Saturday, July 31, 2010

Dinosaur skulls exhibit new long-necked class who didnt gnaw their food scrupulously

Four impressive skulls from a new species of dinosaur have been unearthed by palaeontologists.

Abydosaurus was a type of sauropod, a group of huge plant-eating dinosaurs - including Brachiosaurus.

Complete skulls are incredibly rare - only eight of more than 120 types of sauropod had been found to date.

Dr Brooks Britt

Dr Brooks Britt with a Abydosaurus dinosaur skull, a previously undiscovered species of dinosaur

So researchers were shocked and thrilled when they found four Abydosaurus skulls - including two fully intact - at a quarry in the Dinosaur National Monument in eastern Utah, US.

The fossils were so hard that explosives had to be used to free some of the remains from the sandstone.

Dr Brooks Britt, a palaeontologist at Brigham Young University who worked on the project, said: "Their heads are built lighter than mammal skulls because they sit way out at the end of very long necks.

"Instead of thick bones fused together, sauropod skulls are made of thin bones bound together by soft tissue. Usually it falls apart quickly after death and disintegrates."

Most of what scientists know about sauropods is from the neck down but the newly discovered skulls provided a few clues about how the largest land animals to roam the Earth ate their food.

Dr Britt said: "They didn"t chew their food; they just grabbed it and swallowed it.

"The skulls are only one two-hundredth of total body volume and don"t have an elaborate chewing system."

Enlarge dinosaur skulls

The newly discovered skulls measured around 12inches across. They belonged to juveniles who were 25ft long

Dr Britt said Abydosaurus is thought to have lived 105 million years ago as crystals of the mineral zircon within the surrounding rock have been dated to that period.

Bone analysis suggests Brachiosaurus, which grew to around 80ft long and lived 45 million years earlier than Abydosaurus, is thought to have been its closest relative.

Dr Britt said the skulls were from juveniles which were estimated to be around 25 feet long but other bones, including vertebrae, suggest the mature Abydosaurus were "substantially larger".

In the Jurassic Period - between 206 to 144 million years ago - sauropods showed a wide range of tooth shapes but by the end of the dinosaur age - around 65 million years ago - all sauropods had narrow, pencil-like teeth.

Dr Brittconception of dinosaur

Dr Britt (left) at the Dinosaur National Monument in eastern Utah where the dinosaur skulls were found. Right is an artist"s conception of what they may have looked like

The fossils were excavated from the Cedar Mountain Formation in Dinosaur National Monument near Vernal, Utah.

The skulls are on temporary display at Brigham Young University"s Museum of Palaeontology, in Provo, Utah, where visitors can also watch students prepare other bones from Abydosaurus.

A paper about the discovery was published in the journal Naturwissenschaften today.The new dinosaur species was given the name Abydosaurus mcintoshi.

The skull was found in a quarry overlooking the Green River so took the name Abydos from the Greek name for the city along the Nile River (now El Araba el Madfuna) which was the burial place of the head and neck of the Egyptian god Osiris. Sauros is the Greek word for lizard.

The mcintoshi honours the American palaeontologist Jack McIntosh for his contributions to the study of sauropods.

Evertons Steven Pienaar arrested and charged with splash pushing and trade corruption

Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar has been charged with being drunk at the wheel.

He was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning after celebrating his team"s 3-1 victory over Manchester United on Saturday. Police charged him with drink driving, and for failing to comply with a traffic signal.

The player was arrested at the roadside in Liverpool city centre,although the exact street is not known. He will appear in court nextmonth.

Steven Pienaar (centre)

Court date: Steven Pienaar (centre) will face charges on March 9

A police spokesman said this morning: "Merseyside Police can confirm that a 27-year-old man has been charged with drink driving and failure to comply with a traffic sign.

"He was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning and charged later that day.

"Steven Pienaar from Woolton will appear at Liverpool City Magistrates Court on 9 March, 2010."

The South African arrived at Goodison Park on loan in the summer of 2007. The move later became permanent after he signed for 2million from Borussia Dortmund.

He last had a brush with the law in October 2008 when he was quizzed by police after an alleged assault in the Sefton Park area. No charges were ever brought against the player.

A spokesman for Everton said it had "absolutely no comment" to make and that the latest charge is a "private matter". It is thought the 27-year-old will remain available for selection.

More...Everton facing battle with Bayern Munich and Man City to keep PienaarEverton 3 Man United 1: Soft centre of Sir Alex"s team is exposed by ToffeesEVERTON FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB

Friday, July 30, 2010

Green Queen: Bag yourself one of these fairtrade beauties

These amazing Chameleon Earth handbags are stylish and eco-friendly

These amazing Chameleon Earth handbags are stylish and eco-friendly

ECO CARRIER

Chameleon Earth was set up toprovide stylish, luxury bags while supporting fairtrade and, wherepossible, using recycled materials.

I love the Classic Athens coffee brown leather bag, made using natural extracts from African trees to tan the leather.

Priced 189 from chameleon earth.co.uk.

WILD FOR LINEN

Who says organic can"t be cute? Organictowels get softer with wear, so are perfect to wrap children in. Theelephant and giraffe designs with spotty backgrounds are adorable andthere"s a lovely bathrobe, too. The Move Organic towels are luxurious and soft

The Move Organic towels are luxurious and soft

Towels from 14 for the smaller size from 020 7923 7840 or dotmaison.com.

The Green Living guide is packed full of handy tips and pointers

The Green Living guide is packed full of handy tips and pointers

THE GOOD LIFE GUIDE

Just out is the new Green Living Guide, with 300 pages packed with useful and practical advice for those wanting to live a greener life - or those who just want to dip in at their convenience.

The guide is in a magazine format, so it"s fun to read even if you"ve only got five minutes to flick through it. It covers all aspects from children, to pets and more heavyweight issues for the committed.

From WHSmith at 7.99, or from magbooks.com and amazon.co.uk.

NATURAL OILS

The custom-blended special oils are perfect to combat dry skin

The custom-blended special oils are perfect to combat dry skin

Using Chinese principles of living in harmony with nature, acupuncturist Anee de Mamiel has created a stunning organic fusion of oils to put back what nature has taken out over the colder months. This oil is a true gift to skin and the first of a range of custom-blended seasonal oils.

Costs 65 for 25ml from 07516099010 or demamiel.com.

ECO-FRIENDLY CAT NAP

If you like to pamper your cat, check out this fabulous hemp bed. With lovely deep sides, your moggy can really snuggle in comfort.

This hemp cat bed is perfect for eco warrior moggies!

This hemp cat bed is perfect for eco warrior moggies!

It is stuffed with part-recycled polystyrene beads and the hemp is naturally repellent to fleas.

The cover can easily be removed for washing.

Costs 34.99 from the Eco Outlet 020 7272 7233.

NATO airstrike kills twenty-one civilians: Afghan supervision

Ismail Sameem KANDAHAR, Afghanistan Mon Feb 22, 2010 2:24am EST Related News Q+A: NATO still faces resilient Taliban in Afghanistan assaultSun, Feb 21 2010Factbox: Security developments in Afghanistan, Feb 20Sat, Feb 20 2010Afghan police deploy early in anti-Taliban pushWed, Feb 17 2010Missile that killed Afghan civilians not faulty: NATOTue, Feb 16 2010Missile that killed Afghan civilians not faulty: NATOTue, Feb 16 2010

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A NATO airstrike in southern Afghanistan has killed 21 people after an aircraft fired on civilians mistakenly thought to be insurgents, the Afghan government said on Monday.

World

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement civilians had been killed as they approached a joint NATO-Afghan unit in Uruzgan province on Sunday, but did not say how many.

Civilian casualties have been a major cause of friction between the Afghan government and foreign forces in Afghanistan, who have launched two big offensives in the past eight months in a bid to turn the tide of a growing Taliban-led insurgency.

"I have made it clear to our forces that we are here to protect the Afghan people and inadvertently killing or injuring civilians undermines their trust and confidence in our mission," U.S. General Stanley McChrystal, commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, said in the ISAF statement.

Zamari Bashary, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said 21 civilians were killed and 11 wounded, including women and children.

"ISAF troops were suspicious that several civilian vehicles contained insurgents and bombed them," Bashary said.

Amanullah Hotak, head of the Uruzgan provincial council, told Reuters the people were traveling in three mini-buses through a pass in the Char Cheno district.

An investigation has begun, ISAF said.

The incident was not part of Operation Moshtarak, the major NATO-led offensive to clear Taliban militants out of neighboring Helmand province.

(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi and Sayed Salahuddin in Kabul, Writing by Bryson Hull; Editing by Paul Tait)

World

WINTER OLYMPICS: British span smashed and painful after terrifying bobsleigh pile-up

John Jackson and Dan Money

Terrifying: John Jackson and Dan Money

Britain"s two-man bobsleigh team John Jackson and Dan Money walked away from aterrifying crash during heats at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

Jackson and Money lost control of their sled five curves from the end of theirheat one run and it overturned.Money was thrown out of the back as the sled flipped over and slid down thetrack on his back.

Pilot Jackson was trapped inside the upturned car until it came to a haltfurther down the run.

Jackson was able to climb out of the sled when it came to rest, helped out bytrack officials.Money, who suffered a gash on his left calf, said: "The track"s fast, thefastest track in the world but it"s a technical track.

"If you get it wrong at ahigh speed it can go very wrong."

Jackson had bloody scrapes underneath his shoulder blades after being draggedalong the ice while stuck inside his overturned sled.

He said: "I can"t wear my race jersey because my back is stinging."

The British pair hugged each other in relief when they met up and Money climbedinto the grandstand to reassure family and friends that he was ok.The Australian pairing of Jeremy Rollerston and Duncan Pugh also suffered acrash minutes after the British duo.

Their sled also flipped over and they too seemed to have escaped relativelyunhurt.The British and Australian sleds were disqualified from the second heat havingfailed to finish their first runs.

John Jackson

Battle scars: John Jackson hugs American sledder Bill Schuffenhauer

The Liechtenstein pairing of Michael Klingler and Thomas Duerr also lostcontrol of their sled but remained in the competition after crossing thefinishing line.The start of heat two was delayed because of the crashes.

The latest incidents are bound to raise concerns about the safety of the trackalthough earlier today Games organisers stressed that the bobsleigh federation(FIBT) were happy with it despite several injuries to athletes during training.

Swiss brake-man Daniel Egger suffered a spine injury after crashing during apractice heat on Friday, prompting he and driver Daniel Schmid to withdraw fromthe competition.

And American women"s bobsledder Shauna Rohbock has branded the track "stupidfast".

bobsled

Ordeal: John Jackson and Dan Money"s bobsled

But Tim Gayda, VANOC"s vice president of Sport, said: "The FIBT is extremelyhappy with the track and happy to race on it. We listen to them, they are theexperts."

Safety concerns have been heightened following the tragic death of Georgianluger Nodar Kumaritashvili in training on the same track.

But Gayda believes everything that could be done has been done to protectathletes.

"To make it 100 per cent safe you would need to put the track in a tube and that isnot what the sport is about," he said.

"My heart goes out to Nodar. It is something that has hit us all. But theincident that happened was extremely unfortunate and something no-one could havepredicted.

"We"ve always maintained the track is safe. Both federations (FIBT and lugefederation FIL) are part of the design process.

"It was they who recommended the designer we used. Both federations signed offon the design of the track."

More...Britain"s new Olympic champion Amy Williams reveals: I thought I"d finished thirdMinichiello: I want gold to answer bullies who made my life a misery No snow and no track, but still Great Britain rules the skeleton bob