Archive for the ‘New Discoveries’ Category
Microbe Finds Arsenic Tasty; Redefines Life
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on December 17th, 2010
NASA scientists have discovered an amazing new life-form that redefines what we consider to be the basic building blocks of life.
A microbe found at the bottom of Mono Lake in California seems able to live in a solution of arsenic which is poisonous to most other life. Phosphorus, which used to be considered one of the essential building blocks of life, is replaced by arsenic in this organism.
Dr. Sasselov, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and director of an institute on the origins of life there said, “I would like to know, when designing experiments and instruments to look for life [on other planets], whether I should be looking for same stuff as here on Earth, or whether there are other options. Are we going to look for same molecules we love and know here, or broaden our search?”
Seems like we have aliens right here on earth!!!
Ida “The Missing Link” Creates Buzz and Controversy
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on May 24th, 2009
Darwinius masillae - History/Atlantic Productions
It is hard for those who love science to go onto the web or read a paper and not see something about Ida “The Missing Link”. Ida is indeed remarkable as one of the best preserved and earliest primate fossils we have. But some in the scientific community are weary of the hype. Although Ida is indeed a transitional form between Lemur-like creatures and more modern primates it is not entirely certain that we humans are a direct descendant.
A copy of the fossil is on display as part of the American Museum of Natural History’s “Extreme Mammals” exhibit.
The New York Times has a good general article about the discovery here.
Brian Switek, a scienceblogs blogger who covers paleontology has a really good write up of some of the science and controversy here.
Amazing deep-sea fish with tubular eyes and transparent head
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries, Videos on May 24th, 2009
At Evolvems we are always looking for the strangest of the strange creatures on Earth. The types of adaptations that natural selection has produced are remarkable. The barreleye fish (Macropinna microstoma) is possibly one of the weirdest we have run across.
This fish has super sensitive tubular eyes that are embedded inside a clear fluid filled shell that resembles a jet fighter’s cockpit cover. The barreleye lives deep in the ocean and points it’s eyes upward looking for small fish and jellyfish passing above. When prey is spotted, the barreleye is able to swivel it eyes forward to track food, helping guide food towards its small mouth.
Read more about the barreleye and the Monterey Bay Aquarium researchers who are studying it here.
Rare animals to feature on Google Earth
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on March 31st, 2009
A Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus), in the Andes, Ecuador (Image: Peter Oxford / Nature Picture Library / Rex)
Earthwatch researchers have found a really cool way to raise awareness of endangered species, encourage donations and attract tourists to the regions where these animals live to support conservation efforts. They are posting the latest sightings of rare animals on Google Earth, that have been taken with cameras equipped with infrared triggers. These cameras, called camera traps, sit in wait it forests and jungles and automatically take pictures of animals as they wander by. Posting them on Google Earth helps researchers to share information and allows the rest of us a peek into the lives of some rare species, such as the spectacled bear, or “Paddington Bear”, of South America.
New Bird Evolves Faster than Any Other
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on March 23rd, 2009
A bird recently discovered in the Solomon Islands is a member of the White Eyes (Zosteropidae) family that evolves more rapidly than any other bird. - Dr. Chris Filardi, American Musuem of Natural History
The Vanikoro White Eye is a newly discovered species of bird, found on the tiny island of Ranongga. Genetic analysis of the White Eye birds of the Solomon Islands shows that there are 13 different species, some on islands as close as 2km apart. There are over 100 species of White Eyes around the world.
Tri-species illustration - BirdLife International
Rob Moyle from the University of Kansas said, “As we started to compile the data, we were shocked…White-eye species from across the family’s range had strikingly similar gene sequences, indicating a recent origin and incredibly rapid diversification.” Due to the its rapid capacity for diversification, some call White Eyes the Great Speciator. DNA analysis of many White Eyes species showed that they can generate about 2-3 new species every million years.
Predator X – Giant Jurassic Sea Reptile Fossils Found in Arctic
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on March 20th, 2009
An illustration of a pliosaur, with its crushing bite force, on attack. -Atlantic Productions
Scientists digging in the arctic island regions of Norway have found the enormous remains of a new member in a family of ancient ocean reptiles, called pliosaurs, that lived during the reign of the dinosaurs. This sea hunter was at least 50 feet long and weighed 45 tons. The skull alone measures 10 feet long as well as the front two flippers. The average length of previously studied pliosaurs is about 16-20 feet. It is estimated that Predator X had a bite 2-3 times as powerful as T-Rex and 100 times more powerful than any animal alive today, at 33,000 pounds. As the top predator in it’s habitat, Predator X probably fed on fish, squid and other marine reptiles, such as the long necked plesiosaur and the dolphin like ichthyosaurs.
Excavating the Skull of Predator X - Kelly Nobay
The story of the discovery and excavation of Predator X will be shown in a documentary on the History Channel on March 29th at 8pm.
Giant Stingrays Found Near Thai City
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries, Videos on March 12th, 2009
Zeb Hogan, of the University of Nevada in Reno, is documenting the rays as part of the Megafishes Project, an effort to document Earth’s 20 or so freshwater giants. watch as he searches for a Giant Stingray in Thailand and gets more than he could even imagine.
Crazy Transforming Owl
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on March 1st, 2009
Although this video is in Japanese, it is pretty easy to tell what is going on. Watch and be amazed & amused as this owl reacts when it is confronted by two different competing species of predatory bird.
Monster 42 Foot Snake Fossil Found
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on February 5th, 2009
An artist’s rendering of the prehistoric snake Titanoboa cerrejonensis, which was 42 feet long and lived 60 million years ago. - University of Florida
A new fossil find in a open coal mine in the northeast corner of the country of Colombia has uncovered the largest snake species known. Named Titanoboa cerrejonensis, this monstrous jungle dweller lived 60 million years ago,weighed over a ton and measured 42ft long. For a snake, which is cold blooded, to have evolved to be so large, it must have lived in a very hot tropical climate. Scientists have calculated that the average temperature must have been between 86 and 93 degrees. This is 10-15 degrees higher than the average temperature in today’s South American jungle.
Dino ‘graveyard’ reveals first Asian triceratops
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on January 8th, 2009
The world’s largest dinosuar fossil site that was recently found in China’s Shandong province has yielded its first big discovery. A 2 meter long skull resembling that of the famed horned dinosaur triceratops has been found. This is the first evidence that Ceratopsids, which is a family of four-legged, horned and crested dinosuars, lived outside of what is now North America.
Although early ancestors of ceratopsids have been found in China, true Ceratopsids have only been found in Alaska, western Canada and the western US… until now. The bones have not been precisely dated but are thought to be from 100 to 65 million years old.
