More Giant Rodents!

Paleontologists have discovered a fossil of a 1-ton rodent in Uruguay. The fossil (called Josephoartigasia monesi) is around 2 million years old. The rodent's 21-inch skull was discovered in a broken boulder. By comparing the skull's dimensions to the body sizes of existing rodents, the researchers determined that its owner probably weighed about 2200 pounds, making it the world's largest known rodent.

However, unlike today's rodents, the relatively small size of the animal's teeth suggests it did not have a great deal of chewing power and might have fed on soft vegetables and fruit.

The discovery displaces Phoberomys pattersoni, a 1500 pound cousin of the guinea pig that roamed the Orinoco delta in Northern Venezuela some 8 million years ago (see picture below and article here).

Giant Rat and Tiny Possum in Indonesia

Researchers in a remote jungle in Indonesia have discovered a giant rat and a tiny possum that are apparently new to science. The giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat, and the possum was described as "one of the world's smallest marsupials." Finding new species of mammals in the 21st century is considered very rare. The discoveries are being studied further to confirm their status. The animals were found in the Foja mountains rainforest in eastern Papua province.

Elephants Keep Tabs on Family

New research suggests that elephants keep track on up to 30 absent relatives by sniffing out their scent and building up a mental map of where they are. Herd members use their good memory and sense of smell to stay in touch as they travel in large groups.

Scientists collected samples of female elephant urine from the ground and presented it to relatives to trick them into believing that the elephant had recently passed by. Elephants showed surprise when they encountered the scent of an individual who was actually walking behind them so could not possibly have been there. The elephants also reacted when the urine was from a family member who was far away, and not supposed to be in the area.

National Geographic International Photography Contest

Below are some of the pictures that were submitted for the National Geographic International Photography Contest:

Stem Cell Milestone Announced

Scientists have made ordinary human skin cells take on the chameleon-like powers of embryonic stem cells (2), a startling breakthrough that might someday deliver the medical payoffs of embryo cloning without the controversy.

The "direct reprogramming" technique avoids the ethical, political and practical obstacles that have stymied attempts to produce human stem cells by cloning embryos.

Scientists prize embryonic stem cells because they can turn into virtually any kind of cell in the body. The cloning approach -- which has worked so far only in mice and monkeys -- should be able to produce stem cells that genetically match the person who donates body cells for cloning. That means tissue made from the cells should be transplantable into that person without fear of rejection.

Man-sized Sea Scorpion claw found

Scientists have discovered an immense fossilized claw of an 8-foot sea scorpion. The 390-million-year-old specimen was found in a German quarry.

The creature, which has been named Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, would have paddled in a river or swamp. The size of the beast suggests that spiders, insects, crabs and similar creatures were much larger in the past than previously thought.

The eurypterids (sea scorpions) are believed to be the extinct aquatic ancestors of modern land scorpions and possibly all arachnids (the class of animals that also includes spiders).

Rusty Metal Animal Sculptures

Below are some examples from this neat gallery of metal animal sculptures:

Virtual Microscope

The Virtual Microscope is a cool software program that provides simulated scientific instrumentation.

The Virtual Microscope supports functionality from electron, light, and scanning probe microscopes, datasets for these instruments, training materials to learn more about microscopy, and other related tools. There are currently 90 samples totaling over 62 gigapixels of image data. It includes everything from Meteorites to Pond Scum to a Firefly!

You can download the program for FREE by clicking here (scroll to "Installers for Windows and Mac"). Once you have installed and opened the program, you can directly select from the many samples. Try adjusting the "Magnification" and "Opacity" controls to see some great detail!

Below is a screen shot of sand from Costa Rica at 1800x magnification:

Wildlife Photography

Below are several examples from this neat gallery of wildlife photos:

Food Fight