The almost perfectly preserved skull of a prehistoric bird could be a sort of “Rosetta Stone” for understanding the evolution of avian intelligence — a process that has been a mystery until now. The research team determined the bird — Navaornis hestiae — was from the Mesozoic Era (about 252 million to 66 million years ago) and was roughly the size of a starling. The bird likely lived around 80 million years ago and died out before the fifth mass extinction event that wiped out most no ...read more
Duck-billed dinosaurs, also called Hadrosaurs, were common during the Cretaceous period in Europe, North America, and Asia. Often called the “cows of the Cretaceous,” they were herbivores who lived close to bodies of water and fed on overland vegetation. Their duck-bill was an obvious characteristic, but they also boasted distinctive crests, which were almost certainly for social display. There is also some thought that they could use the crests to produce sound, but that’s yet unproven. ...read more
If you look at a map, it would appear obvious that the neighboring Norse folks settled both Iceland and the Faroe Islands. After all, Norway is the closest country to Iceland at around 900 miles, while it is also the nearest neighbor to the Faroe Islands — an archipelago of 18 islands in the North Atlantic — at around 350 miles.However, new evidence says the truth is more complicated. A genetic analysis shows that Icelandic people come from a relatively similar gene pool, while residents of ...read more
For decades, films have relied on computer-generated imagery (CGI) to create fantastical foreign landscapes.But there are still occasions when Hollywood goes for the real deal. When ancient temples or ruins appear in films, scholars describe the setting as real places, meaning they exist as seen on TV.Real places have led to film-inspired tourism, in which travelers take off to see on-screen favorites in real life. Here are four historical locations tourists can see for themselves.1. Ta Prohm (T ...read more
Deinosuchus lived during the late Cretaceous period, from 82 million years to 73 million years ago. This monster croc, whose habitat consisted of areas in North America from Montana to northern Mexico and New Jersey to Mississippi, would have seen a world that looked much different than it does today. At the time, the continent was much warmer, with a coastal, tropical, and subtropical climate similar to Florida or Georgia. And although Deinosuchus lived in freshwater, it could also be found in ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine