Iridescent, Feathered Dinosaur: New Evidence That Feathers Evolved to Attract Mates
The detailed feather pattern and color of Microraptor–a pigeon-sized, four-winged dinosaur that lived about 120 million years ago–had a glossy iridescent sheen.
Fossil Forensics Reveals how Wasps Populated Rotting Dinosaur Eggs
Exceptionally preserved fossils of insect cocoons have allowed researchers in Argentina to describe how wasps played an important role in food webs devoted to consuming rotting dinosaur eggs. The research is published in the scientific journal Palaeontology.
Gravitational Lens Reveals Details of Distant Galaxy
Thanks to the presence of a natural “zoom lens†in space, University of Chicago scientists working with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have obtained a uniquely close-up look at the brightest gravitationally magnified galaxy yet discovered.
Inspired by Curly Leaves, Scientists Learn How to Shape Gel Sheets
AMHERST, Mass. – Inspired by nature’s ability to shape a petal, and building on simple techniques used in photolithography and printing, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a new tool for manufacturing three-dimensional shapes easily and cheaply, to aid advances in biomedicine, robotics and tunable micro-optics.