The oldest known saber-toothed predator, dating back over 270 million years ago, appears to have been an animal caught in the evolutionary middle, according to a report in Nature Communications.The gorgonopsian excavated in Mallorca laid eggs, unlike most mammals. But it was warm-blooded, unlike reptiles. Its leg shape and position were halfway between mammal and reptile. And its saber teeth were more commonly associated with mammals like Smilodon, which emerged in North America about 2.5 millio ...read more
NASA is still arguably the biggest player in space, but they don’t accomplish this alone. The agency makes use of various rockets built by companies like Northrop Grumman, the United Launch Alliance, SpaceX and Rocket Lab.Here is a breakdown of the aerospace launch vehicles NASA currently uses — not including retired rockets such as Saturn V.1. Atlas VAtlas V rockets currently come in two series — the 400 and 500. These rockets were developed by the United Launch Alliance — a spacecraft ...read more
One critical challenge for engineers is to measure distances with ever greater accuracy. In recent years, this has become possible with nanometer resolution over distances of a few meters. That means to an accuracy equivalent to about the width of a human DNA strand. Although impressive, engineers would dearly love to have that kind of accuracy over much longer distances. Now Yan-Wei Chen at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, and colleagues, have found a way to do just t ...read more
Picture an octopus that could be deadly to humans. You’re probably thinking of a large creature, and not one that is the size of your palm.But indeed, that’s the blue-ringed octopus, one of several shallow-dwelling species harboring a neurotoxin in its saliva with the capability of paralyzing muscles – an effect that could, if left unaddressed, lead to fatal consequences. There might be around 10 species of these tiny octopuses in the Hapalochlaena genus, but the more well-known examples i ...read more
When a person dies of unknown causes, modern forensic pathologists might conduct a complete or partial autopsy. In some situations, they might use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT scan) to help them see deep into the body.Although imaging technology is new for forensic pathologists, the process of conducting an autopsy to understand how a person died is an ancient practice that dates back thousands of years.What Is an Autopsy?An autopsy is an internal and external exam ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine