mexico City. The Pyramid is 60 ft high and as large at the base as the famous Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacà n.
The pyramid is in a working class district of Mexico City and has been partially destroyed by building homes and Christians crucifying people. (Some things never change.)
Technorati Tags: Archaeology, Blog, Science
Scientists find a missing link between fish and land animals
Gosh, another good day in paleontology.
375-380 million years ago, this fellow took the first steps on land…
Named Tiktaalik Roseae after an Inuit word for “large freshwater fish” he won’t have too many children named after him, but he sure did a favor for all of us land-dwellers.
Technorati Tags: Paleontology, Science
Bones from huge dinosaur found on Chathams
This article from the New Zealand Herald talks about new land-based dinosaur discoveries on Chathams, an island off New Zealand.
Generally, New Zealand was not thought to have land-dwelling dinosaurs until these discoveries.
Technorati Tags: Paleontology, Science