By Michael Le Page We now know ichthyosaurs also targeted larger preyJOHN SIBBICK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Don’t bite off more than you can chew, goes the saying. But one ancient ichthyosaur did just that. The 5-metre-long marine reptile has the body of a 4-metre-long animal in its stomach – but apparently injured its neck…
By Michael Marshall A transmission electron micrograph of a modern bacterium, Helicobacter pylori. This section shows a spherical body and several flagellaBIOMEDICAL IMAGING UNIT, SOUTHAM Some of the earliest microorganisms may have been able to move around under their own power using whip-like “tails”, according to a study of fossils from 3.4 billion years ago.…
By Michael Marshall An artist’s recreation of the Tully Monsterdotted zebra / Alamy A bizarre ancient creature that looks like a sci-fi reject may actually have been a backboned animal related to fish. The claim relies on chemical analysis of fossils of the creature. However, other palaeontologists remain cautious. The animal is called Tullimonstrum gregarium,…
A board member of the petrochemical giant Phillips 66 with ties to Joe Biden has donated the maximum allowable amount to his presidential campaign, and Biden's campaign recently paid $85,000 to a travel company linked to the donor, Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings from April show -- despite Biden's pledge "not to take contributions over $200 from oil, gas, and coal industry executives, lobbyists, and PACs."For…
Kataza the baboon. Facebook / Baboon Matters The City of Cape Town has asked the public not to feed a baboon that has relocated to Tokai. The baboon, known as Kataza or SK11, is slowly being integrated into the Tokai troop. Video footage, however, shows humans feeding Kataza. The City of Cape Town has requested that Kataza…
As SA Rugby moves to determine which franchises will go to Europe in future, Rassie Erasmus has noted several potential benefits for the local game should that route be followed.The national director of rugby believes the high world rankings of Wales, Ireland and Scotland mean PRO Rugby is competitive and that fans will eventually identify…
(John Finney Photography/Moment/Getty Images) An abnormally bad season of weather may have had a significant impact on the death toll from both World War I and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, according to new research, with many more lives being lost due to torrential rain and plummeting temperatures. Through a detailed analysis of an ice…