This prehistoric whale had razor teeth, bulging eyes and a face only evolution could love
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scientists discover ‘deceptively cute' ancient whale
A chance discovery of a 25 million-year-old fossil on an Australian beach has allowed palaeontologists to identify a rare, entirely new species that could unlock mysteries of whale evolution. Researchers this week officially named Janjucetus dullardi, a cartoonish creature with bulging eyes the size of tennis balls, in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Unlike today's whales, the juvenile specimen was small enough to fit in a single bed. Boasting fiendish teeth and a shark-like snout, however, this oddball of the ocean was nasty, mean and built to hunt. 'It was, let's say, deceptively cute,' said Erich Fitzgerald, senior curator of vertebrate palaeontology at Museums Victoria Research Institute, and one of the paper's authors. 'It might have looked for all the world like some weird kind of mash-up between a whale, a seal and a Pokemon but they were very much their own thing.' The rare discovery of the partial skull, including ear bones and teeth, was made in 2019 on a fossil-rich stretch of coast along Australia's Victoria state. Jan Juc Beach, a cradle for some of the weirdest whales in history, is becoming a hotspot for understanding early whale evolution, Mr Fitzgerald said. Few family trees seem stranger than that of Janjucetus dullardi, only the fourth species ever identified from a group known as mammalodontids, early whales that lived only during the Oligocene Epoch, about 34 to 23 million years ago. That marked the point about halfway through the known history of whales. The tiny predators, thought to have grown to three metres (10ft) in length, were an early branch on the line that led to today's great baleen whales, such as humpbacks, blues and minkes. But the toothy ancestors with powerful jaws would have looked radically different to any modern species. 'They may have had tiny little nubbins of legs just projecting as stumps from the wall of the body,' said Mr Fitzgerald. That mystery will remain tantalisingly unsolved unless a specimen is uncovered with more of its skeleton intact, which would be something of a miracle. Even the partial skull that allowed the initial identification this week was an astonishing discovery. Janjucetus dullardi was named by researchers after an amateur fossil hunter who does not mind its looks in the slightest. 'It's literally been the greatest 24 hours of my life,' said Ross Dullard, who discovered the skull while fossil hunting at Jan Juc Beach. After Wednesday's confirmation of the new species, the school principal walked like a rock star on to campus with 'high fives coming left, right and centre', he said. His friends and family are probably just relieved it is over. 'That's all they've heard from me for about the last six years,' he said. Mr Dullard was on a regular low-tide hunt at Jan Juc the day he spotted something black protruding from a cliff. Poking it dislodged a tooth. He knew enough to recognise it was unlikely to belong to a dog or a seal. 'I thought, geez, we've got something special here,' he said. Mr Dullard sent photos to Museums Victoria, where Mr Fitzgerald saw them and immediately suspected a new species. Confirming the find was another matter. This was the first mammalodontid to be identified in Australia since 2006 and only the third on record in the country. Fossils of sufficient quality, with enough of the right details preserved to confirm uniqueness, are not common. 'Cetaceans represent a fairly miniscule population of all life,' Mr Fitzgerald said. Millions of years of erosion, scavengers and ocean currents take their toll on whale skeletons too. 'It's only the chosen few, the vast minority of all whales that have ever lived and died in the oceans over millions of years, that actually get preserved as fossils,' he added. Finds such as Janjucetus dullardi can unlock insights into how prehistoric whales ate, moved, behaved – and evolved. Researchers said the discoveries also helped to understand how ancient cetacean species adapted to warmer oceans, as they study how today's marine life might respond to climate change. Meanwhile, Mr Dullard planned to host a fossil party this weekend, featuring cetacean-themed games and whale-shaped treats in jello, to celebrate his find finally being confirmed. 'That's taken my concentration for six years,' he said. 'I've had sleepless nights. I've dreamt about this whale.'
Gizmodo
2 hours ago
- Gizmodo
Dead EV Batteries Are Hoarding a Shocking Amount of Useful Lithium
The lithium batteries we deem unfit for use in electric vehicles might still contain copious amounts of usable, pure lithium we could retrieve and reuse—a potentially consistent, bountiful supply we're just not trying hard enough to tap into, a new study suggests. In a study published August 14 in the Journal of Environmental Management, researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia argue that tapping into the leftover lithium in used batteries could fuel a pragmatic, sustainable alternative to lithium mining. Shockingly, the lithium batteries that end up in landfills retain nearly 80% of their lithium capacity—still very much usable. Aside from the clear environmental advantage, recycling lithium batteries could also bring a wide array of socioeconomic benefits, the paper states. The paper, a comprehensive review of the global lithium supply chain, evaluates the efficacy of lithium extraction from mining and recycling. Mining remains the dominant method for lithium recovery, but its environmental impact alone should be reason enough to eventually move away from it, the researchers explained in a statement. Recycling, by contrast, could offer far more bang for our buck. First, recycling processes produce around 61% less carbon than mining while using 83% less energy and 79% less water. 'By recycling these batteries, you can access not only the remaining lithium—which is already purified to near 99 percent—but you can also retrieve the nickel and the cobalt from these batteries,' added Asad Ali, study lead author and a postdoctoral student at ECU, in the statement. Ideally, such recycling facilities wouldn't be as demanding on the natural environment as mining, he said. Again, we have too many idle batteries lying around, the researchers noted—and that supply is only expected to grow. The global lithium-ion battery market is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 13%, and we're projected to consume roughly 1,600 kilotons of lithium by 2026. In Australia alone—where the researchers are based—a government report estimates that lithium battery waste could amount to 137,000 tons each year. With the right investments in infrastructure, tapping into this resource could create a new, profitable niche in the energy sector, said study co-author Sadia Afrin, also a postdoctoral student at ECU. But it's an area that will have to grow alongside the technological advancements of industries that rely on lithium, she added.
Associated Press
4 hours ago
- Associated Press
Ethiopian fossil Lucy leaves for her first exhibition in Europe
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The human ancestor fossil known as Lucy left Ethiopia for display in a European museum, Ethiopian national media reported Friday, citing Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa. Lucy's skeleton, which is 40% complete, left Ethiopia on Friday and will be displayed at the Czech National Museum in Prague for approximately two months. Lucy was recovered in Ethiopia in 1974 from what was an ancient lake near fossilized remains of crocodiles, turtle eggs and crab claws. She was a member of Australopithecus afarensis, an early human species that lived in Africa between about 4 million and 3 million years ago. This is the second time Lucy has left Ethiopia. The first was in 2013, when she toured the United States. Lucy's fragmented bones will be exhibited alongside Selam, the fossil of an Australopithecus baby that is about 100,000 years older than Lucy and was discovered in the same region 25 years later. 'As an iconic specimen, she belongs to the whole world, so sharing her with the rest of humanity is something that everyone would love to see,' said Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Director of the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University. While many experts believe Lucy's trip to Europe presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people in Europe and beyond, there are safety concerns about the transportation of her fragile bones. 'The fragmented bones of Lucy are truly unique and need utmost care. Traveling to Europe has its own risks,' said Gidey Gebreegziabher, an archaeologist and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Warsaw, Poland, 'She will also be exposed to different climate conditions, which could potentially have negative impacts on her preservation.' Even in Ethiopia, the public has only occasionally seen the real Lucy fossil. At the National Museum of Ethiopia, a replica of Lucy is exhibited while the actual remains are stored in a secure vault. 'I've seen how she was packed, so I have no worries about anything happening to Lucy anymore,' Yohannes said. Lucy's quiet departure on Thursday night also raises questions about transparency as many Ethiopians —who take pride in her — were unaware of her journey to Europe. 'It's unbelievable! The government appears to be deliberately sidelining its people from the narrative of their own heritage,' Gebreegziabher said. Bekele Reta, 43, a resident who lives just 50 meters (164 feet) from the museum where Lucy is housed, was unaware of Lucy's departure until he saw it on social media. 'I learned this morning on Facebook that Lucy has departed for Prague. It's unfortunate that most Ethiopians only have the opportunity to see her showcased elsewhere.' he said. Early this year, the director general of the Czech National Museum, Michal Lukeš, in a statement announcing the exhibition of Lucy and Selam, expressed his appreciation of the Ethiopians for agreeing to 'lend' the remains. 'These priceless exhibits give us a unique insight into the past and deepen our understanding of humanity's roots,' said Lukeš.
