Saturday 27 May 2017

Scientist discovers snakes that hunt in packs

 Get ready to update your nightmares.
A scientist from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville has discovered that a species of snake, the Cuban boa, hunts in groups, and through teamwork improve their chances of catching prey.
It's the first time that reptiles have been observed to have been involved in "coordinated hunting," where individual animals take into account the location of others of the same species to maximize their hunting successes.
The study's author, Vladimir Dinets, observed the snakes hunting fruit bats in Cuba. Taking up positions across a cave mouth at dawn and dusk, the individual snakes would position themselves in a way as to improve the odds of the pack making a kill.
"Snakes arriving to the hunting area were significantly more likely to position themselves in the part of the passage where other snakes were already present, forming a 'fence' across the passage and thus more effectively blocking the flight path of the prey, -read more and watch video

Researchers discover incredible new glass frog so translucent you can see its heart beating

The creature, found in the Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador, has green spots across its back and a ‘red heart fully visible’ underneath, thanks to the transparent membrane around its organs. But, scientists warn human activity is putting it at risk Scientists have discovered a remarkable new species of glass frog whose beating heart can be seen right through its chest.
The creature, found in the Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador, has green spots across its back and a ‘red heart fully visible’ underneath, thanks to the transparent membrane around its organs.
While it isn’t the only see-through species in existence, scientists say its markings, unusual call, and reproductive behaviour set it apart from the rest – but, they warn it may be in danger, as oil extraction and other human activities threaten its habitat.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4546706/Newly-frog-translucent-heart.html#ixzz4hcdnI3QO
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HomeLifestyle ScienceNew species of bus-sized fossil reptile found in Russia New species of bus-sized fossil reptile found in Russia

Scientists have discovered fossils of a new species of a large predatory marine reptile in Russia – dating back to 130 million years – which survived the last Jurassic extinction event. Pliosaurs are characterised by a large, 2-metre long skull, enormous teeth and extremely powerful jaws, making them the top predators of oceans during the ‘Age of Dinosaurs’.
They belong to a group of Plesiosaur marine reptiles – the most diverse and one of longest-lived aquatic four-limbed creatures, which possess an unusual body shape not seen in other marine vertebrates with four large flippers, a stiff trunk, and a highly varying neck length.-read more

New species of carnivorous sponge discovered off of Newfoundland and Labrador

Cladorhiza kenchintonae, also known as the carnivorous sponge, is pictured. It may not be dangerous to humans, but a new species of carnivorous sponge has been discovered east of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The carnivorous sponge, cladorhiza kenchingtonae, feeds on zooplankton and is described as being about two metres in length with one metre branches on its length. The hook-like glass spicules or “sponge bones” are microscopic and give it a Velcro-like surface, according to a Fisheries and Oceans Canada news release-read more

Dinosaur asteroid hit 'worst possible place'

Artwork impactScientists who drilled into the impact crater associated with the demise of the dinosaurs summarise their findings so far in a BBC Two documentary on Monday.
The researchers recovered rocks from under the Gulf of Mexico that were hit by an asteroid 66 million years ago.
The nature of this material records the details of the event.
It is becoming clear that the 15km-wide asteroid could not have hit a worse place on Earth.-read more

Whales reached huge size only recently

WhaleBlue whales are the biggest animals that have ever existed on Earth but they only recently* got that way.
This is the extraordinary finding from a new study that examined the fossil record of baleens - the group of filter feeders to which the blues belong.
These animals were relatively small for most of their evolutionary existence and only became the behemoths we know today in the past three million years.-read more

Saturday 20 May 2017

New Species Of Hippo Found By Abu Dhabi Fossil Experts


Scientific studies of fossil bones of an extinct relative of the hippopotamus from the Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi have identified a previously-unknown species, according to a paper recently published in the specialist journal, ‘Palaeo Vertebrata’.
The species has been named Archaeopotamus qeshta, the first word meaning ‘ancient river’ and the second being taken from the Egyptian dialect word for hippopotamus, meaning ‘cream’.
Studies of new fossil specimens discovered since 2003 have enabled scientists to re-evaluate earlier material and to determine that all of the material from the UAE belongs to this newly-described species.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, said, “We have initiated five exploration projects for major archaeological and historical sites under TCA Abu Dhabi’s mandate to preserve and safeguard Abu Dhabi’s heritage and culture. Scientific research continues to reveal that the Al Dhafra region was once an area quite different from today’s arid environment. These significant finds indicate that a very extensive river system flowed throughout the area with many kinds of animals sustained by this environment.”
Commenting on the new discovery, Dr. Mark Beech, one of the authors of the paper and Head of Coastal Archaeology and Palaeontology in the Historic Environment Department of Abu Dhabi-read more

Young Scientist Discovers New Species of Crabs in Meghalaya

A female of the newly discovered species Credit: Parveen F Absar/Village Square
A young scientist has just discovered a new species of cave-dwelling crabs in the north-eastern Indian state of Meghalaya. It is the first ever species of a cave dwelling crab to be ever discovered in India.
Nestled in the Himalayas, Meghalaya is known for the magical beauty of its rich forests and water bodies. It is one of India’s four biodiversity hotspots – in the whole world there are 34 biodiversity hotspots.
Less known is the fact that Meghalaya also boasts some of the world’s longest natural caves and it is in once such cave that these tiny creatures were discovered by 29-year-old Parveen Farzana Absar. Absar is pursuing a masters in wildlife sciences from Aligarh Muslim University and was researching cave biology in the east-Jaintia hills at the time of discovery.
The crab she found is albino, almost blind and lives in dark crevices of the caves with the adults reaching a tiny size of just 2 centimetres.
“These species have adapted to the dark environment of cave… So this crab is almost blind and without colour,” Absar said. She also noted that unlike other crabs the thin and slender legs of the albino crab have hair on them.-read more

Brand new snake species found in Tennessee sinkhole

An ancient sink hole in eastern Tennessee holds the clues to an important transitional time in the evolutionary history of snakes.
Among the fossilized creatures found there is a new species of snake that lived 5 million years ago.
Researchers examined hundreds of dark mineral-stained snake fossils found in the Gray Fossil Site near East Tennessee State University and were surprised to discover vertebrae that don’t match any known species of snake, living or extinct.-read more

New types of coffee, parsnips and roses among 1,700 plants discovered last year

From new parsnips and herbs to begonias and roses, the world’s plant hunters discovered more than 1,700 new species last year, offering the prospect of better crops and new colours and scents in the garden.
The State of the World’s Plants report, led by scientists at the Royal Botanical Garden Kew in the UK and published on Thursday, reveals a cornucopia of new plants and assesses the risk to the plant world from pests and invasive species.
The most significant new food find was 11 new species of cassava found in Brazil which may help develop better varieties for the millions of people who depend upon it across the tropics. Capers, ginger, vanilla and sugar cane were among the other edible plants with newly found wild relatives.-read more
Sokinochloa australis, a new type of bamboo from Madagascar
Sokinochloa australis, a new type of bamboo from Madagascar. Photograph: Royal Kew Gardens
The most striking new discovery was a bamboo from Madagascar which produces spiky, hedgehog-like flower clusters – but takes at least a decade to develop them and

Snail's DNA secrets unlocked in fight against river disease

Scientists have decoded the genome of a snail involved in the spread of a deadly parasitic disease.
They say the information will help in the fight against schistosomiasis, an infection caused by a parasitic worm that lives in streams and ponds.
The disease affects millions of people a year in sub-tropical and tropical regions.
More than 100 researchers from around the world have unlocked the DNA secrets of a snail that transmits the parasite.
They say it will help in the understanding of the snail's biology, including new ways to stop the parasite spreading to people.
"Having the knowledge means we can progress at a much faster pace at understanding the disease and reducing the number of people infected," said Dr Joanna Bridger of the University of Brunel, a co-researcher on the study.
The snail (Biomphalaria glabrata) is found in South America.
Related snails are responsible for transmitting the parasite in sub-Saharan Africa, where most cases occur.-read more

Saturday 13 May 2017

Two new shrimp species found in burrows at the bottom of the Gulf of California


Although the Santa María-La Reforma lagoon complex in the Gulf of California is one of the most important areas for shrimp fishery, little is known about the crustacean species that live in the burrows dug in the bottom.
In addition to presenting two species new to science, researchers Drs. José Salgado-Barragán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Manuel Ayón-Parente and Pilar Zamora-Tavares, both affiliated with-read more

Fossil 'winged serpent' is a new species of ancient snake, doctoral student finds

An ancient sink hole in eastern Tennessee holds the clues to an important transitional time in the evolutionary history of snakes. Among the fossilized creatures found there, according to a new paper co-authored by a University of Pennsylvania paleontologist, is a new species of snake that lived 5 million years ago.
Steven Jasinski, lead author of the new study, is a doctoral student in Penn's Department of Earth and Environmental Science in the School of Arts & Sciences and acting curator of paleontology and geology at the State Museum of Pennsylvania. He is completing his Ph.D. under Peter Dodson, a professor of paleontology in Arts & Sciences and professor of anatomy in the School of Veterinary Medicine at Penn.
The fossils come from the Gray Fossil Site near East Tennessee State University, where Jasinski and co-author David Moscato pursued their master's degrees.-read more

Amazing haul of ancient human finds unveiled

neo
A new haul of ancient human remains has been described from an important cave site in South Africa.
The finds, including a well-preserved skull, bolster the idea that the Homo naledi people deliberately deposited their dead in the cave.
Evidence of such complex behaviour is surprising for a human species with a brain that's a third the size of ours.
Despite showing some primitive traits it lived relatively recently, perhaps as little as 235,000 years ago.
That would mean the naledi people could have overlapped with the earliest of our kind - Homo sapiens.
In a slew of papers published in the journal eLife, Prof Lee Berger from the-read more

Rare ammonite 'death drag' fossil discovered

Ammonites are a type of prehistoric cephalopod
The "death drag" of a prehistoric "squid" - or ammonite - made 150-million-years-ago has been preserved as an incredible fossil.
The animal's shell made the 8.5m-long mark as it drifted along the seafloor after its death.
Ammonites are one of the most common and popular fossils collected by amateur fossil hunters.
This specimen (Subplanites rueppellianus) was found in a quarry in southern Germany.
Its shell was preserved alongside the mark it made as it drifted along the floor of a tropical lagoon in a steady current.
Such marks are rare in the fread moreossil record.
"The fossil is perhaps one of the most unlikely of fossils to have ever been preserved, let alone be discovered," said Dean Lomax from the University of Manchester, UK, who led the research. "A real chance find."
The new specimen "provides a snapshot of a moment that is captured in time - it really tells a story", he added.

Identity of famous baby dinosaur fossil revealed

The fossil of a baby dinosaur discovered in China more than 25 years ago has formally been identified as a new species of feathered dinosaur.
The hatchling, dubbed Baby Louie, was found within a nest of dinosaur eggs.
Palaeontologists have called it Beibeilong sinensis, which translates to "Chinese baby dragon".
They say it is the first known specimen of a gigantic bird-like dinosaur belonging to the group known as oviraptorosaurs.
Although the fossil of the infant dinosaur is small, it would have grown into an adult weighing more than 1,000kg.
The discovery of dinosaur eggs in China, South Korea, Mongolia and North-read more

Saturday 6 May 2017

5 truffle species in New Hampshire

Five new truffle species found in New Hampshire http://www.pressherald.com/2017/05/01/five-new-truffle-species-found-in-new-hampshire/

First time in 100 years new butterfly species in Israel

New butterfly species discovered in Israel for the first time in 109 years https://phys.org/news/2017-05-butterfly-species-israel-years.html

New species of troodontid found in China

New species of troodontid with asymmetric feathers found in China https://phys.org/news/2017-05-species-troodontid-asymmetric-feathers-china.html

30 metres long dinosaur found

Huge new dinosaur species found - News.com.au http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/new-species-of-enormous-30-metrelong-dinosaur-discovered-inside-a-museum/news-story/4d92920358852f32af63db14e54095c6

Forest goblin found in Indonesia

Tiny New 'Forest Goblins' Discovered, Look Like Yoda http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/tarsiers-indonesia-new-species-star-wars/