Scientists discovered the fossils of a strange-looking dinosaur while digging in Mongolia. The creature had a long neck just like a duck, but could savagely kill its prey by slashing it with its sharp claws. This weird duck dinosaur was also quite ancient, as its bones were found to be 75 million years old.

The duck dinosaur was the first raptor that could swim

The creature couldn’t have been a true duck dinosaur if it weren’t amphibious. This means it could walk on two legs while on land but, as soon as it jumped into water, it used it forelimbs to swim. They were shaped like flippers, so it was easy for it to move around. While doing it, the dinosaur could hunt and search for prey with the help of its long neck.

The duck dinosaur was nicknamed Halszka, from its scientific name Halszkaraptor escuillie. Researchers gave it this name to honor Halszka Osmólska, a Polish female paleontologist who was well-known for studying dinosaurs discovered in Mongolia.

This creature looks extremely unusual so, at first, the scientists wondered if the fossil was real. They suspected remains from several animals got mixed, and then got fossilized together. The dinosaur’s head resembles a duck, while it has a swan-like neck and the body of a velociraptor. However, the most interesting thing about it was the fact that it was amphibious.

Although small, it was a vicious killer

Although it was a ferocious creature, the duck dinosaur was one of the smallest predators of its kind. It wasn’t bigger than a goose, and hunted mainly crustaceans and fish. However, from time to time, it also fed on lizards or insects. No matter how scary it looked, its size still put it at risk. Since it lived during the same period as the velociraptor, the duck dinosaur was on the menu for most bigger carnivores.

Thanks to an advanced X-ray technique, researchers managed to make plenty of valuable discoveries. After analyzing this odd creature, they could establish that dinosaurs of the raptor kind couldn’t only walk or fly, but were also able to swim. The study was published in the journal Nature.
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Tattoos are now mostly everywhere, with more and more people joining the trend every year. A team of researchers from MIT decided to create something revolutionary and unique, so they obtained the first living tattoo produced with the help of a 3D printer. The tattoo contains special ink, which interacts with the environment and reacts to a series of stimuli.

The living tattoo reacts to external stimuli

The living tattoo is the first of its kind which can act according to its surroundings. What makes it special is the ink, which was put together with the help of genetically engineered cells. They have been modified so that they could react to a series of stimuli, and light up whenever they are affected.

The special properties of the cells do not end here. Probably the best thing about them is the fact that they can be 3D-printed. By arranging them into layers, researchers can form complex structures, and even produce entire devices made only of these cells and a mixture of several other substances.

The ink lights up whenever it interacts with substances

While testing the ink, they discovered it can be used for interactive wearable devices, so they came up with the idea for the living tattoo. First, they created a tree design, and then used the ink to print it at a high resolution. The design was printed on a transparent piece of material, and each branch of the tree contained different bacteria in the ink. Therefore, each branch could react to a different stimulus.

As a test, researchers applied the living tattoo on a volunteer’s hand, and then had it touch different substances and materials. Afterwards, they observed how each branch lit up for the corresponding substance. Also, they managed to engineer this ink to react only to certain signals.

The study was published in the journal Advanced Materials.
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A team of researchers from Vanderbilt University might have finally found the answer to a heated debate held between cat owners and dog owners. They managed to count the number of neurons present in the brains of cats and dogs, and found out dogs have more of them, meaning they are smarter.

Dogs have more neurons than cats

People have always been wondering who is smarter between cats and dogs, with each supporter claiming his pet to be the superior one. Now, researchers managed to develop a neuron-counting method which could tell how much brain matter each species has. The results showed a number of 530 million neurons in the cerebral cortex of dogs, as compared to 250 million in cats.

Neurons are responsible with processing information, while the cerebral cortex makes use of this information from all kinds of fields, making connections and decisions. Therefore, the more neurons present in the cerebral cortex, the more intelligent the species is. As a comparison, researchers offered the example of humans and gorillas.

A higher number of neurons is correlated with a higher degree of intelligence

Humans have twice the neurons that gorillas have. This allows us to make the same comparison with cats and dogs, where dogs have twice the neurons that cats have. Therefore, this is the clearest evidence that dogs are smarter than cats, as they are more flexible in thinking, can make predictions, and take decisions.

The researchers didn’t only study the brains of cats and dogs. They also looked at the number of neurons and cerebral cortex size of a lion, raccoon, ferret, and several others. This is how they discovered size is not necessarily proportional to the neuron number. A dog had a lot more neurons than a lion, bear, or hyena, even if these creatures had a much bigger cerebral cortex.

The study on cats and dogs is scheduled for publication in the journal Frontiers of Neuroanatomy.
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Researchers have made another important step in the quest for establishing life on Mars. After creating a material which simulates the Martian soil, they discovered that earthworms can easily thrive in such an environment. This is a great discovery for the future of human missions on the Red Planet, meaning that it’s not impossible to create a human colony there.

Earthworms might survive in the Martian soil

The experiment of the Martian soil was performed at the Research Center of the Wageningen University in the Netherlands. These findings are extremely important for the future of a possible colony that humans might establish on the Red Planet. If these earthworms could survive in such a soil, it means that we might be able to grow crops there as well.

However, earthworms are more important than they seem. These creatures are essential for the survival of a crop, as they contribute to the synthesis of the organic matter. Therefore, if they can thrive in an artificial Martian soil, then crops should thrive as well.

For this study, researchers planted rucola in a soil simulating the Martian conditions. Then, they added pig manure in the soil, as well as earthworms. The manure contributed to the growth of the plants just like in a regular soil, and the worms did their job just like they should have.

The worms made the soil more aerated and chewed on dead organic matter

Earthworms eat the dead organic matter which ends up in the soil. This means that, if certain parts of the plants die and end up in the soil, the worms help it get mixed with the rest of the soil. Also, they contribute to the aeration of the soil. Sometimes, it might be too hard to let the water circulate properly, but these creatures can easily solve the problem.

However, the experiments are far from over. Earthworms might thrive in the Martian soil, but researchers need to explore how they would react in low gravity.
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About a month ago, researchers spotted a weird space object shaped like a cigar passing close to our planet. The investigations revealed it was actually the first cosmic body to come close to Earth from beyond our Solar System. Researchers kept studying it and even put up a paper where they collected all the information they had gathered.

The cigar-shaped asteroid comes from a long distance

The object is known as A/2017 U1 or, in more common terms, Oumuamua. Soon after spotting it, the astronomers concluded it was an asteroid, but its weird shape baffled them. The object was more elongated than most asteroids which visited our planet. This shape contributed to the unusual path of the asteroid, which was precisely what caught the eye of the astronomers.

However, the number of unusual observations didn’t stop here. Once every three hours and a half, Oumuamua reflected light in an unusually bright pattern. It was the first time when they spotted such light being cast by an asteroid, so they realized its shape was to blame. The object was a lot longer than it was wider.

Oumuamua stands out for its shape, color, and speed

The fact that the asteroid was longer changed its reflective surface, thus changing the brightness pattern it displayed. However, astronomers had never seen a cigar-shaped object with its origin inside the Solar System to travel close to our planet. Therefore, they concluded Oumuamua came from outside the Solar System.

The study, published in the journal Nature, put together all the information collected mostly by telescopes located in Chile and Hawaii. Although it’s an unusual asteroid, it still looks quite similar to all the other objects in the Solar System. What differs greatly is its speed, which would put Earth in huge danger if it were to change its trajectory and sling into our planet.
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No one should be surprised that our dear dwarf planet Pluto is an extremely cold place. Since it is situated at 40 times the distance between our planet and the Sun, sunlight doesn’t reach it. However, the observations made by the New Horizons spacecraft defied our expectations. It turns out the planet is 50 degrees Fahrenheit colder than we thought.

Pluto is much colder than we thought

As the observations have revealed, what makes Pluto colder might be an unusual phenomenon seen nowhere else in our Solar System. The planet seems to be surrounded by a hydrocarbon haze made of solid, not gaseous, particles. This haze present in the atmosphere is the one that controls the temperatures.

This is only a hypothesis at the moment but, thanks to the new James Webb Space Telescope, scientists will be able to see if this is what actually happens. However, they still managed to notice several layers of solid haze arranged around the planet. They assumed that these particles kept the energy from reaching Pluto, and sent it back into space as radiation.

After they ran several simulations of the phenomenon, they reached the same estimates as the numbers picked up by New Horizons. Therefore, this protective layer might really keep Pluto from getting warmer. Now, the next step is to confirm the existence of this haze.

The haze that controls the temperature is made entirely of solid particles

If this haze really surrounds Pluto, then it’s probably similar to the one around Titan, the moon of Saturn. Titan hides carbon particles in its layers, but scientists cannot yet tell what substance forms the haze on the dwarf planet.

Even if Titan has some solid particles in the atmosphere, gases are the ones which regulate its temperatures. Therefore, the two formations are not identical, making the one on Pluto a lot harder to understand. Fortunately, the James Webb Space Telescope is advanced enough to read the radiation signatures released by the haze.

The study has been published in the journal Nature.
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A new conspiracy theory took over the internet after a YouTube channel specialized with UFO sightings posted a mysterious video. The footage shows a triangular object being present on the surface of Mars, near one of the many dome structures on the planet. Now, conspiracists say this is a clear trace of an alien base present on the planet, or the crashing location of an UFO.

People have always spotted UFO formations

There are plenty of photos and videos made by people who claim to have spotted UFOs. However, most of them are often proved to be fake, and their creators only seek popularity and attention. What is even more interesting is that some of this material is genuine. This might be the case with this latest video, posted on the YouTube channel secureteam 10, known for presenting UFO material.

This triangular object supposedly spotted on Mars looks quite veritable, and the video doesn’t look fabricated. In fact, the aspect of this so-called UFO resembles those mysterious objects which appeared from time to time on our sky.

Conspiracy theorists are convinced that aliens are real

This is precisely the kind of material that conspiracy theorists need. Over the past decades, many strange objects which looked life UFOs and flying saucers shone on the sky. This left these people convinced that aliens are real, and these sightings are nothing else than their flying spaceships taking a look at Earth and its inhabitants.

The staff at secureteam 10 joins these people in their convictions, and presents the triangular object on Mars as an UFO. Also, they think the dome shapes so typical for the surface of the Red Planet are meant to hide alien bases from our eyes. Apart from hiding, these domes might be preserving an atmosphere where aliens could breathe.

The same conspiracists think NASA and all the other space agencies hold the proof of alien life, but won’t share it with the people. This might be the answer to the lack of their lunar missions nowadays, as an alien civilization might be living there, and they forbade earthlings to ever set foot on the moon.

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A well-known conspiracy theorist, David Meade, has revived the myth of the planet which will collide with Earth and bring the biblical doom upon us. After changing the date of the apocalypse twice, he now claims the impact will occur between November 20^th and December 20^th. As the deadly planet, called Nibiru, is getting closer to Earth, our planet should be hit by many natural calamities, and a polar shift should trigger a new ice age.

Conspiracy theorists say Nibiru will bring the biblical doomsday

The Nibiru conspiracy theory, also known as Planet X, is said to be a mini Solar System which gets dangerously close to our planet. This mini-system has its own sun, moons, and planets, and it should have already gotten inside our Solar System. As it approaches Earth, it should trigger plenty of destructive natural phenomena, which will bring the apocalypse upon us.

However, the insane theories regarding Nibiru don’t end here. The theorists claim there is one place which will be safe from the fury of the planet, namely holy Israel. They say these words are written in the Bible, and the powerful impact will be brought by God’s wrath.

As Nibiru gets closer, it will trigger unusual phenomena on Earth, such as the switching of the poles. This will disrupt the balance of the planet, will lead to bursting volcanic eruptions and violent tsunamis. According to the theorists, these tsunamis will trigger massive floods, comparable to the biblical myth of Noah.

These theories have no scientific basis

However, people are already regarding Planet X as a hoax. For a few centuries now, conspiracy theorists have offered innumerable dates when the world should end, and they all went without anything happening. Also, scientists advise people not to worry, as there’s no scientific basis in these theories.

If Nibiru was so close to Earth, then it should have already entered the orbit of Mars. This means it should have been visible in the sky as a bright spot, and anybody should have been able to see it. However, there’s nothing these, so these theories are completely unfounded.
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COUNCIL CHRONICLE – Khufu’s Pyramid, one if not perhaps the most famous Egyptian pyramid, has a big, empty space in it, says an international team of scientists.

According to their study paper, released in journal Nature, the area is at least 30 meters long. It may or may not be inclined. It might also either be one large area or several smaller rooms.

Yet Another Mystery of this Egyptian Pyramid

Also called the Great Pyramid of Giza, Khufu’s or Cheops’s Pyramid is the largest Egyptian pyramid and also one of the best-known. It is 139 meters high and 230 meters wide. Until now, it only had three known chambers. One of them was left unnamed, while the others are called the Queen’s and the King’s Chambers. Corridors, including one called the Grand Gallery, connect them.

In the past, people tried finding more chambers with ground penetrating radar or by measuring vibrations in the pyramid’s gravity, but these never yielded definite results.

This time, however, scientists were looking for muons. These are caused by cosmic rays smashing into the atmosphere and are quite common. About 10,000 muons hit every square meter of the planet every minute of every day. They can pass through rock without a problem, meaning that scientists can use them similarly to how they turn to X-rays to see through a person’s body.

Nobel laureate Luis Alvarez, who developed muon topography, has previously used it on the nearby Pyramid of Khafre. In doing so, he determined that this does not have any hidden areas.

So far the specialists who found the “big void” are choosing not to call it a chamber since they cannot say what the area was used for. Their technology found the space, but now, they are leaving it up to Egyptologists to figure out why the ancients Egyptians chose to build it.

“What we are sure about is that this big void is there, but we need to understand [it] better,” said Mehdi Tayoubi, whose Paris-based non-profit, the Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute, headed the scientific effort.

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COUNCIL CHRONICLE – The Sinosauropteryx, a small dinosaur that was also allegedly quite fluffy, became the first such species proven to have had feathers back in 1996. Some years later, in 2010, scientists also managed to fully determine its colors. Now, the latest research on the matter established that the Sinosauropteryx also had patterns on its fur and that the fluffy dinosaur probably used these as camouflage against predator and prey alike.

The Fluffy Dinosaur that Wore a “Bandit Mask”

Three fossils of this species were discovered in the northeastern Liaoning Province in China, and they were the basis of this new study. The fossils were dated as being some 124 million years old but still presented traces of pigmentation and feather impressions.

With the help of cross-polarized light, the study team managed to reveal their details, ones which cannot be observed with the naked eye. These helped establish that this fluffy dinosaur probably had a striped tail, which might have contributing to its ability to confuse or distract predators.

It also seemed to have had a band of dark-colored around it eyes, which resembled a ‘bandit-mask’. Specialists theorize that this might have been used as a way of reducing the glare of nearby waters.

The team believes that this dinosaur’s colors and patterns helped it camouflage itself from predators and also confuse its prey.

“Far from all being the lumbering prehistoric gray beasts of past children’s books, at least some dinosaurs showed sophisticated color patterns to hide from and confuse predators, just like today’s animals,” states Fiann Smithwick, the lead author and a University of Bristol paleontologist.

This continued by pointing out that detecting their exact colors and determining their utility can help offer a more definite look at this species’ predator to prey dynamics. At the same time, it can also help paint a picture of their environment and offer a new look at the Earth back then.

A paper released in the journal Current Biology presents all the study findings and research conclusions.

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