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Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Dinosaur-era wasp may have snatched its prey: ‘Truly fascinating'
The Brief Scientists discovered an ancient wasp species, Sirenobethylus charybdis, preserved in 99-million-year-old amber from Myanmar. The wasp's structure resembles a Venus flytrap, believed to have been used to hold prey still while laying eggs. The analysis sheds light on parasitic wasp evolution, showing advanced prey capture strategies much earlier than previously thought. BEIJING - An ancient wasp species, believed to have lived alongside the dinosaurs, was found preserved in 99-million-year-old amber from northern Myanmar, scientists in Beijing, China reported. Now, the researchers are analyzing the species, named Sirenobethylus charybdis, which exhibits an extraordinary feature: a body structure resembling that of a Venus flytrap, an iconic carnivorous plant. The findings were published Thursday in the journal BMC Biology. What they're saying Dr. Taiping GAO, a lead researcher on the study, told FOX TV Stations that the first discovery of this amber specimen occurred more than a decade ago, but at the time, the researchers assumed its structure had been deformed during preservation. "Over the years, we found more than ten similar amber pieces, confirming that this was not a deformation," GAO told FOX. "This raised our curiosity – what was the function of this intricate and complex structure? That question led us to conduct further research." Researchers suggested the flytrap-like structure was used to hold a wriggly insect still while the wasp laid an egg, depositing a baby wasp to feed on and drain its new host. "The discovery was truly fascinating!," GAO continued. "It provided key insights into the prey capture strategies of early parasitoid wasps, shedding light on their diverse parasitic behaviors in deep time. Finding direct fossil evidence of such a sophisticated mechanism challenges our previous understanding of parasitoid evolution and suggests that these insects developed complex host-handling adaptations much earlier than expected. It's exciting to see how ancient parasitoids might have been just as specialized and efficient as their modern counterparts!" It's unclear when the wasp went extinct. Studying unusual insects like this one can help scientists understand what insects are capable of and how different they can be. RELATED: Animal rarely seen off North Carolina coast spotted for first time in 5 years "I hope readers take away a deeper appreciation for the complexity and diversity of parasitoid wasps, even in deep time," GAO added. This discovery highlights how ancient insects had already evolved sophisticated prey capture strategies, challenging our understanding of parasitoid evolution. It also underscores the importance of fossils in revealing behaviors that might otherwise be lost to history." What's next In the future, the researchers hope to explore the behavior and unique adaptations of Mesozoic parasitoid wasps to gain deeper insights into their survival strategies. The Source The information for this story was provided by the study "A cretaceous fly trap? remarkable abdominal modification in a fossil wasp" published on March 27, 2025. The Associated Press contributed. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google Calendar update removes Black History Month, Pride Month
The Brief Google Calendar no longer marks the start of Black History Month, Women's History Month, or Pride Month on its platform. A Google spokesperson said the changes were made in mid-2024 as part of a shift to only displaying public holidays and national observances. The move follows other recent changes by Google, including updates to Maps based on new federal guidelines under the Trump administration. LOS ANGELES - Google Calendar users recently noticed that certain cultural observances, including Black History Month and Pride Month, are no longer displayed on the platform. The company previously included these events in prior years, but for 2025, they have been removed without public announcement. The change, which The Verge first reported, has sparked online discussion, with users questioning why these events were excluded. A Google spokesperson confirmed the update, The Verge reported, stating that the company is now only showing public holidays and national observances instead of manually maintaining a broader list of cultural moments. The backstory Google Calendar previously included February 1 (Black History Month), March 1 (Women's History Month), June 1 (Pride Month), and November 1 (Indigenous Peoples Month) among its recognized observances. These events are no longer listed for 2025. Google said the change was made in mid-2024 when the platform stopped manually adding cultural moments and shifted to relying on a third-party source, for holiday listings. Users who wish to track these observances must now manually add them to their personal calendars. Google has not yet responded to comment from FOX TV Stations. What they're saying Google said the decision was made due to scalability issues, as manually maintaining hundreds of observances across different countries had become unsustainable. "Some years ago, the Calendar team started manually adding a broader set of cultural moments in a wide number of countries around the world," a Google spokesperson told The Verge. "We got feedback that some other events and countries were missing — and maintaining hundreds of moments manually and consistently globally wasn't scalable or sustainable." Big picture view The removal of these observances comes amid broader shifts in Google's policies following the election of President Donald Trump. Google recently ended its diversity hiring goals, aligning with broader industry changes in response to Trump's executive order rolling back DEI initiatives. The company changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" on Google Maps after the administration updated its official sources. Google also announced it would use the name "Mount McKinley" instead of Denali, following the administration's stance on place names. What's next Google Calendar users who want to track observances like Black History Month, Pride Month, and Women's History Month can manually add them to their personal calendars. Google has not indicated whether it plans to restore any of the removed observances in the future. The Source This article is based on reporting from The Verge and previous FOX TV Stations coverage.
