American paleontologist Thomas Carr sounds the alarm: 57% of T. rex bones belong to private collections and are unavailable for research! Of the 141 specimens found, only 9 have made it to museums, the rest have been sold for millions of dollars.
Why is this a disaster?
The numbers are shocking:
Examples of disaster:
A skeleton in a Hong Kong mall instead of a museum.
Specimens are being removed from the US, denying science access to actual material.
Even if a museum buys the bones, their scientific value is questionable - there is no definitive provenance data. And 80% of “private” thyrexes are just the tip of the iceberg: the market is shrouded in mystery.
Every bone sold is a blow to paleontology. Without access to specimens, we lose the chance to unlock the mysteries of the most famous dinosaurs!
The article was published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica. DOI: 10.26879/1337.
#fossils #animals #dinosaurs
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The telescope has detected dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide in the atmosphere of planet K2-18b.
On Earth, these compounds are produced by algae! But how did they survive on a planet where the temperature is probably above the boiling point of water?
Where is it located. 124 light-years from Earth.
Planet characteristics:
2.6 times the size of Earth, 8.6 times the mass.
Atmosphere thousands of times denser than ours (6.2% of the planet's mass!).
Hypothetical ocean under the hydrogen shell is a “hykean”.
Concentration of “biomarkers”: 10,000 times higher than Earth's seas!
Greenhouse effect: K2-18b's atmosphere can heat the planet to extreme temperatures.
Abiogenic processes: Scientists don't rule out compounds forming without the involvement of life.
Oxygen issue: A hydrogen atmosphere prevents the buildup of oxygen, which breaks down dimethyl sulfide on Earth.
🌟 What do scientists say?
“The ocean teeming with life scenario best explains the findings,” Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at Cambridge.
But so far it's not proof - just the “most reliable indications” in the history of the search!
If life exists under these conditions, it will overturn our ideas about its capabilities.
K2-18b is a unique laboratory example for studying exoplanets.
Life or unknown chemistry? Only new research will answer!
The paper was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/adc1c8.
#news #biocosmos
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Scientists from the University of Alberta (Canada) have discovered a species of butterfly unknown to science - Satyrium curiosolus! These insects have lived in complete isolation in the mountains of Waterton Lakes National Park for tens of thousands of years, and only now genetics has revealed their secret!
⚡️ Why it matters.
The discovery of S. curiosolus is a reminder that even well-studied regions hide “invisible” species! Genetic analysis has become key, which means:
Butterfly “relatives” (S. semiluna) cooperate with other ants, Formica and Camponotus. Evolution is a real artist!
The study is published in the journal ZooKeys. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1234.143893.
#news #animals #insects
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German biologists have made a sensation: in a piece of Baltic amber from the Kaliningrad region they found an egg of an ancient butterfly, frozen 30 million years ago! This is the first discovery of scales in Baltic amber, which accounts for 90% of the world's reserves.
📐 Scientific details:
If the butterfly had hatched, it might have resembled a mottled ribbonfly with brightly colored wings. But its coloring will forever be a mystery - amber preserves structure but not color.
The article was published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica. DOI: 10.26879/1407.
#news #fossils #animals #insects
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Japanese scientists have revealed the creepy secret of Narathura japonica caterpillars - they zombify ants Pristomyrmex punctatus, turning them into loyal bodyguards! This used to be thought of as symbiosis, but the truth is much scarier.....
Earlier scientists studied Paratrechina longicornis - their “chaotic” movements turned out to be a survival strategy in a dangerous environment. But this is a unique case - chemical enslavement!
#facts #animals #insects
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🛌 Sleep and infections: Chinese scientists have found a powerful shield!
Every year, 2 billion people face infections and 17 million die. But there is a way out - and it's easier than it looks!
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Researchers from Southern Medical University (China) have proven: healthy sleep reduces the risk of severe complications from infections by 12%!
🔬 How did the study go?
👉 397,523 people from UK Biobank (40-73 years old) were followed for 13.5 years.
👉 They were assessed for: sleep duration (7-8 hours), early rising, no insomnia and no daytime sleepiness.
👉 Age, gender, bad habits and chronic diseases were taken into account.
📊 Results:
🟣 Sepsis: risk of hospitalization ↓ 9.1%.
🟣 Liver infections: ↓ by 20%!
🟣 Maximum effect is in people under 60 years of age.
🟣 Key factors: sleep duration + early rising.
⚠️ But there are nuances:
🟣 The study doesn't prove direct causation.
🟣 The data was collected in the UK, where health levels are above average.
🟣 Scientists suggest: poor sleep weakens immunity, but more experiments are needed.
❕ What to do now?
➖ Get 7-8 hours of sleep - this is the “gold standard” for protection against infections.
➖ Go to bed earlier: early rising is associated with better performance.
➖ Fight insomnia: meditation, darkness in the bedroom, giving up gadgets an hour before bedtime.
🛠 Context:
Earlier studies have shown that lack of sleep reduces the activity of T-cells, which fight viruses. It's also when you sleep that your body produces cytokines - proteins critical to the immune response!
〰️ 〰️ 〰️ 〰️ 〰️ 〰️ 〰️ 〰️ 〰️ 〰️
📝 The article was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03314-6.
#news #animals #mammals #humans
Every year, 2 billion people face infections and 17 million die. But there is a way out - and it's easier than it looks!
Researchers from Southern Medical University (China) have proven: healthy sleep reduces the risk of severe complications from infections by 12%!
🛠 Context:
Earlier studies have shown that lack of sleep reduces the activity of T-cells, which fight viruses. It's also when you sleep that your body produces cytokines - proteins critical to the immune response!
📝 The article was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03314-6.
#news #animals #mammals #humans
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Thunder is not only feared by humans, but also by animals. This squirrel 🐿️ actually grabbed his heart with his paw. 🥹
#facts
#facts
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Scientists from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have made a breakthrough: they have created ultrasound microscopy that sees what was previously invisible - capillaries and individual cells!
How does it work and why will it change medicine?
🎯 Where will it come in handy?
Cancer: The technology distinguishes healthy cells from tumor cells, shows necrotic nuclei (areas of die-off in the tumor).
Brain: For the first time, the capillary network of the rat brain can be visualized - key to studying strokes and dementia.
Immunology: It is possible to monitor how cells respond to drugs or infections live.
Share your predictions in the comments!
#facts #animals #mammals #humans
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