Latest news with #Plesiosaur
BBC News
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Female pioneers celebrated in puppet form
The stories behind six of history's greatest female achievers have been explored using giant hand Women from History and Science, organised by scientist Sarah Snell-Pym, took place at The Folk of Gloucester, to mark International Women's Day."When I started my undergraduate degree, I was very aware there was not only a lack of women taking up sciences and technologies, but also a lack of role models."When I looked, I realised there were lots, but their history has been missing or muted, or in the shadow of their male counterparts," she said. The six women celebrated are: Fossil hunter Mary Anning, who uncovered the first complete Plesiosaur mathematician Ada Lovelace, who wrote what is considered to be the first computer Mary Leakey, who made numerous discoveries related to early humans and their Florence Nightingale, who became famous as "the lady with the lamp" during the Crimean Mary Seacole, who also worked during the Crimean Queen Aethelflaed, who took over the ruling of Mercia and founded St Oswald's Priory in Snell Pym's show started with just one puppet of Ada Lovelace, and has since grown into a touring event for families."Ada Lovelace was basically working before computers even existed. "Her friend Charles Babbage came up with the idea of an engine that would do calculations, she started writing maths programmes for it. "These were the first computer algorithms," she said. She also wanted the event to challenge the perceptions people had about some of the women in the show."We all know Florence Nightingale as a nurse, but she was actually an amazing statistician and she designed a whole new type of pie chart which looked at what was killing people"She's only ever remembered for nursing, and that's quite sad because she herself felt that she actually had not achieved what she should have done with the nursing," Ms Snell-Pym said.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
First Loch Ness monster sighting in 2025 reported. Could mystery finally be solved?
A man on the shores of Scotland's Dores Beach said he saw the elusive Loch Ness monster emerging from the depths of the loch, the first potential Nessie sighting reported to The Loch Ness Centre in 2025, the organization says. Winter often brings bad weather and the loch's surface can be choppy and shrouded in mist, leading to fewer reported sightings, Aimee Todd, the center's marketing manager, told USA TODAY on Thursday. But on Jan. 29, when the latest purported photo of the mythical creature was taken, the waters were calm and the conditions ideal for spotting unusual activity, according to Todd. Todd said she was thrilled to learn of the latest sighting. "I just thought it was brilliant because it really shows like the wave," Todd said. "And it looks like there is like some kind of dark mass under the water pushing up that wave." 🚨 2025's First Potential Nessie Sighting! 👀🐉Loch Ness has kicked off the year with an exciting mystery! A visitor at... Posted by The Loch Ness Centre on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 Todd said the center has reached out to experts including Alan Mackenna of Loch Ness Exploration to verify that image is not a case of mistaken identity. She said often seals, birds or even boat wakes can be mistaken for Nessie and she is waiting to get more information from the man who took the photo on his cellphone and has not been publicly identified. The Loch Ness Centre has worked with Mackenna's organization and the University of Aberdeen to use cutting-edge technology to probe the depths of the loch and has invited hundreds of people around the world to participate in surface watching events, Todd said. During a massive search in 2023, Mackenna's team used drones and other technology to surveil the lake. "Every observation adds to our understanding, whether it's potential evidence of Nessie or new insights into the loch's unique ecosystem," Mackenna said in a statement about the latest sighting. The center will be holding the search for Nessie dubbed "The Quest" again in May, Todd said, and volunteers will monitor the surface of the lake at 13 different locations for over six hours. Searchers will also venture out on the center's boat and use a hydrophone to detect acoustic signals under the water, she said. Loch Ness Monster hunt in photos: See Scotland's biggest search for Nessie in 50 years There have been nearly 1,160 reported sightings of the creature over the years since it was first reportedly spotted in 564, according to the official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register. Still, no definitive proof of the monster's existence has ever been found and it's widely considered a myth. Some have theorized Nessie might be a Jurassic-era reptile like a Plesiosaur, a giant fish or even an eel. Researchers who analyzed DNA samples from the icy waters of the Scottish lake identified about 3,000 different species, but the results ruled out the presence of large animals such as dinosaurs. Still, Todd said she believes in the possibility. "I don't think there's a been a definitive answer for yes or no just too many sightings and too many descriptions from like photos, from films, and just like witness statements as well that are all too similar," she said. Nagina Ishaq, general manager of the center called the latest sighting "particularly captivating" and said the organization remains "committed to solving the mystery of Nessie once and for all." "Our previous collaborations with the University of Aberdeen and Loch Ness Exploration allowed us to advance our research efforts significantly, and this potential sighting is a reminder that the mystery of Loch Ness is far from solved," Ishaq said in a statement. "We continue to explore every possibility, and are committed to uncovering the truth.' Contributing: Emily DeLetter, USA TODAY; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: First Loch Ness monster sighting in 2025. Could the mystery be solved?
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What scientists learned from a well-preserved fossil of this iconic Jurassic-era dinosaur
The discovery of a well-preserved fossil is helping researchers learn more about an iconic Jurassic-period dinosaur. The plesiosaur, considered a successful marine predatory dinosaur, may have been aided in its underwater hunting endeavors by turtle-like scales that covered its body -- which scientists have now discovered due to the presence of soft tissue in a newly unearthed fossil, according to a paper published earlier this month in Current Biology. MORE: Well-preserved remains of saber-toothed kitten found frozen in Russian tundra, researchers say Researchers from Lund University in Sweden have been analyzing the soft tissue from a 183 million-year-old plesiosaur for the first time in history after the fossil was found intact near Holzmaden, Germany. Fossilized soft tissue, such as skin and internal organs, is "exceptionally rare" in dinosaur fossils, Miguel Marx, a Ph.D. student in geology at Lund University and the lead author of the study, said in a video published on the university's website. The preserved skeleton of the plesiosaur is articulated with fossilized soft tissue from the tail and one of the flippers, he said. "I was shocked when I saw skin cells that had been preserved for 183 million years," Marx said. "It was almost like looking at modern skin." MORE: How the process of de-extinction will be used to restore this fabled species The specimen reveals that the plesiosaur had both smooth and scaly skin, which likely helped it swim rapidly and move along rough seabeds, according to the researchers. "This mosaic of scales and scaly skin has never been reported before in a plesiosaur, and thanks for this amazing find, we now have a much better appreciation of what these animals might have looked like while alive," Johan Lindgren, an associate professor of geology at Lund University, said in a statement. Plesiosaurs were considered among the most successful marine hunters of their time. The long-necked dinosaurs grew to nearly 40 feet long and had four paddle-like flippers that allowed them to swim like sea turtles. The species was first studied 200 years ago, but little was known about the external anatomy of the plesiosaur until the newest fossil was discovered. Plesiosaur fossils can be found all over the world, Marx said. The combination of both smooth and scaly skin is unusual, and it had different functions, the researchers said. The plesiosaur's smooth and hydrodynamic skin allowed it to swim efficiently to catch fish and other squid-like animals, but its scaly flippers likely helped them move across rough sea floors by providing protection and traction. Without the presence of the soft tissue, Marx would have assumed the plesiosaur would be scaleless, like other marine dinosaurs of the time, he said. "We used a broad range of techniques to identify smooth skin in the tail region as well as scales along the rear edge of the flippers," Marx said. "This provided us with unparalleled insights into the appearance and biology of these long-extinct reptiles." MORE: New dinosaur discovery may be the closest relative to Tyrannosaurus rex, scientists say The findings will also help researchers enhance the understanding of macroevolution and how species adapted to specific environments over time, according to the paper. "The discovery of scales was surprising and changes our perceptions of how these animals would have adapted to their pelagic environment," Marx said. What scientists learned from a well-preserved fossil of this iconic Jurassic-era dinosaur originally appeared on
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What scientists learned from a well-preserved fossil of this iconic Jurassic-era dinosaur
The discovery of a well-preserved fossil is helping researchers learn more about an iconic Jurassic-period dinosaur. The plesiosaur, considered a successful marine predatory dinosaur, may have been aided in its underwater hunting endeavors by turtle-like scales that covered its body -- which scientists have now discovered due to the presence of soft tissue in a newly unearthed fossil, according to a paper published earlier this month in Current Biology. MORE: Well-preserved remains of saber-toothed kitten found frozen in Russian tundra, researchers say Researchers from Lund University in Sweden have been analyzing the soft tissue from a 183 million-year-old plesiosaur for the first time in history after the fossil was found intact near Holzmaden, Germany. Fossilized soft tissue, such as skin and internal organs, is "exceptionally rare" in dinosaur fossils, Miguel Marx, a Ph.D. student in geology at Lund University and the lead author of the study, said in a video published on the university's website. The preserved skeleton of the plesiosaur is articulated with fossilized soft tissue from the tail and one of the flippers, he said. "I was shocked when I saw skin cells that had been preserved for 183 million years," Marx said. "It was almost like looking at modern skin." MORE: How the process of de-extinction will be used to restore this fabled species The specimen reveals that the plesiosaur had both smooth and scaly skin, which likely helped it swim rapidly and move along rough seabeds, according to the researchers. "This mosaic of scales and scaly skin has never been reported before in a plesiosaur, and thanks for this amazing find, we now have a much better appreciation of what these animals might have looked like while alive," Johan Lindgren, an associate professor of geology at Lund University, said in a statement. Plesiosaurs were considered among the most successful marine hunters of their time. The long-necked dinosaurs grew to nearly 40 feet long and had four paddle-like flippers that allowed them to swim like sea turtles. The species was first studied 200 years ago, but little was known about the external anatomy of the plesiosaur until the newest fossil was discovered. Plesiosaur fossils can be found all over the world, Marx said. The combination of both smooth and scaly skin is unusual, and it had different functions, the researchers said. The plesiosaur's smooth and hydrodynamic skin allowed it to swim efficiently to catch fish and other squid-like animals, but its scaly flippers likely helped them move across rough sea floors by providing protection and traction. Without the presence of the soft tissue, Marx would have assumed the plesiosaur would be scaleless, like other marine dinosaurs of the time, he said. "We used a broad range of techniques to identify smooth skin in the tail region as well as scales along the rear edge of the flippers," Marx said. "This provided us with unparalleled insights into the appearance and biology of these long-extinct reptiles." MORE: New dinosaur discovery may be the closest relative to Tyrannosaurus rex, scientists say The findings will also help researchers enhance the understanding of macroevolution and how species adapted to specific environments over time, according to the paper. "The discovery of scales was surprising and changes our perceptions of how these animals would have adapted to their pelagic environment," Marx said. What scientists learned from a well-preserved fossil of this iconic Jurassic-era dinosaur originally appeared on
