Nature

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Smallest Known Dino Was a Weirdo
Smallest Known
Dino Was a Weirdo
Mar 12, 2020 10:05 AM CDT

Smallest Known Dino Was a Weirdo

99-million-year-old species weighed about as much as a couple of dollar bills

(Newser) - Scientists say they've discovered the smallest known dinosaur which, at an estimated 2 grams, was roughly "the weight of two dollar bills," per Live Science . The skull of the new birdlike species, about the size of the smallest hummingbird on Earth today, was found in a 99-million-year-old,...

'Controlled Burn' in Florida Torches 36 Homes

A fire that was supposed to clear 480 acres spread across 800

(Newser) - Dozens of homes in Florida’s panhandle went up in flames when a controlled burn that was supposed to clear 480 acres spread across 800 acres, reports CBS News . Controlled burns are a forest management tool where a fire is deliberately set to prevent destructive wildfires. The fire—which was...

Two Volcanos, Two Very Different Outcomes

Scientists explain why Guatemala’s volcano has been so much more deadly than Hawaii's

(Newser) - The eruptions of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano and Guatemala’s Fuego volcano are both devastating but in very different ways, reports the New York Times . The Kilauea eruption has been a slow-motion disaster, steadily destroying homes for a month but presenting little threat to people, while the Fuego eruption has...

Scientist Retracts Groundbreaking Stem Cell Study

Haruko Obokata retracts her research but denies misconduct

(Newser) - A few months ago, Haruko Obokata appeared to be one of Japan's most promising young scientists. Her mind-blowing research on stem cells in mice, which apparently showed the cells could be made swiftly by dripping blood cells into acid, had just been published in the coveted scientific journal Nature....

Scientists Find Mysterious Changes in Earth's Spin

Something at Earth's core responsible for changes every 6 years

(Newser) - How fast our planet turns—and, in turn, how long our day is—is not a stagnant thing. In fact, it changes every 5.9 years, according to a new study published in Nature . The Earth spins slightly faster or slower on a regular cycle, adding or subtracting milliseconds to...

Bird Flu Studies to Go Public Over Bioterror Fears

US warns of risk, but scientists say flu is bigger danger

(Newser) - Two months after leading science journals decided to self-censor articles about experiments to alter the bird flu virus and make it more dangerous, the WHO is recommending the journals publish the research after all, reports the New York Times . Well, publish it some time. The moratorium is in place for...

Feds to Science Journals: Keep Lid on Bird Flu Details

Citing bioterror fears, it asks that details be kept out of upcoming articles

(Newser) - A precedent in the world of science that isn't all that comforting: A federal advisory board has asked the journals Science and Nature to censor parts of new research on a flu virus so bioterrorists can't start a pandemic, reports the New York Times . Researchers in the US...

Gene Discovery Holds Hope for Drought-Safe Crops

Scientists make botanical breakthrough

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a gene that controls how plants absorb carbon dioxide and release moisture in a breakthrough discovery that could help develop drought-resistant crops, reports the BBC. The gene that regulates the work of stomata, or pores on plant leaves, has been sought by biologists for decades. The gene...

Nature's Back-Up Plan Keeps Pregnant Women Upright

Evolutionary changes help fight gravity

(Newser) - Scientists have found slight differences in the lower back and hip joints of men and women—results of evolution—that help women keep their balance and avoid serious back pain while pregnant, the AP reports. “(Women) are experiencing a pretty impressive challenge. Evolution has tinkered ... to the point where...

Earliest Humans Put a Shrimp on the Barbie

'Mother of all' ice age survivors roasted shellfish at the beach

(Newser) - Remnants of one of the earliest known human settlements, possibly the community from which all modern people are descended, have been discovered on the South African coast. The band of humans survived 164,000 years ago on cooked shellfish and the occasional whale, and wore red body paint, according to...

Big Bird Dazzles Paleontologists
Big Bird Dazzles Paleontologists
Jun 14, 2007 2:27 PM CDT

Big Bird Dazzles Paleontologists

Fossil unearthed in Gobi desert reveals record of 26-foot-long 'gigantic chicken'

(Newser) - The largest birdlike creature on record stood over 16 feet tall, weighed a ton and a half, and had sharp claws but no teeth. The Chinese paleontologist who unearthed the creature's thigh bone wasn't sure what it was, he tells the San Francisco Chronicle, but as he listed the possibilities...

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