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‘Biggest’ Dinosaur Bones Unveiled In US

December 11, 2012 By

Paleontologists have discovered what they claim are bones of the “biggest” dinosaur in the US.

A team from the Museum of Rockies in Montana State and the State Museum of Pennsylvania has described two gigantic vertebrae and a femur that it collected in New Mexico from 2003 to 2006 in a research report.

The bones belong to the sauropod dinosaur Alamosaurus sanjuanensis: A long-necked plant eater related to Diplodocus which roamed what is now the southwestern region of the US and Mexico about 69 million years ago.

In their report, the palaeontologists have written how carrying the the vertebrae alone was a “killer” task taking up an entire day because they carried them 1.2 miles through 100- degree heat, a website reported. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ecology, Wildlife

Palawan’s Underground River Among New7Wonders

November 12, 2011 By

The Philippines’ Puerto Princesa Underground River has been declared as one of the provisional winners in the search for the new seven wonders of nature.

A day before the voting ended yesterday night, the Philippine government mounted a “last ditch” effort through the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) by ordering all local government officials from governors down to barangay captains to urge Filipinos around the country to cast their vote for the underground river.

Agencies under the DILG, including the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, were also ordered to urge their members and linked groups to vote for the underground river. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ecology, Environment, Wildlife

How Humans Started Their Social Life

November 10, 2011 By

Origination of humans’ social life can be traced back to primates, who gave up their solitary existence and adopted communal living to guard themselves from predators when they shifted from being nocturnal to diurnal, a new study has suggested.

University of Oxford team suggests that a common history is vital in shaping the way animals behave in a group.

The team, which took into consideration an analysis of 200 primates, has identified the transition from non-social to social living to about 52 million years ago.

Contrary to the previous researches, which suggest that primate social groups developed gradually in size over time, the new study suggests that transition happened in one step, and coincided with a move into daylight. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Ecology, Humanities

Small Trees Can Put On A Big Show

September 9, 2011 By

The importance of small trees in gardens of any size simply can’t be measured.

Large trees are magnificent monuments in the landscape, but small trees can be equally significant landmarks in your own backyard. Big trees take your eyes to the sky; small trees shade a space, such as a patio, without dominating it. They define the flow of the eye and the feet through a garden, and punctuate the views. Small trees have a way of keeping the experience of a garden intimate and inviting.

“Most people want to look at things that are in scale with them, at their eye level, and if you choose the right small tree with the right form, you can create a great sense of place,” says Brian Kissinger, a garden designer and the director of horticulture at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ecology, Environment, Nature

Geologists Study Energy Source Underground

August 29, 2011 By

Geologists and energy experts say that using heat from the earth as a power source, and to heat and cool houses and businesses, might prove to be a clean-energy alternative for Ohio and other states.

To determine whether it will work, state geologists are using a $21.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to look for geothermal prospects throughout the country. Exploration efforts include studying underground temperatures, heat flow and thermal conductivity of rocks to determine whether geothermal energy is the right answer.

“Every state has potential,” said Lee Allison of the Arizona Geological Survey, who is principal investigator for the three-year study. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ecology, Energy, Environment, Research & Study

Gold Mine Worth £9 Billion Discovered In Germany

August 28, 2011 By

A massive seam of pure gold worth at least nine billion pounds has been discovered in one of the poorest regions of eastern Germany.

The precious metal was found nearly 4,000ft down in Lausitz region where one-in-five are jobless.

Eight hundred miners have already been called to sign on for jobs and there are estimates that double that number could soon be on the payroll, the Daily Mail reports.

The KSL mining company also struck the intended copper-bearing rock laden with an estimated 2.7 million tons, as well as lesser deposits of silver and platinum. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ecology, Environment, Precious Metals

Plant A Tree In The Fall For Shade In Years To Come

July 8, 2011 By

The hot summer weather may have home owners thinking about trees, but experts say now’s not the best time to plant them.

If you can, wait until fall because fall trees do better, said Brian Jervis, horticulture extension educator with Tulsa Master Gardeners.

A 3- to 6-inch layer of mulch and daily water are important to helping keep any plant healthy in this heat, he said.

Jervis recommends home owners plant trees in September, October or November.

If home owners or landscapers must plant trees now, Jervis said, keeping the root ball intact is critical. Trees can’t pull up the necessary moisture if the root ball is broken. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ecology, Environment, Nature