How Fat or Fit Were Dinosaurs? Scientists Use Laser Imaging:
Karl Bates and his colleagues in the palaeontology and biomechanics research group have reconstructed the bodies of five dinosaurs, two T. rex (Stan at the Manchester Museum and the Museum of the Rockies cast MOR555), an Acrocanthosaurus atokensis, a Strutiomimum sedens and an Edmontosaurus annectens. The team found that the smaller Museum of the Rockies T. rex could have weighed anywhere between 5.5 and 7 tonnes, while the larger specimen (Stan) might have weighed as much as 8 tonnes.
Genes Important To Sleep Discovered:
For many animals, sleep is a risk: foraging for food, mingling with mates and guarding against predators just aren't possible while snoozing. How, then, has this seemingly life-threatening behavior remained constant among various species of animals? A new study by scientists at North Carolina State University shows that the fruit fly is genetically wired to sleep, although the sleep comes in widely variable amounts and patterns. Learning more about the genetics of sleep in model animals could lead to advances in understanding human sleep and how sleep loss affects the human condition.
Cannibalism Among Rattlesnakes Helps Females To Recover After Birth:
Spanish, American and Mexican researchers have produced the first quantitative description of cannibalism among female rattlesnakes (Crotalus polystictus) after monitoring 190 reptiles. The study has shown that these animals ingest on average 11% of their postpartum mass (in particular eggs and dead offspring) in order to recover energy for subsequent reproduction.
X-rays Used To Reveal Secrets Of Famous 'Dinobird' Fossil:
About 150 million years ago, an evolutionarily hybrid creature, a dinosaur on its way to becoming a bird, died in what is now Germany, and become fossilized in limestone. About 150 years ago, the fossil of this "dinobird" was discovered and celebrated as proof of Charles Darwin's new theory of evolution. Now fast word to a few weeks ago: The famous fossil, the Thermopolis specimen of Archaeopteryx lithographica, made its way by truck from the Wyoming Dinosaur Center to the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource in California, where it was meticulously scanned by one of the world's most powerful X-ray machines, a building-sized device created for physics research.
Single-celled Algae Took The Leap To Multicellularity 200 Million Years Ago:
Some algae have been hanging together rather than going it alone much longer than previously thought, according to new research.
Animals Successfully Relearn Smell Of Kin After Hibernation:
Animals can re-establish their use of smell to detect siblings, even following an interruption such as prolonged hibernation, research at the University of Chicago on ground squirrels shows.
Gut Parasites That Can Infect Humans May Be Widespread In Domestic And Wild Animals:
The gut protozoans Giardia duodenalis and various species of Cryptosporidium are extremely contagious single-celled parasites liable to cause digestive disease in both humans and animals. Some species and genotypes of Cryptosporidium and Giardia are important zooneses, as they occur in both animals and humans. Zooneses are diseases that may be transmitted between animals and people.
When Dreaming Is Believing: Dreams Affect People's Judgment, Behavior:
While science tries to understand the stuff dreams are made of, humans, from cultures all over the world, continue to believe that dreams contain important hidden truths, according to newly published research. In six different studies, researchers surveyed nearly 1,100 people about their dreams. "Psychologists' interpretations of the meaning of dreams vary widely," said Carey Morewedge, an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University and the study's lead author. "But our research shows that people believe their dreams provide meaningful insight into themselves and their world."
Simply Hoping That Humanity Will Save The Environment May Do More Harm Than Good, Experts Argue:
Do you "hope" that everyone will see the light and start living more sustainably to save the environment? If so, you may be doing more harm than good. So say an environmental scientist and an environmental ethicist in a provocative essay in the journal, The Ecologist. John Vucetich, assistant professor of animal ecology at Michigan Technological University, and Michael Nelson, associate professor of environmental ethics at Michigan State University, challenge the widespread belief that hope can motivate people to solve overwhelming social and environmental problems.
Will Online Shopping Look Something Like Second Life In The Future?:
For all of the conveniences of online shopping -- no crowds, easy parking, seemingly endless choices -- it can't always compete with the real thing. At least not yet. A Kansas State University marketing professor said consumers can expect that some of the disadvantages of online shopping will disappear as retailers adapt models from Second Life.
Intrepid Explorers And The Search For The Origin Of Species:
Evolution, we know, is the guiding thread of biology and explains life as we know it. But how that big idea was inspired and expanded over two centuries of natural history is really a tale of the adventures of a handful of intrepid scientists whose derring-do, perseverance and intellectual curiosity sparked a revolution that forever changed our view of the living world.
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