19 May 2015
Since birds are the only surviving members of the family tree of the dinosaurs, why can t we flip some switches in the genetic code and return a chicken back to its former glory as a dinosaur?
(Image credit: Karl Tate, LiveScience.com Contributor)
Talk of a chickenosaurus lit up the science world last week when researchers announced they had modified the beak of a chicken embryo to resemble the snout of its dinosaur ancestors. But although some experts have lauded the feat, a beak is just one of many modifications needed to revert a chicken into a dinosaur.
Given these obstacles, how close are scientists to creating a dino-chicken?
Alex WongGetty Images
(Permanent Musical Accompaniment To The Last Post Of The Week From The Blog’s Favourite Living Canadian)
The latest hot topic in conservative political circles is a variation on the old theme of how people who are not independently wealthy enough never to work a day in their lives are basically lazy parasites who want something for nothing. This particular line of argument, which is usually enlivened by a tangy taste of racism, always has been popular with the American right. Now, it’s getting another nationwide workout. From Yahoo! Finance: The disappointing jobs report makes it clear that paying people not to work is dampening what should be a stronger jobs market, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley said in a statement on Friday. One step policymakers should take now is ending the $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit. Based on the Chamber’s analysis, the $300 benefit results in approximately one in four recipients
Dinosaur skull scans reveal clues about flight and communication
X-ray images are revealing how these ancient animals moved through the world, what they could hear and see, and even how their young likely chirped.
A dinosaur of the genus Shuvuuia, which lived during the Cretaceous period in what is now Mongolia, had eyes and ears that suggest it hunted at night.Illustration by Viktor Radermaker
ByRiley Black
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It’s a golden age for paleontology: In recent years, scientists have gathered all kinds of clues about the way dinosaurs looked and lived, from awe-inspiring fossil reconstructions to preserved footprints and bite marks on bones. Now, paleontologists are showing that some of the most tantalizing indications of how these extinct animals behaved are enclosed inside their skulls.