Killer Whale Group Employs Deep-Sea Hunting Techniques

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

A group of little-studied deep-sea-dwelling orcas sometimes rams prey and catapults sea lions, according to a report in PLOS ONE.Those observations by scientists from the University of British Columbia Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF) are notable because deep-water-grazing orcas may represent a new subcategory of killer whales, according to another study in Aquatic Mammals. Orca categories — called ecotypes — include residents, transients, and offshores. The “deep-water-transie ...read more

The Pygmy Right Whale Was the Family Weirdo, and it Never Went Extinct

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

The pygmy right whale looks like a miniature version of a baleen whale, hence the name “pygmy.” It’s the smallest of the filter-feeding whales, weighing in at just under 1,000 pounds. Rarely observed and shy by nature, it’s found in the temperate waters of the Southern Hemisphere.The pygmy has long been called a right whale because people thought that it looked like one, but many researchers have long disputed this notion because of a number of differences. For example, the pygmy right w ...read more

Neolithic Canoes Reveal Sea Change in Construction, Navigation Techniques

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

You can tell a lot about a civilization from the way it built its boats.An analysis of five canoes constructed over 7,000 years ago, found at the bottom of Lake Bracciono near Rome, highlights techniques that indicate a well-organized society with specialists. Some details also hint that residents of the Neolithic lakeshore village of La Marmotta possessed navigation skills, according to a report in PLOS ONE.Niccolò Mazzucco, an archaeologist from the University of Pisa, studied the boats. “T ...read more

People Can Overestimate Their Abilities, Something Known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Author Tom Vanderbilt politely congratulated his opponent after losing to him during a chess tournament. The victor was an eight-year-old boy who sipped chocolate milk from a little box with a straw during the round. Vanderbilt, then approaching age 50, humbly updated the tournament director with the results. Learning chess was one of the experiences Vanderbilt chronicled in his book Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning (he also learned juggling, singing, and surfing) ...read more

Past Discoveries Shed Light on the 240-Million-Year-Old ‘Chinese Dragon’ Fossil

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Earlier this year, a team of scientists made a splash when they revealed a remarkable new find — a complete skeleton of a 16-foot-long aquatic reptile, dubbed a "Chinese dragon" due to its serpentine appearance and exceptionally long neck. The species, Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, swam the seas during the Triassic period, and the fossil itself dates back 240 million years. The fossil has fascinated — and baffled — scientists and the public alike. But previous fossil discoveries, as well a ...read more

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