A Portuguese man unexpectedly discovers an 82-foot-long dinosaur in his backyard

A Portuguese man accidentally discovered the bones of what may be the largest dinosaur ever found in Europe.

Paleontologists uncovered vertebrae and ribs from an enormous sauropod in Portugal. Instituto Dom Luiz (Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon)

While doing construction on his Pombal, Portugal, property in 2017, he noticed fossilized bone fragments in his yard. The man got in touch with researchers, who later that year started the first digs.

The effort to dig up this dinosaur has been ongoing, and this month, Spanish and Portuguese paleontologists unearthed more of the gigantic remains. So far, a “important set of elements of the axial skeleton” has been collected—including vertebrae and 10-foot-long ribs, per a statement.

"It's one of the biggest specimens discovered in Europe, perhaps in the world," Elisabete Malafaia, a paleontologist from the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Lisbon in Portugal, tells Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The dinosaur found in Portugal lived about 160 to 100 million years ago, during the Upper Jurassic to the Lower Cretaceous. Instituto Dom Luiz (Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon)

The bones likely belonged to a sauropod, a type of plant-eating dinosaur with a characteristically long neck and tail. This group of dinosaurs included the largest land creatures ever to roam the Earth. Scientists estimate this specimen, which may belong to the Brachiosauridae family, was about 39 feet tall and 82 feet long, per a statement, and lived about 160 to 100 million years ago, during the Upper Jurassic to the Lower Cretaceous.

The Pombal region in central Portugal, where the bones were found, “has an important fossil record of Late Jurassic vertebrates,” Malafaia says in the statement, and it has allowed for several “very significant” discoveries about the animals that lived there 145 million years ago. Still, she says this find was rather unique.

Malafaia writes in the statement, "It is not common to see all the ribs of an animal like this, let alone in this position, keeping their original anatomical position. For large-sized dinosaurs from the Portuguese fossil record, this kind of preservation is relatively rare and indicates particular and unusual environmental and taphonomic features," she tells CBS News' Christopher Brito.

According to CBS, the way this specimen was kept suggests that more of its bones may yet be discovered, and the researchers intend to continue their digs next year.

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

This Ancient Rite of Passage Changed the World

The Indo-European warrior initiation rite of passage often included the sacrifice of a dog or a wolf. A boy might have to kill his own beloved dog in order to become a man. But why did they do this?

This ritual was not only carried out on the bronze age steppe. Similar rites were practiced from the Atlantic coasts of Europe all the way to the Ganges in India for thousands of years, the acts themselves and meanings behind them changing in descendant populations over the millennia.

What was its purpose? And what does it have to do with the famed warriors of Sparta and the founding of Ancient Rome?

This is the story of the Indo-European warrior initiation ceremony, the koryos, and the midwinter dog sacrifice.

Have We Found the Lost Battlefield of Brunanburh?

The Battle of Brunanburh was one of the bloodiest and biggest battles of early medieval history. Fought 1100 years ago, Athelstan - the king of the English - opposed a coalition of Irish, Scots and Vikings led by Olaf Guthfrithson, King of Dublin, Constantine II, King of Scotland, and Owain, King of Strathclyde and attained a decisive victory. The enemy shield wall was penetrated. Their troops ran back to their ships for safety. Thousands died.

Apart from this we know little else. No physical evidence exists of where the battle was even fought. But recently, a stunning discovery has been made that might provide the answer to the key question - where was the Battle of Brunanbruh fought?

Dan Snow heads to a field in Wirral where a group of archaeologists have found a huge amount of battlefield detritus from around the 10th Century. Has the search to find the lost battlefield of Brunanburh finally ended?

Armor in History

In the following video we will be exploring how armor has changed throughout the years. Watch the video to find out more!

What Viking Parties Were Like

Ancient Norse seafaring Vikings were well-known as explorers, traders, and warriors. But when they got down, they weren't messing around. Sure, Norse Sagas tell of epic voyages, and etymological studies have granted insight into the lands to which they traveled and settled. Archeological evidence has revealed records of weapons and armor they fought with. But what our current perception of the Vikings sometimes overlooks, and shamefully so, is that, in addition to thrilling expeditions to far-flung lands, Vikings had some pretty wild festivities. Maybe you're wondering "What were Viking parties like?"

Common Words With Surprising Mythological Origins

Have you ever wondered why the days of the week are named the way they are? Sunday and Monday are named after the sun and moon, which makes sense, but then we've also got Saturday, which is named after the Roman god Saturn. And then, just to shake things up, the remaining four days of the week are named after the Norse gods Tyr (Tuesday), Odin/Woden (Wednesday), Thor (Thursday), and Frigg/Freya (Friday).

Just as many common phrases derive from outdated traditions, words associated with mythology are indelibly bound to our vocabulary. Here are some of the most intriguing examples.

12 Of The Most Important Cities In History - And Why They Fell From The Top

In ancient times, the most powerful and influential cities in the world were located primarily in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Places like Alexandria, Jericho, and Carthage once were thought to be as influential or powerful as cities like London, Tokyo, or Washington, DC, are today. By the 21st century, the majority of cities that were military, economic, and religious powers hundreds or thousands of years ago no longer have that kind of influence. Although some of the powerful ancient cities like Alexandria and Baghdad do still exist, many more of them have been forgotten or left in ruins.

A Secret Cache Of Crusader Era Coins Has Been Found Beneath An Ancient Port City In Israel

Over the past few decades, the ancient Israeli city of Caesarea has thrown up a a number of archaeological treasures. And through the results of careful excavation, experts have been able to slowly paint a picture of what life was like in the area throughout the ages. In 2018, however, a trove of rare, centuries-old coins were unearthed in one of Caesarea’s neighborhoods, and this fascinating new find appears to tell us yet more about the region’s colorful history.

Archaeologists In Israel’s Desert Have Discovered An Ancient Painting Of Jesus Christ’s Face

The sun is blinding, and it’s just too much for Emma Maayan-Fanar. So, the art historian steps inside an ancient church to find the coolness she craves. But as she looks up at the roof, she discovers something astonishing. It’s a painting – dirty and damaged, for sure, but there’s no mistaking what it shows. That, right there, is Christ’s face. And what Maayan-Fanar has stumbled across – purely by chance – could change what we know about art.

This is Why Gigantopithecus is 100 Times More Dangerous Than Gorilla

Do you think gorillas are the biggest and most dangerous primates? No, other monkeys, which were four meters tall (13 feet) and weighed half a ton (1,100 lbs), could compete with them... If they hadn't died out, of course. I am talking about gigantopithecuses. In this episode you will see these prehistoric monsters and find out why they were a hundred times more dangerous than gorillas and more!

Grand Canyon's Discovery Leaved Everyone In Shocked

In 1869, a small expedition led by John Wesley Powell set out to explore an area of the United States that had yet to be fully explored - the Grand Canyon. What they discovered left them and the rest of the world shocked and in awe of the natural wonder that had been hidden in plain sight for centuries. The discovery of the Grand Canyon not only changed the way we view the landscape of America but also gave us a deeper understanding of the power of nature and the importance of preservation.

The ‘walking whales’ of Egypt: Fossils in the desert are remains of 37 million years old sea mammals

The fossilized remains of marine creatures who ruled the oceans 37 million years ago are known as the “walking whales” of Egypt.

Dozens of fossilized whale bones have emerged from the Wati El Hitan in the Egyptian desert (pictured) and form the centre piece of a new museum that has been opened. Among them is an intact 37 million-year-old skeleton of a legged form of whale that measures more than 65 feet (20 metres) long

The likelihood of finding whales in Egypt's dry desert sands is low. But from the shifting sands of the Egyptian Sahara, dozens of fossilized remains of ancient relatives of the enormous sea animals have been discovered.

One of them is the 65-foot (20-meter) long, complete skeleton of a legged kind of whale that lived 37 million years ago.

The largest intact Basilosaurus isis whale fossil - an early formed of 'legged whale' - is one of the key attractions at the new Fossils and Climate Change Museum in Egypt's Valley of the Whales

Scientists are learning new things about how terrestrial mammals evolved into contemporary whales thanks to the relics.

The largest intact Basulosaurus isis whale fossil was discovered in the shifting sands of the Egyptian desert. The $2.17 billion (£1.5 billion) museum was built around the fossils to help protect and preserve them

A $2.17 billion (£1.5 billion) museum has been formally inaugurated in the Wadi Al-Hitan, often known as the Valley of the Whales. The region was formerly covered by a vast prehistoric ocean, but it has since disappeared as a result of falling sea levels and shifting landmasses. The museum is housed in a sand-colored dome-shaped building that has been constructed to safeguard many of the fossils.

In glass cases, fossilized remains from the fossils are displayed with stone-age artefacts, which show that people lived nearby thousands of years ago.

A visitor views the largest intact Basulosaurus isis whale fossil (pictured), which is on display at the Wati El Hitan Fossils and Climate Change Museum on the opening day. The fossils have proved invaluable to palaeontologists as they try to piece together the evolutionary history of modern-day sea mammals

The new Fossils and Climate Change Museum's architect, Gabriel Mikhail, claimed that the building was intended to blend in with its arid surroundings. “It would be a crime against nature, he argued, to construct something in such a stunning and distinctive location if it didn't mix in with the surroundings.”

The giant fossil is one of the most complete Basulosaurus isis whale fossil's to have been found. The species has earned the name 'walking whale' due to leg like limbs that are thought to have been a key evolutionary stage as whales evolved from land mammals

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ar...

Researchers Discover Soft Tissue in Bones of a 75-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur

Soft tissues are among the first components to perish during the fossilization process, in contrast to bones and teeth, which can last for hundreds of millions of years. However, scientists have previously discovered undamaged soft tissue in dinosaur bones. The most well-known instance occurred in 2005 when Mary Schweitzer of North Carolina State University discovered collagen strands in a Tyrannosaurus rex's petrified leg bone.

However, such finds are uncommon and have only previously been made with fossils that were incredibly well preserved. The latest discovery, which Imperial College London researchers announced this week in the journal Nature Communications, is especially remarkable because the fossils they looked at are, to put it mildly, in rather bad shape.

“It's really challenging to convince curators to let you take pieces of their fossils”, as Susannah Maidment, an Imperial paleontologist and one of the study's principal investigators, said in an interview with the Guardian. “The specimens we analyzed are poor quality, quite fragmentary, and not the kinds of fossils you would anticipate to include soft tissue.”

The fossils to which Maidment is alluding were discovered in Canada over a century ago and eventually found their way to the Natural History Museum in London. A claw from a carnivorous theropod (perhaps a Gorgosaurus), a toe bone that resembles a Triceratops, and several limb and ankle bones from a duck-billed dinosaur are among them. Scientists chipped microscopic bits off the fractured fossils in order to locate clean, uncontaminated surfaces of the bones to analyze. Using an electron microscope, Maidment's co-lead researcher Sergio Bertazzo examined the specimens and was astounded by what he discovered. Bertazzo is a materials scientist at Imperial College London.

“It looked like blood when I turned on the microscope and increased the magnification one morning.” Bertazzo described his examination of the theropod claw in his statement to the Guardian. After discovering what appeared to be red blood cells in two of the fossils, the researchers investigated the idea that the blood may have been contaminated historically, such as if a curator or collector had a cut while handling the item.

However, they were certain the blood was not human when they cut up one of the red blood cells and discovered what appeared to be a nucleus. Human red blood cells, like those of other mammals, are unique among vertebrates in that they do not include a cell nucleus.

However, it wasn't all. The scientists discovered bands of fibers while studying a cross-section of a preserved rib bone. Collagen, which serves as the primary structural protein in skin and other soft tissues, was discovered to contain the same amino acids in the fibers after they underwent testing. The materials the Imperial scientists discovered still need to be put through more tests to determine whether they are real red blood cells and collagen fibers, but if they are, the implications of the new discoveries are profound. Similar materials could be kept on any of the innumerable dinosaur bones housed in museums throughout the world if such poor fossils could contain soft tissue.

Soft tissue research could open up a whole new world of knowledge on the physiology, behavior, and evolution of dinosaurs. Such recent discoveries may shed light on long-standing questions regarding the links between various dinosaur species as well as the hotly contested issue of whether dinosaurs had warm or cold blood, or whether they were a combination of the two (like their living descendants, birds).

Finally, the latest discoveries suggest an intriguing possibility: Why couldn't dinosaur DNA, even in pieces, have persisted for 75 million years if collagen and red blood cells could? Could the genetic code be used to recreate the dinosaurs in the way of “Jurassic World”? Although Bertazzo acknowledges the prospect of discovering genetic information in historical specimens, he is dubious about its likelihood. “Even if you find DNA, it won't be complete, which is the problem. You might discover pieces, but to discover more than that? No one knows.”

Source: https://www.history.com/news/scientists-fi...

The Deadliest Volcano is about to Erupt Again!

The Nevado del Ruiz, the deadliest volcano in the Western Hemisphere, is about to erupt.

This volcano in Colombia has been showing signs of erupting. Part of it fractured and earthquakes are on the rise. The Colombian government issued an Orange Alert, stating eruption could be within weeks, or even days. Evacuations are taking place. Back in 1985, this same volcano caused a mud and debris flow (or lahar) that wiped out Armero, killing 23,000 people.

Today, they are desperately trying to avoid a repeat of that tragedy.

5 Unsolved Mysteries Of The Congo Jungle That Cannot Be Explained

Every single year, scientists have been finding the existence of long since believed to be extinct species all across the world, including the existence of many marine animals that were roaming the oceans back during the time of the dinosaurs.

One location that's said to house some of these creatures is that of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which seems to be earth’s real life jurassic park.

The Congo Jungle, also known as the Congo Basin or the Congo Rainforest, is a vast and dense tropical rainforest that covers a large part of Central Africa.