Science

A new species of alvarezsaurid dinosaur that lived approximately 66 million years ago (Cretaceous period) has been unearthed in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, the United States. This life-size model of Trierarchuncus prairiensis was sculpted by Boban Filipovic, a paleontologist and artist from Serbia, and is on display at …

Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) have social systems to rival our own, according to new research led by marine biologists from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University. O’Corry-Crowe et al analyzed the relationship between group behaviors, group type, group dynamics, and kinship of beluga whales in 10 locations …

Large Dolphin from Oligocene Epoch was Fast-Swimming Apex Predator Paleontologists have found and described the first nearly complete skeleton of Ankylorhiza tiedemani, an extinct large dolphin that lived about 24 million years ago (Oligocene epoch). Life restoration of a pod of Ankylorhiza tiedemani. Image credit: Robert Boessenecker. With a body …

Sodium Regulates Circadian Clock in Mice, New Study Shows A new study published this week in the journal Nature shows that injecting mice with a salt solution (hypertonic saline) leads to the activation of neurons associated with the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the brain’s master circadian clock. The suprachiasmatic nucleus of a …

NASA Will ‘Pause’ Attempts to Deploy InSight’s Heat Probe on Mars The InSight lander has been trying to deploy its heat probe instrument for months, but it’s going to take a break. This probe was supposed to dig down to take the planet’s temperature, but NASA has only made progress …

Enormous Dormice Once Roamed Mediterranean Islands An international team of paleontologists from the UK, Italy and Switzerland has created the first digital reconstruction of the skull of Leithia melitensis, an extinct gigantic dormouse that lived on Malta and Sicily around two million years ago. An artist’s impression of the giant …

Famous Jurassic Park Dinosaur Was More Powerful than Previously Thought Dilophosaurus wetherilli was the largest animal known to have lived on land in North America during the Early Jurassic. Despite its charismatic presence in pop culture, major aspects of Dilophosaurus wetherilli’s skeletal anatomy, taxonomy and evolutionary relationships were unknown until …

Archaeologists have found a toy mouse at the site of Vindolanda, an ancient Roman military fort and settlement on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, northern England. The 1,900-year-old leather toy mouse from the Roman fort of Vindolanda. Image credit: Vindolanda Trust. The toy mouse measures 12.2 cm (4.8 inches) long and …

Tiny Dinosaur Relative Roamed Triassic Madagascar A new genus and species of ornithodiran — an early relative of dinosaurs and pterosaurs — that lived around 237 million years ago (Triassic period) has been identified from the fossilized remains found in southwestern Madagascar. Named Kongonaphon kely, the ancient reptile was surprisingly …

Study: Staring at Deep Red Light Can Improve Naturally Declining Vision Looking at 670-nm red light for three minutes a day can significantly improve cone color contrast sensitivity (the ability to detect colors) and rod sensitivity (the ability to see in low light), according to a new study published in …