Daily discoveries for the scientifically bent
DINOS HAND OFF TO BIRDS
Almost 200 million years ago, a theropod tromping across a muddy lake shore in what is now part of Utah stopped and briefly sat down to rest, leaving behind tracks that indicate at least some dinosaur species became birdlike far earlier in their history than previously supposed.
Pressed into the ancient mud were the fossilized prints of the theropod's hind feet, pelvis and, most profoundly, forelimbs and palms. The palm prints did not face down, contrary to popular depictions of dinosaurs like T. rex and velociraptors. Instead, the palms faced inward, almost as if the theropod had been clutching a ball.
That suggests the theropod no longer used its forelimbs for walking. The unidentified species couldn't turn its palms face down or up like humans, but could bend them back against its arms, a movement similar to a bird folding its wings.
The tired theropod sat down much like its modern descendants – the ostrich and emu.
What is the highest four-digit number, with no zeros, in which the first digit is one-quarter of the third digit, the second digit is three times the first digit, and the third and last digits are the same?
“The words Darwin used are identical to those used by Tibetan Buddhists.”
– PSYCHOLOGIST PAUL EKMAN ON SIMILARITIES BETWEEN CHARLES DARWIN'S OBSERVATIONS ON HUMAN COMPASSION AND MORALITY AND BUDDHIST WRITINGS. EKMAN SAYS, THOUGH, IT'S PROBABLY JUST A COINCIDENCE.
150 million – Estimated number of artificial objects in Earth orbit with diameters of 1 millimeter (0.039 inch) or more. The vast majority are space debris.
Source: Institute of Aerospace Systems
BRAIN SWEAT ANSWER
Why is the third hand on a clock called a second hand?
THIS WEEK IN SCIENCE
This week in 1844, a U.S. patent was awarded to Albert Moor of Maine for his “new and improved harpoon for the destruction and taking of whales.” The harpoon head contained a small charge that exploded when the whale pulled on the tug line.