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Categories: Geoscience: Landslides, Paleontology: Dinosaurs
Published Fossils of giant sea lizard that ruled the oceans 66 million years ago discovered
(via sciencedaily.com) Fossils of a giant killer mosasaur have been discovered, along with the fossilized remains of its prey.
Published All the better to better eat you with -- dinosaurs evolved different eye socket shapes to allow stronger bites
(via sciencedaily.com) Large dinosaur predators, such as Tyrannosaurus rex, evolved different shapes of eye sockets to better deal with high bite forces, new research has shown.
Published Prehistoric podiatry: How dinos carried their enormous weight
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have cracked an enduring mystery, discovering how sauropod dinosaurs -- like Brontosaurus and Diplodocus -- supported their gigantic bodies on land.
Published The speed at which spinosaurid dinosaur teeth were replaced accounts for their overabundance in Cretaceous sites
(via sciencedaily.com) Spinosaurid dinosaurs were able to develop up to three generations of teeth at the same time, a high replacement rate that explains why so many teeth of this type have been found in Cretaceous sites.
Published We need to change how we think about soil
(via sciencedaily.com) With record temperatures this summer along with dry conditions, ongoing concerns about food security, wildlife habitats and biodiversity, having a healthy soil system is more vital and challenging than ever before. But what does the term 'soil health' mean and how should we measure it? New research says that how we think about, measure and study soil must be changed to give a better understanding of how to manage this resource effectively, with academics proposing an entirely new approach for assessing soil health.
Published How charred detritus dispersed from Goleta Beach in wake of 2018 Montecito, California, debris flow
(via sciencedaily.com) The catastrophic debris flow that affected Montecito, Calif., in early January, 2018 was the result of a rare confluence of severe events. The Thomas Fire had been raging for weeks in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and an unusually strong winter storm dumped half an inch of rain in five minutes on the newly-charred hills above the suburban enclave. With the tough vegetation that holds the hillsides in place burned off by the fire, tons of water, silt, burnt plant matter and rocks roared down the slopes and engulfed the community below, causing massive damage and the death of 23 residents.
Published Plesiosaur fossils found in the Sahara suggest they weren't just marine animals
(via sciencedaily.com) Fossils of small plesiosaurs, long-necked marine reptiles from the age of dinosaurs, have been found in a 100-million year old river system that is now Morocco's Sahara Desert. This discovery suggests some species of plesiosaur, traditionally thought to be sea creatures, may have lived in freshwater.
Published New model developed to predict landslides along wildfire burn scars
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have augmented a physics-based numerical model to investigate and predict areas susceptible to debris flows. This augmented model eventually could be used in an early warning system for people living in high-risk areas, enabling them to evacuate before it's too late. Information from model simulations also could be used to design new infrastructure -- such as diversion bars that deflect fast-moving water away from homes and roads -- for high hazard zones.
Published Study refutes claim that T. rex was three separate species
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study refutes a provocative claim made earlier this year that fossils classified as the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex represent three separate species. The rebuttal finds that the earlier proposal lacks sufficient evidence to split up the iconic species.
Published A new giant dinosaur gives insight into why many prehistoric meat-eaters had such tiny arms
(via sciencedaily.com) An international team has discovered a new big, meat-eating dinosaur, dubbed Meraxes gigas, that provides clues about the evolution and anatomy of predatory dinosaurs such as the Carcharodontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex. Meraxes measured around 36 feet from snout to tail tip and weighed approximately 9,000 pounds.
Published Dinosaurs took over amid ice, not warmth, says a new study of ancient mass extinction
(via sciencedaily.com) There is new evidence that ancient high latitudes, to which early dinosaurs were largely relegated, regularly froze over, and that the creatures adapted -- an apparent key to their later dominance.
Published Mangrove and reef restoration yield positive returns on investment for flood protection, study shows
(via sciencedaily.com) Restoration of mangroves and coral reefs can be a cost-effective solution for coastal flood reduction in more than 20 countries across the Caribbean. Researchers used methods from the risk and insurance industry to provide rigorous valuations of these natural defenses and show that they can deliver a positive return on investment, with the benefits from reduced flood damage exceeding the costs of restoration. The results point toward new opportunities to support restoration efforts with funds from sources that support hazard mitigation, climate adaptation, and disaster recovery, including FEMA.
Published Study explores uncertainties in flood risk estimates
(via sciencedaily.com) Flood frequency analysis is a technique used to estimate flood risk, providing statistics such as the '100-year flood' or '500-year flood' that are critical to infrastructure design, dam safety analysis, and flood mapping in flood-prone areas. But the method used to calculate these flood frequencies is due for an update, according to a new study.
Published Europe's largest land predator unearthed on the Isle of Wight
(via sciencedaily.com) Palaeontologists have identified the remains of one of Europe's largest ever land-based hunters: a dinosaur that measured over 10m long and lived around 125 million years ago.
Published Bizarre meat-eating dinosaur joins 'Rogues' Gallery' of giant predators from classic fossil site in Egypt's Sahara Desert
(via sciencedaily.com) The fossil of a still-unnamed species provides the first known record of the abelisaurid group of theropods from a middle Cretaceous-aged (approximately 98 million years old) rock unit known as the Bahariya Formation, which is exposed in the Bahariya Oasis of the Western Desert of Egypt.
Published Hot-blooded T. rex and cold-blooded Stegosaurus: Chemical clues reveal dinosaur metabolisms
(via sciencedaily.com) Paleontologists have debated whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded, like modern mammals and birds, or cold-blooded, like modern reptiles. In a new paper, scientists are unveiling a new method for studying dinosaurs' metabolic rates, using clues in their bones.
Published Landslides can have a major impact on glacier melt and movement
(via sciencedaily.com) Using satellite imagery to study the effects of a 2019 landslide on the Amalia Glacier in Patagonia, a research team found the landslide helped stabilize the glacier and caused it to grow by about 1,000 meters over the last three years.
Published Researchers discover overlooked Jurassic Park of lizards
(via sciencedaily.com) New research moves back the moment of the radiation of squamates -- the group of reptiles that includes lizards, snakes and worm lizards -- to the Jurassic, a long time before current estimates.
Published Precipitation helped drive distribution of Alaska dinosaurs
(via sciencedaily.com) Precipitation more than temperature influenced the distribution of herbivorous dinosaurs in what is now Alaska, according to new research. The finding discusses the distribution of hadrosaurids and ceratopsids -- the megaherbivores of the Late Cretaceous Period, 100.5 million to 66 million years ago.
Published Injured dinosaur left behind unusual footprints
(via sciencedaily.com) A set of dinosaur footprints in Spain has unusual features because the dinosaur that made the tracks had an injured foot, according to a new study.