ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

---

• Scientists report first semiaquatic dinosaur, Spinosaurus: Massive predator was more than 9 feet longer than largest T. rex
• Earth's ozone layer on track to recovery, scientists report
• Groundwater tied to human evolution
• Mysterious quasar sequence explained
• Highest resolution ever with X-ray microscopy
• Brain structure could predict risky behavior
• Companion star hidden for 21 years in a supernova's glare
• Evidence of 'diving' tectonic plates on Jupiter's moon Europa
• Seeing below the surface: Ultra-thin, high-speed detector captures unprecedented range of light waves
• Dietary recommendations may be tied to increased greenhouse gas emissions
• Like humans, the paper wasp has a special talent for learning faces

Scientists report first semiaquatic dinosaur, Spinosaurus: Massive predator was more than 9 feet longer than largest T. rex Posted: 11 Sep 2014 11:27 AM PDT Scientists today unveiled what appears to be the first truly semiaquatic dinosaur, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. New fossils of the massive Cretaceous-era predator reveal it adapted to life in the water some 95 million years ago, providing the most compelling evidence to date of a dinosaur able to live and hunt in an aquatic environment. The fossils also indicate that Spinosaurus was the largest known predatory dinosaur to roam the Earth, measuring more than nine feet longer than the world's largest Tyrannosaurus rex specimen.

Earth's ozone layer on track to recovery, scientists report Posted: 10 Sep 2014 01:23 PM PDT Earth's protective ozone layer is well on track to recovery in the next few decades thanks to concerted international action against ozone depleting substances, according to a new assessment by 300 scientists.

Groundwater tied to human evolution Posted: 10 Sep 2014 12:25 PM PDT Our ancient ancestors' ability to move around and find new sources of groundwater during extremely dry periods in Africa millions of years ago may have been key to their survival and the evolution of the human species, a new study shows.

Mysterious quasar sequence explained Posted: 10 Sep 2014 10:25 AM PDT Quasars are supermassive black holes that live at the center of distant massive galaxies. They shine as the most luminous beacons in the sky by rapidly accelerating matter into their gravitationally inescapable centers. New work solves a quasar mystery that astronomers have been puzzling over for decades. It shows that most observed quasar phenomena can be unified with two simple quantities: how efficiently the hole is being fed, and the viewing orientation of the astronomer.

Highest resolution ever with X-ray microscopy Posted: 10 Sep 2014 09:06 AM PDT Researchers used 'soft' X-rays to image structures only five nanometers in size. This resolution is the highest ever achieved with X-ray microscopy.

Brain structure could predict risky behavior Posted: 09 Sep 2014 04:21 PM PDT Some people avoid risks at all costs, while others will put their wealth, health, and safety at risk without a thought. Researchers have found that the volume of the parietal cortex in the brain could predict where people fall on the risk-taking spectrum.

Companion star hidden for 21 years in a supernova's glare Posted: 09 Sep 2014 10:07 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered a companion star to a rare class of supernova, known as a Type IIb. The discovery confirms a long-held theory that the supernova, dubbed SN 1993J, occurred inside what is called a binary system, where two interacting stars caused a cosmic explosion.

Evidence of 'diving' tectonic plates on Jupiter's moon Europa Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:22 AM PDT Scientists have found evidence of plate tectonics on Jupiter's moon Europa. This indicates the first sign of this type of surface-shifting geological activity on a world other than Earth. "Europa may be more Earth-like than we imagined, if it has a global plate tectonic system," said one of the researchers.

Seeing below the surface: Ultra-thin, high-speed detector captures unprecedented range of light waves Posted: 07 Sep 2014 03:17 PM PDT Research could lead to light detectors that can see below the surface of bodies, walls, and other objects, with applications in emerging terahertz fields such as mobile communications, medical imaging, chemical sensing, night vision, and security.

Dietary recommendations may be tied to increased greenhouse gas emissions Posted: 05 Sep 2014 09:27 AM PDT If Americans altered their menus to conform to federal dietary recommendations, emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases tied to agricultural production could increase significantly, according to a new study.

Like humans, the paper wasp has a special talent for learning faces Posted: 01 Dec 2011 11:27 AM PST Though paper wasps have brains less than a millionth the size of humans', they have evolved specialized face-learning abilities analogous to the system used by humans, according to researchers.

You are subscribed to email updates from Most Popular News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610