New fossils provide the missing links between smaller, earlier flying reptiles and the later massive pterosaurs. Initial pterosaurs had wingspans of about 6 feet, while later species measured as much as 32 feet across. Paleontologists describe the fossil of the new species, Skiphosoura bavarica, in a Current Biology report.Splitting Flying ReptilesAlthough Skiphosoura appears to be about the same size as early pterosaurs, it holds some important anatomical differences. Paleontologists had long s ...read more
Many times, the volcanoes that have eruptions that last decades are ones like Kīlauea in Hawai'i, Yasur in Vanuatu or Erebus in Antarctica, where hot, runny basalt continuously erupts in lava lakes. However, when you look at the Global Volcanism Program's list of current eruptions, a few more explosive volcanoes jump out -- in particular, Shiveluch in eastern Russia. Two MODIS images taken by NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites. The top is on November 7, 2024 prior to a large explosive eruption. T ...read more
On the last day of September 2024, the Fat Bear Week contest was set to begin. But two brown bears were caught in a deadly struggle that was live streamed across the world. The two bruins bobbed up and down on the Brooks River on the Alaskan peninsula, splashing, tussling, and snapping their jaws at one another. The male bear, 469, drowned the female bear, 402, and took bites from her body. Researchers say that, while killing and cannibalism are normal parts of bear behavior, it’s impossible t ...read more
In the spring of 1846, a caravan of pioneers left Independence, Missouri, and began the long trek toward California. The group mostly comprised of families who hoped to start a better life out West. The pioneers initially followed the Oregon Trail until Wyoming. Relying on advice from a guidebook, they took what promised to be a shortcut. But the new route was longer than expected and trapped them in the Sierra Nevada mountains over the winter.“By the time they got back on the established tri ...read more
With the U.N.'s COP29 climate conference underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, a flurry of unsettling news about global heating has emerged. The summit — attended by diplomats from nearly 200 nations, and nearly 60,000 people in total — is intended to be a forum for discussion and adoption of solutions. But this year it's being roiled by even more controversy than usual. Meanwhile, with recent findings showing no easing of our climatic plight, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is preparing to take p ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine