This 130 million-year-old ichthyosaur was a 'hypercarnivore' with knife-like teeth

 Posted on January 10, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  732 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

You wouldn't want to meet an ichthyosaur while taking a dip in the early Cretaceous seas. That goes double for Kyhytysuka sachicarum: This newly identified 130 million-year-old marine reptile, now known from fossils in central Colombia, had larger, more knife-like teeth than other ichthyosaur species, a new study finds — and that is saying something, as ichthyosaurs are famous for their long, toothy snouts.  These big teeth would have enabled K. [Read More]

'It's not ours': Government denies knowledge of strange 'UFO' over Japanese city

 Posted on January 9, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  353 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

It's not a bird. It's not a plane. And it's not an alien. (It's never an alien, from planet Krypton or otherwise.) Still, the origin of a strange, balloon-like UFO that appeared in the sky over the city of Sendai, Japan, yesterday (June 17) around 7 a.m. local time, remains a mystery a full day after its sudden arrival. The object looked like a large white, unmanned balloon attached to two crossed propellers, according to news reports. [Read More]

'Ring of fire' solar eclipse wows skywatchers (Photos)

 Posted on January 9, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  634 words  |  Patria Henriques

The first solar eclipse of the year did not disappoint. Early Thursday morning, the moon almost entirely blocked the sun, leaving only a "ring of fire" visible. Though skygazers in only a few places (parts of Canada, Greenland and northern Russia) were treated to this annular eclipse (the fiery ring effect), plenty of other spots were located along the path of the partial solar eclipse. People in parts of the eastern United States and northern Alaska, much of Canada, and parts of the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and northern Africa, were in prime spots to catch the moon take a big bite out of the sun during the partial solar eclipse (weather permitting). [Read More]

'Stealth' omicron is in the US. Here's what we know about it.

 Posted on January 9, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  862 words  |  Fernande Dalal

A stealthy version of the omicron variant has been detected in the U.S., but so far, it makes up a very low proportion of the overall cases in the country. This version of the variant, called BA.2, bears some genetic mutations not seen in the original omicron lineage, and some of these mutations lie in the spike protein, according to the World Health Organization(opens in new tab) (WHO). Some preliminary data hint that BA. [Read More]

(VIDEO) Watch squirrels perform parkour-like stunts for peanuts

 Posted on January 9, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  553 words  |  Patria Henriques

New high-speed videos show squirrels performing daring, parkour-like stunts — all in pursuit of peanuts.   In a new study, published Thursday (Aug. 5) in the journal Science, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley tested the agility of fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) on the university campus. Their goal was to learn how the squirrels maneuver through the tree canopy, bounding between branches of different sizes while consistently sticking the landing. [Read More]

220-Year-Old Time Capsule Buried by Sam Adams & Paul Revere Opened

 Posted on January 9, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  449 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

In 1795, then-Massachusetts Gov. Samuel Adams, famed patriot Paul Revere and Col. William Scollay buried a time capsule under the Massachusetts State House cornerstone in Boston, and now, after more than 200 years, its contents have been revealed. On Jan. 6, officials from the commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston carefully excavated and opened the capsule. The time capsule holds silver and copper coins dating from 1652 to 1855 (the capsule was opened in the decades following its burial in 1795) and a silver plaque that experts believe Paul Revere himself engraved. [Read More]

Almost All Lice Are Now Resistant to Over-the-Counter Treatment

 Posted on January 9, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  555 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

The vast majority of head lice in the United States are now resistant to most over-the-counter treatments, meaning that it's now especially difficult to vanquish the tiny blood-sucking parasites, a new study finds. Researchers found that head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) in 42 of the 48 states studied carry an average of three genetic mutations that make these bugs impervious to popular over-the-counter anti-lice remedies. In the remaining six states, the lice had zero, one or two of the three mutations, on average, the researchers reported in the study, published online March 31 in the Journal of Medical Entomology. [Read More]

Benefits of Eating Fish During Pregnancy May Outweigh Mercury Risk

 Posted on January 9, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  819 words  |  Patria Henriques

For pregnant women, eating fish every week may benefit the brain of their future child, and may even decrease his or her risk of having some of the early signs of autism, according to a new study. In the study, researchers in Spain followed about 2,000 mothers and their children, beginning in the mothers' first trimester of pregnancy, and continuing until the children turned 5. The results showed that the children whose mothers ate three to four servings of fish a week had IQ scores that were 2. [Read More]

Checking Embryo Viability? Give It a Good Squeeze

 Posted on January 9, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  535 words  |  Trudie Dory

Much like a piece of ripe fruit, a human embryo has a certain squishiness that could provide fertility clinic staff with clues about its viability, a new study finds.  In fact, the technique of gently squeezing a series of embryos appears to be the most accurate way for researchers to figure out which one to select for implantation, according to the study published Wednesday (Feb. 24) in the journal Nature Communications(opens in new tab). [Read More]

Cheetah Cubs Survive Difficult Birth

 Posted on January 9, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  417 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

After a rocky start in the world, two three-week-old cheetah cubs were transferred to the Smithsonian National Zoo last week where they are being hand-raised and will debut to the public later this summer. Five-year-old cheetah and first-time mom Ally gave birth to the first cub, a male, on April 23 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va. Ally abandoned the cub instead of nursing and cleaning it, a common occurrence for first time cheetah moms under the care of humans, according to the zoo. [Read More]