This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareFor fish inhabiting the immense darkness of the deep sea, being ultra-black offers great camouflage in a fish-eat-fish world. Scientists studying some of these exotic creatures have unraveled the secret behind their extreme color.These fish — like the fangtooth, the Pacific blackdragon, the anglerfish and the black swallower — have modified the shape, size and packing of the pigment in their skin to the point that it reflects less than 0.5 percent of light that hits it, researchers said recently.They studied 16 species...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareFor fish inhabiting the immense darkness of the deep sea, being ultra-black offers great camouflage in a fish-eat-fish world. Scientists studying some of these exotic creatures have unraveled the secret behind their extreme color.These fish — like the fangtooth, the Pacific blackdragon, the anglerfish and the black swallower — have modified the shape, size and packing of the pigment in their skin to the point that it reflects less than 0.5 percent of light that hits it, researchers said recently.They studied 16 species...WW…

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWASHINGTON, April 22 (Reuters) - Scientists have discovered what may be the smallest-known black hole in the Milky Way galaxy and the closest to our solar system - an object so curious that they nicknamed it 'the Unicorn.'The researchers said the black hole is roughly three times the mass of our sun, testing the lower limits of size for these extraordinarily dense objects that possess gravitational pulls so strong not even light can escape. A luminous star called a red giant orbits with the black hole in a so-called binary star system...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWASHINGTON, April 22 (Reuters) - Scientists have discovered what may be the smallest-known black hole in the Milky Way galaxy and the closest to our solar system - an object so curious that they nicknamed it 'the Unicorn.'The researchers said the black hole is roughly three times the mass of our sun, testing the lower limits of size for these extraordinarily dense objects that possess gravitational pulls so strong not even light can escape. A luminous star called a red giant orbits with the black hole in a so-called binary star system...WW…

WashingtonIf one Tyrannosaurus rex - the school bus-sized meat-eating dinosaur that stalked the Cretaceous Period landscape - seems impressive, how about 2.5 billion of them?Researchers on Thursday unveiled the first calculation of the total T. rex population during the estimated 2.4 million years that this fearsome species inhabited western North America during the twilight of the age of dinosaurs.They considered factors including the size of its geographic range, its body mass, growth pattern, age at sexual maturity, life expectancy, duration of a single generation and the total time that...…WashingtonIf one Tyrannosaurus rex - the school bus-sized meat-eating dinosaur that stalked the Cretaceous Period landscape - seems impressive, how about 2.5 billion of them?Researchers on Thursday unveiled the first calculation of the total T. rex population during the estimated 2.4 million years that this fearsome species inhabited western North America during the twilight of the age of dinosaurs.They considered factors including the size of its geographic range, its body mass, growth pattern, age at sexual maturity, life expectancy, duration of a single generation and the total time that...WW…

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - If one Tyrannosaurus rex - the school bus-sized meat-eating dinosaur that stalked the Cretaceous Period landscape - seems impressive, how about 2.5 billion of them?Researchers on Thursday unveiled the first calculation of the total T. rex population during the estimated 2.4 million years that this fearsome species inhabited western North America during the twilight of the age of dinosaurs.They considered factors including the size of its geographic range, its body mass, growth pattern, age at sexual...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - If one Tyrannosaurus rex - the school bus-sized meat-eating dinosaur that stalked the Cretaceous Period landscape - seems impressive, how about 2.5 billion of them?Researchers on Thursday unveiled the first calculation of the total T. rex population during the estimated 2.4 million years that this fearsome species inhabited western North America during the twilight of the age of dinosaurs.They considered factors including the size of its geographic range, its body mass, growth pattern, age at sexual...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareThe octopus is an extraordinary creature — and not only because of its eight limbs, three hearts, blue blood, ink squirting, camouflage capacity and the tragic fact that it dies after mating.A study by researchers in Brazil published last week shows that this animal, already considered perhaps the smartest invertebrate, experiences two major alternating sleep states eerily similar to those in humans — and it even might dream.The findings, the researchers said, provide fresh evidence that the octopus possesses a complex and...…This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareThe octopus is an extraordinary creature — and not only because of its eight limbs, three hearts, blue blood, ink squirting, camouflage capacity and the tragic fact that it dies after mating.A study by researchers in Brazil published last week shows that this animal, already considered perhaps the smartest invertebrate, experiences two major alternating sleep states eerily similar to those in humans — and it even might dream.The findings, the researchers said, provide fresh evidence that the octopus possesses a complex and...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareSophisticated scanning technology is revealing intriguing secrets about Little Foot, the remarkable fossil of an early human forerunner that inhabited South Africa 3.67 million years ago during a critical juncture in our evolutionary history.Scientists said last week they examined key parts of the nearly complete and well-preserved fossil at Britain’s national synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source. The scanning focused upon Little Foot’s cranial vault — the upper part of her braincase — and her lower jaw, or...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareSophisticated scanning technology is revealing intriguing secrets about Little Foot, the remarkable fossil of an early human forerunner that inhabited South Africa 3.67 million years ago during a critical juncture in our evolutionary history.Scientists said last week they examined key parts of the nearly complete and well-preserved fossil at Britain’s national synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source. The scanning focused upon Little Foot’s cranial vault — the upper part of her braincase — and her lower jaw, or...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareScientists have recovered the oldest DNA on record, extracting it from the molars of mammoths that roamed northeastern Siberia up to 1.2 million years ago in research that broadens the horizons for understanding extinct species.The researchers said last week they had recovered and sequenced DNA from the remains of three individual mammoths — elephant cousins that were among the large mammals that dominated Ice Age landscapes — entombed in permafrost conditions conducive to preservation of ancient genetic material.While...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareScientists have recovered the oldest DNA on record, extracting it from the molars of mammoths that roamed northeastern Siberia up to 1.2 million years ago in research that broadens the horizons for understanding extinct species.The researchers said last week they had recovered and sequenced DNA from the remains of three individual mammoths — elephant cousins that were among the large mammals that dominated Ice Age landscapes — entombed in permafrost conditions conducive to preservation of ancient genetic material.While...WW…

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJan 12 (Reuters) - Combative self-made billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who assembled the world's largest casino empire and used his fortune to nurture conservative politicians and policies in the United States and Israel, has died at age 87.The American casino mogul, raised in a poor Jewish immigrant family in Boston as the son of a cab driver, established lavish hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, Macau and Singapore, and headed the world's largest casino company, Las Vegas Sands Corp . Adelson's wealth made him a formidable figure in American...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJan 12 (Reuters) - Combative self-made billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who assembled the world's largest casino empire and used his fortune to nurture conservative politicians and policies in the United States and Israel, has died at age 87.The American casino mogul, raised in a poor Jewish immigrant family in Boston as the son of a cab driver, established lavish hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, Macau and Singapore, and headed the world's largest casino company, Las Vegas Sands Corp . Adelson's wealth made him a formidable figure in American...WW…

By WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A delicate but exquisitely preserved skull of a crow-sized bird with a scythe-like beak that inhabited Madagascar 68 million years ago is showing scientists that they have a lot of learn about avian diversity during the age of dinosaurs.Slideshow Scientists on Wednesday said the bird, called Falcatakely forsterae, possessed a face unlike any other known bird from the age of dinosaurs - the Mesozoic Era - not only because of the beak shape but because of its underlying anatomy.Its beak looked superficially like that of a small toucan though the two species are not...…By WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A delicate but exquisitely preserved skull of a crow-sized bird with a scythe-like beak that inhabited Madagascar 68 million years ago is showing scientists that they have a lot of learn about avian diversity during the age of dinosaurs.Slideshow Scientists on Wednesday said the bird, called Falcatakely forsterae, possessed a face unlike any other known bird from the age of dinosaurs - the Mesozoic Era - not only because of the beak shape but because of its underlying anatomy.Its beak looked superficially like that of a small toucan though the two species are not...WW…

Want to discuss? Please read our first.AdvertisementClose XAAScottish movie legend , who shot to international stardom as the suave, sexy and sophisticated British agent James Bond and went on to grace the silver screen for four decades, has died aged 90.“His wife Micheline and his two sons Jason and Stephane have confirmed that he died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family,” family spokesperson Nancy Seltzer said on Saturday.Connery was raised in near poverty in the slums of Edinburgh and worked as a coffin polisher, milkman and lifeguard before his bodybuilding hobby helped launch...…Want to discuss? Please read our first.AdvertisementClose XAAScottish movie legend , who shot to international stardom as the suave, sexy and sophisticated British agent James Bond and went on to grace the silver screen for four decades, has died aged 90.“His wife Micheline and his two sons Jason and Stephane have confirmed that he died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family,” family spokesperson Nancy Seltzer said on Saturday.Connery was raised in near poverty in the slums of Edinburgh and worked as a coffin polisher, milkman and lifeguard before his bodybuilding hobby helped launch...WW…