Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s science newsletter Wonder Theory. To get it in your inbox, Sign up here free of charge.
CNN
—
Dinosaur means “terrible lizard”. The idea that prehistoric creatures were scaly, sluggish reptiles with sprawling postures that dragged their tails through tropical swamps is deeply embedded in the collective imagination.
However, science now has a more nuanced understanding of the diversity of dinosaur physiology. Many dinosaurs wore colorful feathers like birds. Dinosaurs lived in many different ecosystems, including the Arctic, where they would have encountered snow (if not today’s ice caps) and light winters.
New research this week provides new details on one of paleontology’s biggest questions: Was dinosaur blood hot or cold?
Davide Bonadonna/University of Vigo/UCL
Fossils have shown that dinosaurs lived year-round in cold climates like the Arctic.
It’s hard to find evidence that shows beyond doubt what dinosaur metabolism was like. Evidence from fossilized eggshells and bones now suggests that some dinosaurs were warm-blooded and others were not.
Finding out the answer is important because it sheds light on dinosaur behavior. Warm-blooded animals such as mammals and birds are more active than their cold-blooded counterparts.
A new study based on fossils of 1,000 dinosaur species and paleoclimate information found that the three main dinosaur groups adapted differently, with two of the groups developing the ability to regulate body temperature in the Early Jurassic period, about 180 million years ago.
The research suggested that carnivorous theropods, which included T. rex, and herbivorous ornithischians such as Triceratops and Stegosaurus spread to colder climates during the Early Jurassic period, suggesting they may have evolved the ability to generate body heat internally.
Researchers have mapped a 40-mile-long extinct stretch of the Nile using satellite radar images and sediment analysis.
The ancient Egyptians built around 31 pyramids, including the Great Pyramid of Giza, on the banks of the now-defunct arm of the river, which the builders probably used to transport stones and other building materials.
The discovery, buried deep under farmland and not visible in aerial photographs, could help archaeologists find other Egyptian temples and monuments hidden behind fields and desert sand that now cover the riverbed.
Google Research & Lichtman Lab/Harvard University
The 3D image above shows excitatory neurons colored according to their depth from the brain surface. Blue neurons are those closest to the surface, and fuchsia marks the innermost layer.
Thanks to a collaboration between Harvard University and Google researchers, a 3D model of a cubic millimeter of brain tissue – smaller than a grain of rice – is now available in stunning detail and beauty.
A team led by Dr. Jeff Lichtman, a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard, cut the sample into thin sections one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair. Despite the small size of the fragment, it contained 57,000 cells, 230 millimeters of blood vessels and 150 million synapses.
The colored images make the individual components easier to see, but are otherwise a true representation of the tissue.
Ultimately, the team hopes that observing the brain in this way could help scientists understand unsolved disorders such as autism.
The ring patterns in tree trunks – influenced by sunlight, precipitation and temperature – provide a climate history for each year of their lives, going back hundreds or even thousands of years.
Tree ring data from nine regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including North America and Scandinavia, have allowed scientists to reconstruct annual temperatures for Northern Hemisphere summers between years 1 and 1849 and compare them with last summer’s temperatures.
According to the study, the summer of 2023 was warmer than any other summer in that 2,000-year period.
The temperature was at least 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.9 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the warmest summer during the period studied, the year 246 – when the Roman Empire still ruled Europe and the Maya civilization dominated Central America.
Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild/Getty Images
Researchers have discovered that sperm whale communication is more complex than originally thought.
Marine researchers have used artificial intelligence to decipher the previously unknown complexity of sperm whale calls.
The whales produced a catalog of clicking sounds that the researchers called a sperm whale “phonetic alphabet.”
Sperm whales produce clicking sounds by pushing air through an organ in their head called whale rats. These sounds can be up to 230 decibels louder – louder than a rocket launch and capable of bursting human eardrums.
What sperm whales say with their clicks remains a mystery to the human ear, but understanding the extent of their vocal exchanges is an important step in linking their calls to specific behavior.
Relax with this remarkable read.
— Astronomers have discovered an unusual giant planet about 1,200 light-years from Earth that’s as fluffy as cotton candy.
– Scientists have solved a mystery surrounding giant South American hummingbirds using tiny, custom-made backpacks.
— Meet the herpetologist trying to save people in India from the dangers of snakebites.
– Etchings found on a castle door in Dover, England, may contain graffiti depicting Napoleon Bonaparte being hanged, according to English Heritage.
And before you go, here’s a Starliner update: The highly anticipated first crewed mission of Boeing’s new spacecraft has been postponed again.
Like what you read? Oh, but there’s more. Login here to receive the next edition of Wonder Theory, presented by CNN Space and Science writers, in your inbox Ashley Strickland And Katie Hunt. You’ll find wonders on planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from ancient times.