The Evolution of the Heart

Throughout history many different cultures across the world have concluded that the heart is the most important organ in the body. Often thinking the heart was more akin to a brain with blood vessels sending messages around the body. And although this is wrong, Its easy to see where the fascination with this organ in particular comes from, its the Centre of an incredibly complicated network of tubes meandering through almost every part of the body and is absolutely crucial for almost every function in the body. So How did such a complex mechanism evolve with multiple parts working together evolve? and how did animals get by without something so important for life, before the evolution of the heart?

Scientists Found a Dinosaur's Face, Complete With Its' Skin

In 2011, archaeologists uncovered one of the most — if not the most — pristine dinosaur fossils yet: a near-whole ankylosaur, complete with its jagged spikes, most of its limbs, armor coating, and some of its guts and stomach contents. The most amazing detail, though? Its uncannily preserved face and skin.

It took Mark Mitchell, a technician at Royal Tyrell Museum, an absurd 7,000 hours and nearly six years to meticulously exhume the fossil by delicately chipping away at the surrounding stone. For his efforts, he had the newly discovered specie of nodosaur — a type of ankylosaur — named after him: Borealopelta markmitchelli.

"During preparation, I would piece together the blocks like a puzzle, and the animal started to really take shape," Mitchell said in a new interview with Ars Technica, describing the painstaking process.

"Right before Christmas one year," he continued, "I had pieced together both sides of the neck and the head, and you could really appreciate the impressiveness of the specimen and that this was a living creature with astounding preservation."

That's a holotype for the ages. The museum's curator, Donald Henderson, told Ars that he wagered it was a literal "one in a billion" find.

World Building

Researchers were able to get their hands on the remarkable specimen in 2017 after Mitchell had finished preparing it, and they've since published a series of impressive studies.

One such study led by Caleb Brown, a curator at Royal Tyrell, examined the bone structure known as osteoderms found on ankylosaurs, which in less freakishly preserved specimens, usually fall out of place.

These ones remained in their natural spots, however, and Brown measured all 172 of them.

"Many armored dinosaur skeletons are preserved disarticulated, meaning their bones are all jumbled up," Brown told Ars. "Having the osteoderms preserved in life position in this specimen, and other specimens, can give us clues as to how to reconstruct those specimens where the position of the armor is less clear."

His study's big takeaway? The suggestion that those iconic spikes aren't actually meant to stave off predators, but to show off in order to attract mates.

Another study on the specimen led by Brown and his colleagues posits that the Boreapelta used a form of camouflage known as countershading, which heretofore hasn't been observed in creatures of its size, i.e. big ones. As Ars notes, the fact that such a formidably armored dinosaur also had to employ camouflage to survive may imply that the Cretaceous period was even more cutthroat than once thought.

And the most recent study, published this month, offers an extremely rare look at the diet of dinosaurs like the Borealopelta.

So while its fate may be set in stone, the Borealopelta continues to shape our understanding of the almost alien world of the dinosaurs.

Source: https://futurism.com/the-byte/dinosaurs-fa...

World’s Deepest Shipwreck Discovered Four Miles Underwater in the Philippines

The U.S.S. Samuel B Roberts, also known as the “Sammy B,” was discovered in the Philippine Sea at a depth of 22,916 feet last week by a team of explorers. The wreck is the deepest ever found, per the Associated Press. The Navy confirmed the wreck site in a statement on Monday.

Explorer and former naval commander Victor Vescovo of Caladan Oceanic Expeditions found the ship along with EYOS Expeditions, a U.K.-based exploration company.

“It was an extraordinary honor to locate this incredibly famous ship, and by doing so have the chance to retell her story of heroism and duty to those who may not know of the ship and her crew’s sacrifice,“ Vescovo says in a statement.

The Sammy B was the first ship named after Coxswain Samuel Booker Roberts, Jr., who was killed in World War II during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942, per the Navy. Roberts took part in a mission to rescue a company that had been surrounded by Japanese forces, steering his boat directly into their fire to provide time and cover for the rescue. His ship was hit and he was mortally wounded in the process.

The ship bearing his name, a John C. Butler-class destroyer (a type of escort ship), was commissioned in 1944 and was sunk by Japanese forces during the Battle of Samar later that year. Two other ships, another destroyer and a frigate, were also later named the U.S.S. Samuel B. Roberts.

During the Battle of Samar, a “small US naval force successfully defended against the vastly superior Japanese Center Force, consisting of four battleships, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers and 11 destroyers—including the largest and most heavily armed battleship ever constructed, the Yamato,” writes EYOS Expeditions in a Facebook post. The Sammy B damaged the Japanese fleet and delayed it for so long that it retreated, but the destroyer took a hit from the Yamato and sank. Eighty-nine people aboard the Sammy B died and 120 were saved, per the Associated Press. The rescued crew members were forced to cling to wreckage in the water for up to 50 hours, according to BBC News’s Jonathan Amos.

“The Sammy B bore evidence of the incredible, ferocious fight that she waged against the cream of the Imperial Japanese Navy,” Vescovo tells Amos. “There were shell holes. She obviously had taken a massive hit from a battleship on her stern quarter [the rear of the boat], with it basically blown apart.”

Vescovo tells BBC News that he was surprised they were able to locate the ship because there was so little debris pointing them in the right direction. Despite the ship being broken into two pieces, it was relatively intact, he tells the outlet. The team was searching for several vessels, and the Sammy B was the smallest.

The depth that the Sammy B’s wreckage was found at is particularly extreme—98 percent of the world’s oceans are shallower than the nearly 23,000 foot depth of its resting place, according to BBC News.

“Using a combination of detective work and innovative technology, everyone has pulled together to reveal the final resting place of this tenacious ship,” Kelvin Murray, expedition leader and director of Expedition Operations & Undersea Projects for EYOS, says in a statement. “It’s been challenging, thrilling and poignant expedition, one that recognizes the ships and sailors from all nations who fought so hard during this battle.”

The team discovered the U.S.S. Johnston last year in the Philippine Sea, which, at over 21,000 feet, was previously the deepest wreck ever discovered.

“At that depth, there’s so little oxygen that you don’t get near as much biological growth on the wrecks,” Vescovo tells BBC News. “So they can appear very much like they did when they were fighting back in 1944.”

Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/...

This Painting Is More Dangerous Than It Seems. Here's Why.

This piece is called Flaming June by British painter, Frederic Leighton. It’s now one of the most famous paintings in the world, but it hasn’t always been that way. When you first lay your eyes on this beautiful painting, you may think her life has been easy, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. She’s been forgotten for decades, abandoned behind a false panel of a chimney mantel, stripped from her original opulent frame, thrown in the back of a junk shop and rejected by countless art collectors. It was purchased for £60 in 1962 and is now worth millions. The sitter for the painting is Dorothy Dene, born Ada Alice Pullen. Dorothy posed for many of Leighton’s paintings, which is why she is now referred to as his muse. Dene and Leighton’s relationship was cryptic and complicated. What’s for sure is that, together they created one of the most iconic paintings of all time.

Ancient Chinese Monk Describes Ancient India / 4th century Faxian

The journey of Faxian is one of the most incredible in human history. By foot, he traveled from his home in central China to the far away land of India - where he encountered a surprisingly tolerant society, some truly ancient ruins and the first recorded hospital.

Shocking Discovery at the Well of Abraham: Tradition vs Archaeology

In this video, we embark on a journey to solve the mystery of the ancient well believed to be dug by Abraham himself. With competing claims from another tourist site just miles away, we had to dig deep to uncover the truth. But what we found at Tel Beersheba left us absolutely stunned! With the help of a 19th-century explorer's book, we reveal more evidence that points to the true location of Beersheba. Buckle up and join us on this thrilling adventure as we explore this ancient land and unravel the secrets of Abraham's Well.

Archaeologists Discover Secret Chamber Inside Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza! As imposing as it is in size, it is as impressive in terms of mysteries. While the original purpose of this enigmatic monument has been the epicenter of debate for decades now, the recent discovery coming from this site is another attestation to the secrets it holds.

And once again it has paved its way to the headlines.

In a recent International Press Conference, held outside the pyramid, a very exciting development around the Great Pyramid of Giza was announced to the world. Today, let’s get into the details of this recent discovery at the Great Pyramid of Giza.

This Ranger Can't Explain What He Just Discovered Deep Within These Woods

We live in a world where science and technology have the answer to most of the world’s secrets. However, there are still some things that even science can’t explain.

In this video, we’ll take a look at some of the most intriguing discoveries that have left scientists puzzled. From strange extraterrestrial gear to a centuries-old code, here are the 15 most incredible discoveries scientists still can’t explain.

How a Mass Extinction Changed Our Brains

During one of the most pivotal moments in our evolutionary story our brains actually shrank relative to our bodies. Watch the video to find out more!

Saudi Arabia has just stunned American scientists beyond belief with this...

With this groundbreaking discovery, Saudi Arabia has just stunned American scientists beyond belief, and it's not what you would expect. So get ready to be amazed and have your mind blown by the incredible innovation coming out of this Middle Eastern country.

Today we’ll discuss why American scientists are stunned by Saudi Arabia. What did Saudi Arabia do differently?

12 Most Incredible Finds of Ancient Egypt

From an archaeological point of view, Egypt is the gift that keeps on giving. The Egyptians were arguably the ancient world’s greatest civilisation, and we’ve probably not even found half of all the things they’ve left behind yet. We’ve found plenty, though, and the greatest Egyptian archaeological discoveries are some of the greatest archaeological discoveries of any kind in history. To prove it, let’s take a look at them!

From Boys to Men - The Impressive Spartan Training System

In this video, we piece together everything we know about the Spartans to create their full system of upbringing, focusing on their training, education, workouts, and social norms. This video was made in the style of a previous one, featuring the "impressive training and recruitment of the Roman Legions", so that a clear comparison can be made. In the future, we hope to cover the training of other ancient people, from the Greeks to the Macedonians and beyond, if our limited sources allow it!

The Mongol Destruction of the Khwarazmian Empire

Genghis Khan embarks on the most horrifying revenge campaign in history after a burgeoning Persian empire attacks his caravans and emissaries. The Mongols showcase their famed mastery of warfare and their notorious penchant for massacre. Tales of silver poured into the eyes of enemies and pyramids of civilian bones color this episode in history.

10 Lost Ancient Mystical Artifacts | That Hold Immense Unimaginable Power

In this video we will explore some of the most mysterious and elusive objects that have been sought after throughout history. These artifacts are believed to have magical powers, and many have been lost to time. From the Ark of the Covenant to the Holy Grail, this video delves into the legend and lore surrounding these iconic objects.

Search for the Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:1-9 tells the story of the Tower of Babel: rebellion, confusion, and scattering. But do we know where that tower stood? Join us as we travel to Babylon in Iraq to answer that question!