New Bizarre Looking Dinosaur was First Carnivorous Bipedal Swimmer 75 Million Years Ago

BY SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — With a bill like a duck but teeth like a croc's, a swanlike neck and killer claws, a new dinosaur species uncovered by scientists looks like something Dr. Seuss could have dreamed up.

It also had flippers like a penguin, and while it walked like an ostrich it could also swim. That's the first time swimming ability has been shown for a two-legged, meat-eating dinosaur.

The tiny creature, only about 18 inches (45 centimeters) tall, roamed 75 million years ago in what is now Mongolia. Its full curled-up skeleton was found in a sandstone rock.

"It's such a peculiar animal," said Dennis Voeten, a paleontology researcher at Palacky University in the Czech Republic. "It combines different parts we knew from other groups into this one small animal."

In a study released Wednesday by the journal Nature , Voeten and coauthors named it Halszkaraptor escuilliei  (HAHL-shka-rap-tor ES-key-lay-ee) or "Halszka" after the late Polish paleontologist Halszka Osmolska.

Paleontologist Kristi Curry Rogers of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, who didn't participate in the study, called it "a pretty crazy chimera: a swan neck and dinosaur body, but with a mouthful of tiny teeth and hands and feet that look like they might be good for swimming."

Its mashup body let it run and hunt on the ground and fish in fresh water, said study co-author Paul Tafforeau. He's a paleontologist at the ESRF , known as the European Synchrotron in Grenoble, France, a powerful X-ray generator where numerous tests were made on the fossil.

Lead author Andrea Cau, a paleontologist at the Geological Museum Capellini in Bologna, Italy, said he was at first highly suspicious about the fossil's authenticity, both because of its appearance and the fact that the rock containing the skeleton had been smuggled out of Mongolia and left in a private collector's hands.

"I asked myself, 'Is this a real, natural skeleton, or an artifact, a chimera? If this is a fake, how could I demonstrate it?'" Cau said in an email. "Assuming it was a fake instead of starting assuming that the fossil is genuine was the most appropriate way to start the investigation of such a bizarre fossil."

So researchers used the Synchrotron to create three-dimensional images of the fossil, which showed the creature was indeed a single animal and not a concoction built up from several sources. For example, an arm hidden in the rock perfectly matched the visible left arm, and lines indicating growth matched up across the bones.

Even though the creature wasn't dreamed up by Dr. Seuss, it got a blessing from a Dr. Sues.

Hans Sues, a paleontologist at the Smithsonian Institution who wasn't part of the research, praised the work and said it "shows again how amazingly diverse dinosaurs were."

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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears and his work can be found here .
 

Giant Dolphin-Like Dinosaur Fossil Found in India

The Ichthyosaur is nicknamed "Fish Lizard" is an ancient marine reptilian dinosaur 15 feet long resembling dolphins and whales that survived alongside other epic sea predators like ancient sharks and plesiosaurs. They lived between 90 and 250 million years ago when supercontinent Pangaea broke into Laurasia and Gondwana. 

Fossils of the Jurassic-era Ichthyosaur have already been found all over the world with, so what makes this one found in India so special? This is the only almost-complete skeleton ever discovered from this part of the world. Previous ones were only parts of the spine and teeth, providing little clues to these creatures here. 

"Vertebrate fossils are rare from the Kachchh region, and we were expecting only bone fragments from this area. So, to find a near-complete skeleton is surprising as well as exciting," said study lead author Guntupalli Prasad in an interview. 

This also strengthens theories of a sea route connecting India and South America where these creatures could travel through. 

What Did the Iichthyosaur Eat?

The teeth showed wear marks from biting hard rough things and since mollusk fossils were found next to it, archaeologists believe they ate mollusks as well as ancient fish and other smaller reptiles. 

Paleontologists Discover New Dinosaur in Africa!

Reconstruction of the new titanosaur and the landscape in which it lived, in what is now Tanzania.

Credit: Mark Witton, www.markwitton.com

Eureka! Paleontologists found a new dinosaur! Well, a new species of the already-known long-necked Titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur. They're calling it Shingopana songwensis. "Shingopana" is Swahili for "wide neck" and "Songwe" is the region it was unearthed from in Africa. 

Now, Titanosaur bones are mostly found in South America, but discovering this one in Africa's southwestern Tanzania is a rare find. 

Excavation of Shingopana songwensis showing ribs and other bones being prepared for plaster-jacketing.

Credit: Nancy Stevens

Actually, part of this new dinosaur fossil was excavated by the Rukwa Rift Basin Project in 2002, leaving the vertebrae, ribs, humerus, and lower jaw for later recovery. 

Scientific testing revealed the Singopana were genetically closer to South American titanosaurs than any other found around the world. 

"There are anatomical features present only in Shingopana and in several South American titanosaurs, but not in other African titanosaurs," said lead paper author Eric Gorscak, a paleontologist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. "Shingopana had siblings in South America, whereas other African titanosaurs were only distant cousins."

During the earthquake-active Cretaceous Period, Madagascar broke off from southern Africa, with South America gradually splitting off from south to north over 95-105 million years. This divided the dinosaur populations into separate continents where they adapted to different environments. 

"This discovery suggests that the fauna of northern and southern Africa were very different in the Cretaceous Period," said Judy Skog, a program director in NSF's Division of Earth Sciences, which supported the research. "At that time, southern Africa dinosaurs were more closely related to those in South America, and were more widespread than we knew."

As an extra bonus, these Shingopana bones also had tiny tunnels bored through them from ancient insects, giving researchers another rare opportunity to reconstruct the time of death and insights into the ancient dinosaur food chain. 

The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, funded by National Science Foundation, published this research in August 2017. 

The study was also funded by the National Geographic Society, Jurassic Foundation, Paleontological Society, Ohio University Student Enhancement Award, Ohio University Original Work Grant, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University Office of the Vice President for Research and Creative Activity, and James Cook University.

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Sources:

https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=242862&org=NSF&from=news

3 ‘Modern’ Inventions That Existed Millions of Years Ago: Nuclear Reactor, Telescope, Clothes

Some mainstream scientists may have people believe that humans evolved from lower life forms over the last 10,000 years or so, however, archaeologists have already discovered many artifacts of various ancient human civilizations that are millions of years old according to scientific carbon isotope dating. And guess what, these artifacts provide evidence that these ancient humans were even more advanced than we are today. 

1. Nuclear Reactor 1.8 BILLION Years Old

The Oklo, Gabon Republic, nuclear reactor site. (NASA)

In 1972 at a uranium mine in the Gabon Republic of Africa, an open-air large-scale nuclear reactor with a highly sophisticated layout was discovered and calculated to have been built 1.8 BILLION years go and active for 500,000 years. A French manufacturer importing uranium ore from here found it had strangely already been used, so they send scientists to examine the site. They concluded the uranium here was more than twice as powerful as normal uranium and practically impossible to have naturally occurred. 

"The reaction sites consists of several compact bodies of uranium ore with a very high uranium concentration. Altogether, over 500 tons of uranium took part in the reactions (perhaps even more, for fresh ore bodies have just been discovered). The energy released must have amounted to almost 1011 kWh. At some points the integrated neutron flux exceeded 1.5 X 1021 n/cm2 , and samples with a 235U concentration of as little as 0.29% (as compared with 0.72% in natural uranium of normal isotopic composition) have been found. For such values to be attained, there must have been extremely effective mechanisms for controlling the nuclear reactions, mechanisms which have not yet been fully elucidated. Even more remarkable is the state of preservation of these "fossilized nuclear reactors"; in fact the uranium has retained its configuration from the time of the reactions so faithfully that the reaction rate distributions through the ground can be interpreted in terms of neutron physics. This implies a quite exceptional conjunction of circumstances, and it is expected to be possible to reconstruct the progress of the phenomenon in some detail. Thanks to the innumerable "traceurs" resulting from the nuclear reactions, it is possible to study a whole episode in geological history extending from the deposition of these very heavy concentrations of uranium about 1,800 million years ago to quite recent modifications."  -- The Oklo Phenomenon by Roger Naudet, 1975 International International Atomic Energy Agency Symposium

Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg was head of the United States Atomic Energy Commission and Nobel Prize winner for synthesizing heavy elements who believes this highly concentrated uranium site was not a natural phenomenon but in fact a man-made nuclear reactor. This reactor is more advanced than anything we can build today, being miles long yet remarkably only heating it's surroundings within 130 feet while containing all radioactive waste in the nearby earth. Reactor engineering specialists believe this Oklo site's uranium could not contain such high concentrations of U-235 for nuclear reactions to naturally occur. Plus, extremely pure water is required for uranium to "burn" in a reaction, which does not exist naturally anywhere in the world. 

2. Stone Engraving of Telescope & Modern Clothing 65 MILLION Years Old

a 65 million year old stone engraving of a person holding a telescope, an invention believed to be created in 1609 by Galileo. (Courtesy of Eugenia Cabrera/Museo Cabrera)

In the National University of Peru, there is a 65 MILLION year old engraving on a rock with a person wearing modern clothes and observing the stars with a telescope. It's was previously believed that the European astronomer, Galileo Galilei invented the telescope in 1609 but this finding proves otherwise.

Ica stone showing ancient person riding triceratops dinosaur. Credit: Dennis Swift

There are 10,000 other stones in the Cabrera Museum in Ica, Peru showing more ancient humans with clothes, shoes, and headdresses. There are also medical scenes of blood transfusions, organ transplants, and cesarean sections — even riding dinosaurs!

Dr. Dennis Swift, author of "Secrets of the Ica Stones and Nazca Lines" and archaeologist from the University of New Mexico, recorded evidence that these stones are from Pre-Columbian times. He has been around the world and collected similar artifacts depicting the lives of ancient peoples proving than mankind is much older than many know.

3. Well Dressed Humans in 14,000 Year Old Cave Paintings

Cave painting from the cave of Altamira in the Anthropos Pavilion of The Moravian Museum in the Czech Republic. (Wikimedia Commons)

In 1937 Léon Péricard found 14,000 year old paintings in the La Marche caves of western France of people with tailored clothing, groomed beards, short hair, and riding horses. This proves that ancient humans were much more sophisticated than the infamous "caveman" concept with ragged animal skins and messy long hair. 

In 2002, Dr. Michael Rappenglueck reevaluated Péricard’s findings and believes they are genuine and noted that many floor paintings and etchings, which may contain even more valuable relics, were damaged during the earlier excavations.

Rappenglueck also believes that this, and other such discoveries, are ignored or even kept hidden by modern science. For example, some pieces from La Marche cave are displayed in Paris' Museum of Man except for the best ones that show the sophisticated culture of these ancient people. 

“For some years it has been left to broader media coverage (in the form of printed matter, audio-visual material, electronic media and planetarium programs) to raise awareness of proto-astronomy (as well as proto-mathematics and other proto-sciences) during Palaeolithic times.” 

Thankfully, now we can share information so easily and quickly. In this information age, stubborn incorrect notions are being rectified by the newly revealed truths. 

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Sources

• http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/345446-3-modern-inventions-that-existed-millions-of-years-ago-nuclear-reactor-telescope-clothes/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Marche_(cave)
• www.DinosaursAndMan.com

100 Million Year Old baby Bird Found Trapped in Amber

You know, ancient insects were not the only things trapped in amber back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. In fact just this year we found bird wings, dinosaur feathers and now this...a nearly intact baby bird from around 100 million years ago, in fact, the most complete prehistoric bird we have ever found.

 Scientists found the amber in Myanmar and inside you can see bird’s head, tail, neck and especially the wings and feet. It's really incredible because the tree resin perfectly preserved even the feathers, flesh and claws.

"It's the most complete and detailed view we've ever had," one of the team behind the discovery, Ryan McKellar from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Canada, told New Scientist. “Seeing something this complete is amazing. It’s just stunning.” He said.

This bird belonged to a group known as enantiornithes or opposite birds, which went extinct about 65 million years ago at the end of the cretaceous period along with the dinosaurs.

These birds appear to look like birds of today but according to new scientist  they had a socket-and-ball joint in their shoulders where modern birds have a ball-and-socket joint – hence the name. They also had claws on their wings, and jaws and teeth rather than beaks.

It is still a mystery why these birds died off while other ancestors of modern birds did not. Researchers think this might have something to do with the fact that these birds’ were lousy parents and often just left the babies to fend for themselves. Also researchers believed that these birds were actually hatched on the ground and then climbed up into the trees, which might explain why these birds were so easily stuck in tree sap.

The amber was Mined in the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. Amber found in this region contain some of the largest variety of life from the cretaceous period which was from 145 to 65 million years ago.

And if you are already thinking a Jurassic Park scenario in your head, you’re probably not alone. Unfortunately there really is not much DNA left, as the flesh has already turned into unusable carbon.