In a study published this week, researchers have calculated the limit of human endurance. The study used data from human endurance events and transcontinental races to track Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (also called metabolic scope) and maximum sustained metabolic scope (SusMS) with regard to event duration. They've also found a limit for habitual metabolic scope (physical activity level) in general.
Researchers released a new paper this week which suggested stone tools were invented here on Earth more than once. At one point they started to appear in Kenya, then at another point - several hundred thousands of years later - they began to appear again. This isn't what our teachers taught us in grade school.
Next to rare comets that stay in the sky for days, few other celestial phenomena have invited awe and superstition than a total solar eclipse. Every culture has a myth for the semi-rare event and although it's no longer a mystery by today's standards, it's still something that people want to capture on film today. Much more, then, in the 19th century when things weren't as advanced as they are now. That is why the rediscovery of the first ever total solar eclipse recorded on film is making quite a fuss among astronomers, filmmakers, and even magicians.
Leonardo was voraciously curious, capable of intense study and preparation for great works. But often - notoriously often - da Vinci moved on to new projects before he'd finished the old. New research made public this week found significant evidence leading to the conclusion that the original Renaissance Man had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
A mysterious blob of amber appeared in a study published this week in PNAS. In the ancient piece of tree resin were bits of sand and evidence of several sea creatures. How did these sea creatures find their way into one of the most helpful preservers of history in all of nature? And how is it that most of the contents of this amber are far younger than the biggest mystery of all: One very, very old ammonite.
Researchers dug up what's now the world's oldest tattoo kit of its kind ever recovered. Four individual bone combs were found at a site in Tonga, Polynesia, and were revealed to the public this week. These implements confirm that the angle-hafted bone comb technology still used today has been in use for approximately 2,700 years or more.
A new unique dinosaur is helping scientists put together what they call a "a four-dimensional connect the dots." This is Mnyamawamtuka moyowamkia (Mm-nya-ma-wah-mm-too-ka mm-oh-yo-wa-mm-key-ah), a dinosaur with a tail with a set of bones shaped like hearts. With skin, it's likely this dinosaur kept its heart shapes largely hidden - much like most people on this day, Valentine's Day 2019.
The feather-laden dinosaur Archaeopteryx lithographica* was a flying dinosaur. The first fossil feather ever found was once believed to have originated from Archaeopteryx. In a study published this week, doubts have surfaced that this feather belonged to said creature. This study also made clear the value of Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF) on old fossils. Using LSF on old fossils, new information can be found.
With teeth the shape of the Galaga video game spaceship, a new creature was found and named as such. Found in the dust left over after uncovering the most complete tyrannosaurus rex ever (Sue), this Galagadon was a shark - but a very, very tiny shark indeed. Each one of this shark's teeth (those found here) were only a millimeter wide - super tiny!
A recent study by the University of California, San Diego, showed four new ways to expose Internet users' browsing histories. They also showed the ways in which these histories could and can be used to target internet users with various attacks. Most of these attacks take aim psychologically, targeting the trust users have in details to which they believe only their closest friends and family have access.
The fast-paced game development process today means that many prototypes are made and discarded but that has actually been true even in ages past. While most prototypes never make it outside NDA’d halls, some do make a pubic appearance. So when something as high-profile as Simcity for the Nintendo Entertainment System, a.k.a. Famicom in Japan, vanishes without a trace, gaming historians are naturally intrigued. After 27 years, their sleuthing has finally paid off and SimCity for the NES has reemerged and is now available for everyone to learn from.
New evidence was discovered that suggests feathers started appearing on animals around 70 million years earlier than previously suspected. Two anurognathid pterosaurs were studied by a group of paleontologists and research was published this week on their findings. This little monster was previously known to have at least a little bit of fur covering its body - now it would seem that it had four different sorts of feathers, too!