MI weekly selection #226
Reported sightings of Tasmanian tigers to be investigated
Recent possible sightings have raised hopes that a marsupial known as the Tasmanian tiger, last seen more than 80 years ago, may not be extinct. Researchers with James Cook University in Australia are mounting a search, placing cameras in areas where there have been sightings in an attempt to spot the creature.
New species of tyrannosaur uncovered
The fossils of a new species of tyrannosaur that lived about 75 million years ago have been discovered in Montana and may offer clues as to what all tyrannosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex, actually looked like. Daspletosaurus horneri had armor-like skin on its face with a highly sensitive scaled snout, similar to the faces of modern crocodiles.
To improve drones, wind tunnel recreates turbulent conditions for birds
A wind tunnel is helping researchers at Stanford University better understand how birds handle turbulence, information that can be used to create drones that can withstand rough air conditions.
Risk attitudes such as impatience, laziness may be socially contagious
Laziness, impatience and prudence may be socially contagious. Researchers say these attitudes about risk may not be as entrenched as previously thought and that people may unconsciously line up their risk attitudes with those of someone else.
History of West Nile, dengue tied to severe Zika symptoms
A mouse study at New York’s Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that Zika-infected mice were more likely to die or have severe symptoms when they had also had dengue or West Nile antibodies. The survival rate was 21% for Zika-infected mice with dengue antibodies, compared with 93% for those with Zika infection alone.