Author: T3107

Shark hunters have rediscovered a previously unknown population of fish that predates dinosaurs and was once thought to be extinct. The ‘fossil fish’ is 420 million years old. Image credit: Daniel Jolivet The remarkable find, first outlined by Mongabay News, is a result of shark hunters using gillnets to fish for sharks in the Indian Ocean near the southwestern part of Madagascar, where they accidentally turned up the ancient fish. The coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) is a 420-million-year-old ‘fossil fish’ that has four fins that act like limbs. The fish was thus given the moniker ‘Old Fourlegs.’ The fossil fish is…

As brood parasites, wood duck parents often place some of their eggs in other birds’ nests. It’s a strategy to have as many offsprings reach adulthood as possible, and it sometimes results in interesting situations. Amateur photographer Laurie Wolf captured this incredible image of a duckling sharing a nest with an owl in her backyard. Photo courtesy of Laurie Wolf One day, wildlife artist and amateur photographer Laurie Wolf noticed a small fluffy bird bobbing up and down inside the nest box in her Jupiter, Florida, backyard, National Geographic reports. A couple of weeks before, an eastern screech owl had…

When nature conservation goes wrong. Photo: JJ HArrison According to BirdLife Tasmania, a local conservation organisation, introducing a small population of Tasmanian devils to Maria Island in east Tasmania in 2012 has had “a catastrophic impact on one or more bird species”. The Tasmanian devil has been through a rough time, with their population having been pushed to the brink of extiction by the spread of a contagious form of facial cancer in the past 30 years. Multiple approaches have been taken to try and conserve the species, with this recent project coming at a deadly cost to birdlife.The devils…

When nature conservation goes wrong. Photo: JJ HArrison According to BirdLife Tasmania, a local conservation organisation, introducing a small population of Tasmanian devils to Maria Island in east Tasmania in 2012 has had “a catastrophic impact on one or more bird species”. The Tasmanian devil has been through a rough time, with their population having been pushed to the brink of extiction by the spread of a contagious form of facial cancer in the past 30 years. Multiple approaches have been taken to try and conserve the species, with this recent project coming at a deadly cost to birdlife.The devils…

Think your job is painful? Try spending a workday with Justin Schmidt, father of the Schmidt sting pain index. Just a normal day on the job for Justin Schmidt, who created the Schmidt sting pain index. Image credit: Justin Schmidt via Guiness World Records While most of us try to avoid insect stings at all costs, one scientist has made it his goal to learn everything there is to know about them. Dr. Justin Schmidt, an entomologist at the Southwestern Biological Institute in Arizona, United States, estimates that he has been stung by 150 different species over a thousand times…

A preemie from Connecticut who weighed just 11 ounces when he was born is finally home after growing to nearly 11 pounds during nine miracle months at two Westchester hospitals. When Connor Florio was born on July 13, 2018, in the 27th week of his mother’s pregnancy, he was small enough to fit in his father’s hands, at Westchester Medical Center, where he was the tiniest baby ever treated. His parents, who live in Danbury, Conn., were told their child’s chance of survival was extremely low. Connor was quickly transferred to Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital’s NICU. Connor was admitted to…

Mariam Petrosyan, 26, and Taron Petrosyan, 28, a couple from Yerevan, Armenia, are happily expecting a baby boy. However, when the boy Artyom Petrosyan was born, they discovered that he had a birthmark nevus – 80% of his body is covered with dark, raised, oval patches of skin Whatever his characteristics or appearance, your child is still yours and is therefore the most precious person in the world. I can see why the parents in this case were taken aback when the physicians told them they may choose to leave their newborn at the hospital if they so desired after…

The Marrs, from Dallas, Texas, had both been raised as only children, and neither had a family history of multiple births. Jenny wasn’t on fertility treatments either. Jenny and Chris Marr were hardly ready to welcome the triplets they’d be scheduled to deliver in March — during the coronavirus pandemic, no less. The couple was astonished to learn that their three children would actually be four in total—a set of identical quadruplets. I don’t know if those are necessarily tears of joy or not, which sounds awful. According to Chris, the Washington Post. Dr Brian Rinehart of Texas Health Presbyterian…

A mother has passed on a unique ‘birthmark’ that turns her hair white to her daughter – who has become the fourth generation of her family with the striking trait. Brianna Worthy, 23, from Ridgeland, South Carolina, and her 18-month-old daughter MilliAnna, were both born with a white patch at the front of their hair. When Brianna Worthy gave birth to daughter MilliAnna Worthy in May 2015, she noticed a patch of white hair on the front of her head. The mother couldn’t stop loving her daughter as the nurses put the baby on her chest. Brianna revealed that her…

Las nuevas tecnologías han permitido a los científicos examinar el interior de una pequeña momia egipcia que tiene casi 2000 años. Esto significa que los científicos pueden examinar los objetos enterrados con un cadáver de una manera no invasiva. Usando estas tecnologías, identificaron un escarabajo antiguo que proporciona nuevos conocimientos sobre las momias en la muerte y la vida. Sorprendentemente, encontraron que el retrato de la momia del difunto no coincidía con la momia de la niña dentro de los envoltorios. Esto puede ser un reflejo de antiguas prácticas funerarias o creencias sobre el más allá y esto sigue siendo un misterio. Posteriormente se utilizaron…

En un fascinante estudio osteoarqueológico “primero en su tipo”, los científicos descubrieron que la anemia era común en los niños del antiguo Egipto que habían sido momificados. Mediante el uso de tomografías computarizadas, se reveló que uno de cada tres niños (7 de las 21 momias examinadas en museos alemanes, italianos y suizos) padecía anemia, junto con otras afecciones sanguíneas como la talasemia. 00:0700:14/00:35 Cronológicamente, la más antigua de estas momias se remonta al Reino Antiguo (2686 a 2160 a. C.) y al Primer Período Intermedio (2160 a 2055 a. C.), aunque la mayoría datan de la época ptolemaica (332 a 30…

El 5 de agosto de 1949, un terremoto golpeó la pequeña ciudad ecuatoriana de Guano, provocando que muchos edificios se resquebrajaran y derrumbaran. El desastre, curiosamente, llevó al sorprendente descubrimiento de la momia de Guano. A causa del terremoto, los muros de la antigua Iglesia de la Asunción de Guano quedaron destruidos y se vinieron abajo por completo. Fue allí donde se encontró la momia de Guano, oculta en el interior de un cántaro de gran tamaño emparedado entre los muros de la iglesia. La razón por la que fue enterrado de una forma tan singular y emparedado de este modo…

Los europeos estaban tan fascinados con las momias egipcias y encantados con la oportunidad de comprarlas que estaban destinados a hacer algo extraño con ellas. No solo terminaron comiendo momias del antiguo Egipto, sino que también comenzaron a festejar con ellas, desenvolviéndolas en público o incluso en reuniones sociales privadas. Es posible que no te hayas dado cuenta de que comer momias del antiguo Egipto alguna vez fue un remedio europeo. Las momias obtienen su nombre del término árabe mumiya o mummia, que no solo significa “cadáver embalsamado”, sino que también se refiere al pissfalto, una sustancia natural que se ha…

Las momias de Guanajuato son un conjunto de más de cien cadáveres conservados por causas naturales que fueron descubiertos en el siglo XIX en Guanajuato, ciudad del centro de México. La historia de estas momias se remonta a 1833, cuando la ciudad fue azotada por un brote de cólera. Treinta años después de la epidemia, el cementerio estaba lleno a rebosar, y algunos de los cadáveres fueron exhumados para poder enterrar los más recientes. Fue en esta época cuando se descubrió que algunos de estos cuerpos estaban momificados como consecuencia de las condiciones extremadamente secas del terreno. Se exhumaron aún…

La conocida como Cultura Chinchorro estaba formada por grupos de pescadores y cazadores-recolectores que habitaron la costa del desierto de Atacama entre los años 7020-1500 antes de Cristo, ocupando zonas de los actuales Perú y Chile. Si por algo destacaron fue por sus antiguos ritos funerarios. De hecho es la primera civilización conocida en momificar a sus muertos de modo artificial. Muchas de sus momias se descubrieron a principios del pasado siglo XX formando grupos en la playa Chinchorro, de ahí que recibieran este nombre. Pese a que se ignora el número exacto de momias recuperadas, en la actualidad hay unas 180 repartidas entre…

Los restos de un hombre de 5.000 años de antigüedad desenterrados de un entierro masivo en el norte de Chile han sido identificados como pertenecientes a un pescador del Neolítico que murió ahogado. Los detalles de la vida del hombre se descubrieron a través de un extenso análisis de sus huesos, que mostró signos reveladores de su estilo de vida y la causa de su muerte. Los resultados del estudio de los restos del hombre excavados cerca del desierto de Atacama acaban de publicarse en Journal of Archaeological Science. El equipo interdisciplinario de expertos responsables del análisis incluyó a científicos de Chile, Australia y el…

No sería injusto decir que la historia de la humanidad ha sido un continuo derramamiento de sangre y violencia. Este fenómeno se ha capturado hoy en simulaciones virtuales, juegos y otras formas de entretenimiento, pero la vida real tiene muchos ejemplos en los que este comportamiento sediento de sangre ha tenido consecuencias profundamente traumáticas y perturbadoras. Un nuevo estudio en la Revista de Arqueología Antropológica, centrado en 164 tumbas encontradas en el desierto de Atacama de Chile, mostró que hace 3.000 años los primeros horticultores neolíticos llegaron a golpes mortales compitiendo por los recursos y las desigualdades socioeconómicas. La evidencia:…

So far, bionic aids have been used in humans, but now the technique has also been used on a bearded vulture – the creature has been given a new foot. Image credit: Sarah Hochgeschurz et al./Scientific Reports When a one-year-old female bearded vulture called Mia found herself without a foot, she received a futuristic limb replacement to make her survive. She was the first bird to receive such kind of aid. Mia received what’s been described as a “Plug and Play” prosthesis, fixed by the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at MedUni in Vienna, the institution that created…

What’s the most dangerous pet you’ve ever had? Whatever it is, it sure doesn’t even come close to a five-meter, 500-kilogram crocodile! Image credit: Adam C. Smith Photography Yet, this is exactly the pet this Costa Rica man, Gilberto Shedden, ended up with. He swam with the gigantic and scary-looking crocodile called Pocho in the river everyday – for over 20 years. Shedden, a fisherman, tour guide, and naturalist from Siquirres, Limón Province, Costa Rica, had found Pocho dying on the banks of the local Reventazón River, in 1989. Upon closer examination, he discovered that the crocodile had been shot…

Next time you’re crammed in the middle seat on a plane counting down the hours, be thankful you’re not sharing the couch with 80 birds. Big ones. In the United Arab Emirates, it can very much happen though. A member of the Saudi Arabian royal family reportedly purchased individual seats for all 80 of his falcons on a recent flight in the UAE. The photo of the birds perched around the plane, along with a few scattered human passengers, was posted by Reddit user lensoo, with the following caption: “My captain friend sent me this photo. Saudi prince bought ticket for…

A fish that has distinct teeth, like humans, has been caught by a fisherman in North Carolina. Photo: Jennette’s Pier A photo of the fish was shared on Facebook by Jennette’s Pier, a fishing destination in Nag’s Head, North Carolina, USA. The animal was identified as a sheepshead fish (Archosargus probatocephalus), which has several rows of molars to crush prey, including their shells. Apparently, the fish has been so named due to its mouth looking like the mouth of a sheep. The fish was reportedly caught by Nathan Martin, a regular on the pier. The man said he had been…

Katie Craw, 26, from Pentre Maelor, Wales, said she and partner Rob Ellis almost fainted when they were told their second child had actually turned three during the 12-week scan. Usually triplets are not identical and are produced when two eggs are fertilized and one goes on to develop into twins. By naturally giving birth to identical triplets, they overcame the extraordinary 200 million to one odds and instantly doubled her family’s size. When a fertilized egg breaks into triplets after conception, Katie is one of the few women in the UK to give birth to identical triplets, or monozygotes.…

Alpha Stone Mitchell, hiện 24 tuần tuổi, đã được trao vương miện cho đứa trẻ mới sinh lớn thứ ba ở Anh khi anh sinh mổ tại Bệnh viện John Radcliffe, Oxford.  He was born weighing 14lbs 15oz and is now so big that he ate porridge and wore 9-12 month clothes – when he was only 5 months old. The current total is the first 10lbs and squeezes into children’s clothing sizes 9 to 12 months – not yet six months old. The overall weight at this time is the first 10lbs, fitting comfortably in children’s clothes sizes 9…

A “miracle” baby born at 24 weeks’ gestation with feet the size of a penny has defied doctors who said she’d never walk or talk. The 5-year-old is now in primary school. Francesca Bradley-Curran was born 48 hours after the abortion limit, where doctors would have legally deemed her not “viable” to save. Weighing just 1 pound 6 ounces (approx. 0.62 kg), doctors warned her mother, Victoria Bradley, 41, and dad Paul Curran, 51, that even if she did survive, she would never walk or talk properly. However, the little schoolgirl from Liverpool, Merseyside, England, has continued to defy all…