This flea preserved about 20 million years ago in amber may carry evidence of an ancestral strain of the bubonic plague. Photo by George Poinar, Jr., courtesy of Oregon State University [CC BY-SA 2.0]The flea in this picture could contain the ancestor to one of the most horrifying diseases known to the human race, the Black Death. Also called the bubonic plague, this disease killed an estimated 50 million people in the 14th century, or 60 per cent of Europe’s entire population.
Examination of this flea found droplets of the deadly bacteria on its proboscis (sucking mouthpart) and in its backside. This thing’s got it bad!
George Poinar, Jr., an entomology researcher in the College of Science at Oregon State University, told Discover News reporters “Aside from physical characteristics of the fossil bacteria that are similar to plague bacteria, their location in the rectum of the flea is known to occur in modern plague bacteria, and in this fossil, the presence of similar bacteria in a dried droplet on the proboscis of the flea is consistent with the method of transmission of plague bacteria by modern fleas.”
In other words, it looks like we’ve got a winner!
Just as the mosquito that started all the trouble in Jurrasic Park, this chunk of amber was pulled from a mine in the Dominican Republic. Is it possible that this bacteria could somehow be revived? It’s not likely. Generally things that have been trapped in rock for 20 million years are going to be pretty dead. However, we have discovered bacteria that can survive in space, so what do we know?
The arrow points at bacteria on the proboscis of this flea preserved in amber, which researchers believe may be an ancestral strain of the bacteria that causes bubonic plague. Photo by George Poinar, Jr., courtesy of Oregon State University [CC BY-SA 2.0]Another question is could an early form of this plague have been partially responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago? Research suggests that the big event was a large asteroid (and that more may be coming). But imagine the double-whammy of terrible disease and an astro-event!Poinar added “If this is an ancient strain of Yersinia, it would be extraordinary. It would show that plague is actually an ancient disease that no doubt was infecting and possibly causing some extinction of animals long before any humans existed. Plague may have played a larger role in the past than we imagined.”Hopefully all of this will remain scientific curiosity and we won’t have some strange event that brings on the zombie apocalypse. Though, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few cans of food and some extra water handy.
Amber, hardened tree resin, preserved a mixture of feathers from 70 million years ago. Photo: AFP
You have to wonder, with discoveries like these, could we be getting closer to recreating dinosaurs with preserved DNA?
In science fiction, amber preserved the DNA that allowed rebirth of dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. In real life, amber preserved feathers that provide a new image of what dinosaurs looked like.
“Now, instead of scaly animals portrayed as usually drab creatures, we have solid evidence for a fluffy coloured past,” reports Mark A. Norell of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Examples of ancient feathers ranging from the simple to the complex are now being studied. They were preserved in amber found in western Canada, researchers led by Ryan C. McKellar of the University of Alberta report in Friday’s edition of the journal Science.
Amber, hardened tree resin, preserved a mixture of feathers from 70 million years ago. Other feathers contained in amber dating to 90 million years ago are less diverse.
Specimens include simple filament structures similar to the earliest feathers of non-flying dinosaurs – a form unknown in modern birds – and more complicated bird feathers “displaying pigmentation and adaptations for flight and diving,” the researchers reported.
Indications of feathers have been found on much older fossils, and the new discoveries indicate feathers continued to develop into modern form before the extinction of dinosaurs, explained Norell, who was not part of the research team.
A separate report by Roy A. Wogelius of the University of Manchester, England, published online June 30 by Science, reports the finding of trace metals in feather fossils, suggesting their colours included black, brown and a reddish-brown.
“Despite many reports over the past decade of feathered dinosaurs and new birds from China, only now are we beginning to understand just how diverse feather types were” millions of years ago, Norell said.
For years, people have been searching for the fabled “lost Thunderbird photo” in vain… a mysterious photograph showing what appeared to be a gigantic bird or flying reptile nailed to the side of a barn.
The really strange thing is, hundreds of people can recall seeing the image either in a book, magazine, or a newspaper… but nobody has ever been able to produce the photograph. It’s almost as if it never really existed (If you’re not familiar with the subject of the Thunderbird photo, you can read up on the story here; it’s a fascinating mystery that continues to drive people bonkers)!
But perhaps the mystery is one step closer to being solved. This morning Loren Coleman of Cryptomundo.com brought this photo to the world’s attention:
So what is the origin of this photograph of some kind of giant flying reptile (not a “Thunderbird”) with humans?
The appearances are here and here, but they give no info on the actual source.
Actually, this is just the latest entry in the running for the “lost Thunderbird photo.” There have been other Thunderbird photos that have cropped up on the internet in the past, all of which have been proven as a hoax. Here are a few of them.
So the question is, where did this new photo originate? Is it from some forgotten book? Another hoax? Or… could this actually be the long lost Thunderbird photo so many people recall having seen?
HUGE new ocean-dwelling dinosaur has been discovered that could SNACK on a T-rex!
It is said to be “the most fearsome predator that ever lived,” according to a BBC News report. It is a pliosaur, or “sea monster,” and now its 2.4 meter-long skull has been unearthed and presented to the public. UPI reports that Naturalist and TV presenter David Attenborough unveiled the fossil to the public this past Saturday.
The 155-million-year-old fossil was accidentally discovered in Dorset, U.K. by local collector Kevan Sheehan, who told BBC News: “It was sheer luck – I was sitting on the beach, and saw three pieces. I had no idea what they were, but I proceeded to drag them back. Then over several years, I’d go back every year and find a new piece.” According to The Guardian, Dorset county council has decided not to reveal the specific location of the find, since the area is prone to rock falls.
It is possible that the discovered creature may be a new species, or possibly even genus. Scientists estimate that the predator could have measured up to 18 meters from tip to tail.
Found this on Discovery.com, thought our readers would be interested. Enjoy!
A Triceratops may have been the last dinosaur standing, according to a new study that determined a fossil from Montana’s Hell Creek Formation is “the youngest dinosaur known to science.”
The Triceratops, described in the latest Royal Society Biology Letters, dates to 65 million years ago, the critical period of time associated with the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) extinction event that wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs and many other animals and plants.
Since this rhinoceros-looking, three-horned dinosaur lived so close to the mass extinction moment, it could negate an earlier theory that dinosaurs gradually died out before 65 million years ago.
