5 New Species of 'Shimmering' Goblin Spider Discovered-Volboratella teresae.

This image shows a female spider of the species Volboratella teresae. Credit: Charles E. Griswold, California Academy of Sciences View full size image

Five new species of tiny, shimmering spiders have been discovered in Madagascar, according to a new study.
The new species belong to the family of goblin spiders, which are extremely small arachnids with body lengths ranging from about 0.04 to 0.12 inches (1 to 3 millimeters).
In the study, researchers looked at 326 spider specimens they had previously collected in Madagascar over the course of a few years. After examining the spiders' physical characteristics, such as their genitalia, the investigators determined that the animals should be classified as five species under a new genus that they named Volborattella.


"It is a remarkable discovery — a genus comprising a number of species previously unknown to science, unknown to the world," said study author Charles E. Griswold, curator of arachnology at California -READ MORE LINK-

Have fishermen discovered a new species of ancient MAN? Chunky jawbone fossil dredged up off coast of Taiwan

Fishermen working off the coast of Taiwan have dredged up the jawbone of an ancient human ancestor that lived in the area around 200,000 years ago. The short, thick mandible has unusually large teeth and a strong jaw compared to other human fossils found in East Asia, according to anthropologists. The discovery suggests that it belonged to an previously unknown ancient human lineage. Experts say it means that there may have been several species of early human living in Asia until modern humans arrived 55,000 years ago. 

The fossilised jawbone is the first ancient hominin remains to be found in Taiwan. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2928549/Have-fishermen-discovered-new-species-ancient-man-Chunky-jawbone-fossil-dredged-coast-Taiwan.html#ixzz3QPQYhLJK 

Sauropods-50-foot-long 'dragon' dinosaur species discovered in China

Sauropods, a category of dinosaurs that includes the Diplodocus, typically had necks that comprised up to a third of their body size. A new species of dinosaur described in a recent Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology had a neck that could stretch up to 25 feet long, which is half its body length. The dino has been named Qijianglong (pronounced "CHI-jyang-lon"), which means "dragon of Qijiang." Its bones were discovered near China's Qijiang City by construction workers in 2006. It belongs to a family of sauropods known as mamenchisaurids. Miraculously, when the beast was unearthed, its head was still attached to its vertebrae, something extremely unusual in the paleontology world. "It is rare to find a head and neck of a long-necked dinosaur together because the head is so small and easily detached after the animal dies," explains Tetsuto Miyashita, a University of Alberta paleontologist who, along with former master's student Lida Xing and professor Philip Currie, discovered the new species. RELATED STORIES Secret of 'Jurassic Park' raptor sounds? Tortoise sex New flamboyant dinosaur named after speedy god Biggest-ever dinosaur unearthed? Some researchers think so Also of note is that the dinosaur's vertebrae were filled with air, much like the skeletons of birds. This made their necks fairly lightweight for their massive size (and no doubt, kept -READ MORE LINK-http://www.cnet.com/news/50-foot-long-dragon-dinosaur-species-discovered-in-china/

Ageing whales: Scars reveal social secrets

Baird's beaked whales, sometimes called giant bottlenose whales, seem to prefer the company of specific individuals. Researchers who identified the whales by scars on their bodies, are calling for hunting of the species to be halted while more information is gathered about their complex social structure. Currently, they are hunted by whalers off northern Japan. The new findings have been published in the journal Marine Mammal Science.Erich Hoyt, from Whale and Dolphin Conservation and co-director of the Russian Cetacean Habitat Project, who led the research, said his team had followed the animals from spring to early autumn over four years. "We were trying to piece together the social behaviour," he told BBC News. The whales spend relatively little time at the surface and make regular dives of up to 30 minutes, reaching depths of 1km (3,300ft). Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote Disturbing them or removing individuals might have significant consequences” Prof Ari Friedlaender Oregon State University This makes them difficult to study. But by following them over four years and cataloguing them based on each individual's numerous scars, the scientists were able to reveal new social insights. Most striking were the long-term relationships the whales appeared to form. The team, mostly made up of Russian research students, discovered one alliance of two whales that were together four times - the animals were apparently repeatedly meeting up with one another over a period of more than three years. Of the scars on the whales' bodies, the team concluded these had been caused by drift nets, killer whale attacks and cookie cutter sharks.READ MORE AND SEE VIDEO LINK-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30993208

Chicks place low numbers on the left

Scientists in Italy have found that baby chickens associate low and high numbers with left and right, respectively - just like humans. In a series of experiments, 60 newborn chicks were shown patterns of shapes representing different numbers, before choosing a direction. Humans are known to use a "mental number line" to think about quantities but this innate left-right association has not been seen in animals before. The work appears in Science magazine. Dr Rossa Rugani, who led the experiments at the University of Padova, said it was impossible to know exactly what drove the chicks' choices - but the results were clear. "All we can judge is behavioural responses. Therefore, we don't actually know if it is a real 'number line' but it strongly resembles what is observed in the human number line," she told BBC News-READ MORE AND SEE VIDEO LINK-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31038256

Skull clue to exodus from Africa

An ancient skull discovered in Israel could shed light on the migration of modern humans out of Africa some 60,000 years ago. This migration led to the colonisation of the entire planet by our species, as well as the extinction of other human groups such as the Neanderthals. The skull from Manot Cave dates to 55,000 years ago and may be the closest we've got to finding one of the earliest migrants from Africa. Details appear in Nature journal. "The skull is very gracile - there is nothing that makes it any different from a modern skull," Prof Israel Hershkovitz, from Tel Aviv University, told the Nature podcast. "But it also has traits that are found in older specimens." He added: "This is the first evidence that shows indeed there was a large wave of migrants out of East Africa, crossing the Sahara and the Nubian desert and inhabiting the eastern Mediterranean region 55,000 years ago. So it is really a key skull in understanding modern human evolution." Manot cave Manot Cave in Galilee was re-discovered during construction work in 2008 Physical features of the skull, such as a distinctive "bun-shaped" region at the back, resemble those found in the earliest modern humans from Europe. This "implies that the Manot people were probably the forefathers of many of the early, Upper Palaeolithic populations of Europe", Prof Hershkovitz said. Chris Stringer, research Leader in human origins at London's Natural History Museum, commented: "Manot might represent some of the elusive first -READ MORE LINK-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31022975

Weird ancient frilled shark found in fisherman's net

This strange-looking shark has found its way into a fisherman's net in Australia.

The shark is a rare species that can be traced back to animals that lived 80 million years ago.

It is called the frilled shark, as it has lots of frilly gills down its long body, and it has often been called a 'living fossil'.

A live frilled shark was found in Japan in 2007

The shark has around 300 super sharp teeth in 25 rows, to help it catch its prey.

'Horror movie'

"It was like a large eel, probably 1.5 metres long, and the body was quite different to any other shark I'd ever seen," fisherman David Guillot told an Australian radio station.

"The head on it was like something out of a horror movie. It was quite horrific looking."

It is very rare to see the frilled shark as it lives in very deep water - sometimes hundreds of metres below the surface.