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First Indigneous Racer in Tour de France

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First Indigneous Racer in Tour de France

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Newsela | First Indigenous racer blazes trail at Tour de France

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Newsela | Flying snakes wriggle their way through the air

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Flying snakes go tens of meters (yards) without wings. They do it by undulating back and forth and up and down, a new study shows.

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A deflated football-shaped fossil found in Antarctica in 2011 has been identified as the largest soft-shelled egg ever found (Credit: Legendre et al. 2020)

Scientists from the University of Texas at Austin have finally solved the mystery of a massive fossil that has been sitting unlabeled and unidentified at a Chilean museum for almost a decade. The relic, which resembles a deflated football, is the largest-known soft-shelled egg from a marine reptile that inhabited Earth over 66 million years ago - about the time of the mass animal extinction event. Measuring more than 11 by 7 inches it is also the second-largest egg belonging to any known animal, behind only the now-extinct elephant bird.

The rare fossil nicknamed, "The Thing"after the popular 1980s science fiction movie, was discovered inside a rock formation in Seymour Island off the coast of Antarctica in 2011 by a team of researchers that included David Rubilar-Rogers. Over the years, the paleontologist at Chile's National Museum of Natural History showed the peculiar-looking fossil to every geologist that came to the museum. However, no one was able to identify "The Thing's" origin until Julia Clarke, a professor at UT Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences, visited in 2018.

"I showed it to her, and, after a few minutes, Julia told me it could be a deflated egg!" Rubilar-Rogers said.

The soft shell fossil egg shown in dark gray in the drawing (upper right), with arrows pointing to its folds and surrounding sediment, shown as light gray. The cross-section (lower left) shows the soft membranes surrounded by a very thin outer shell
(Credit: utexas.edu/Lucas Legendre and Grace Musser)

To confirm Clarke's suspicion, Lucas Legendre, a postdoctoral student at UT Austin who led the study, examined the fossil under a microscope. Sure enough, he found several layers of membrane, confirming that the fossil was indeed a soft-shelled egg - similar to the transparent, quick-hatching eggs laid by some modern-day snakes and lizards. "The shell is very thin. It can rip almost immediately upon exiting the mother, and the juvenile emerges from that egg," says Clarke.

The fossil's identification led to an even bigger mystery - what animal could have laid an egg this size? With no skeletal remains left inside the casing to help, the researchers had to find an innovative solution to the question. After comparing the body sizes of 259 modern reptiles to the sizes of their eggs, Legendre and his team deduced that the egg could have only have belonged to a creature over 20 feet long from snout to the end of its body - not including the tail. "It is from an animal the size of a large dinosaur, but it is completely unlike a dinosaur egg," Legendre said. "It is most similar to the eggs of lizards and snakes, but it is from a truly giant relative of these animals."

An artist's rendition of the interpretation of a mosasaur, an extinct marine reptile that scientists think may have laid the massive soft-shelled egg (Credit: utexas.edu/Francisco Hueichaleo, 2020)

After considering several potential parents, the researchers concluded that the egg was laid by an ancient marine reptile like a mosasaur. The fact that the rock formation where the egg had been found had fossil evidence of baby mosasaurs and the offspring of other marine animals further strengthened their theory. "Many authors have hypothesized that this was sort of a nursery site with shallow protected water, a cove environment where the young ones would have had a quiet setting to grow up," Legendre said.

The researchers speculate the giant reptiles laid the quick-hatching eggs either directly in the water, like sea snakes, or deposited them on the beach, similar to sea turtles. Since it would have been difficult for the massive marine animals to move on land, the scientists think they probably used their tails to place the eggs on the beach, while leaving the majority of their bodies under the water. "We can't exclude the idea that they shoved their tail end up on shore because nothing like this has ever been discovered," Clarke said.

An artist's rendition of a baby mosasaur emerging from an egg in the Antarctic sea (Credit: utexas.edu/ John Maisano/Jackson School of Geosciences)

The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Nature on June 17, 2020, hope to return to Antarctica to search for additional soft-shell egg fossils and collect more data. "There are more and more studies showing that egg structure in reptiles was way more variable than previously thought," Legendre said. "We are currently expanding our dataset to better understand the evolution of those eggs in reptiles as a whole."

Resources: utexas.edu, NPR.org

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Mysterious Fossil Found In Antarctica Is A Giant Reptile Egg

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Scientists from the University of Texas at Austin have finally solved the mystery of a massive fossil that has been sitting unlabeled and unidentified at a Chilean museum for almost a decade. The relic, which resembles a deflated football, is the largest-known soft-shelled egg from a marine reptile that inhabited Earth over 66 million years ago - about the time of the mass animal extinction event.

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LEGO's new bricks are designed to help kids learn braille in a fun and playful manner (Credit: LEGO)

Invented by French teenager Louis Braille in 1824, braille has enabled millions of visually impaired kids worldwide to learn to read and write. However, the system of raised dots, representing individual alphabet and numbers, can be complicated for younger students to grasp. As a result, parents and educators are increasingly shunning the tactile literacy system, which is taught using special textbooks, in favor of online learning programs. Now, Denmark's LEGO Group hopes to reverse the trend with the help of braille bricks that allow children to learn through play.

"With thousands of audiobooks and computer programs now available, fewer kids are learning to read braille," said Philippe Chazal, treasurer of the European Blind Union. "This is particularly critical when we know that braille users often are more independent, have a higher level of education and better employment opportunities."

"We strongly believe LEGO braille bricks can help boost the level of interest in learning Braille, so we're thrilled that the LEGO Foundation is making it possible to further this concept and bring it to children around the world," he adds.

The LEGO braille bricks will be available to school districts at no cost (Credit: LEGO)

In the works since 2019, the braille bricks are similar to LEGO's, original building blocks. However, instead of the familiar eight studs, the 2x3 array features raised braille dots, with corresponding numbers and letters printed on the bottom, allowing blind and sighted players to build together. Though the bricks can be stacked and attached to one another, the process is not as seamless as with regular LEGOs since many symbols have fewer studs. Hence, the company recommends placing the bricks side-by-side. Each set of about 250 pieces includes letters A-Z (with regional variants), the numerals 0-9, as well as basic symbols like the "plus" and "minus" signs. The kit also includes specialty pieces so kids can play word and math games.

The best part is that the braille bricks, which will debut in 20 countries - including the US, Norway, the UK, France, Denmark, and Brazil - in the fall of 2020, are entirely free to school districts with visually blind students. The timing of the launch is particularly fortuitous given that many schools have been forced to cancel in-person learning due to COVID-19. Teachers or administrators can easily send the kits to the students' homes and interact with them online.

"Blind and visually impaired children have dreams and aspirations for their future just as sighted children," said John Goodwin, CEO of the LEGO Foundation. "They have the same desire and need to explore the world and socialize through play, but often face involuntary isolation as a consequence of exclusion from activities. In the LEGO Foundation, we believe children learn best through play and, in turn, develop the breadth of skills, such as creativity, collaboration, and communication, that they need in the post 4th Industrial Revolution. With this project, we are bringing a playful and inclusive approach to learning braille to children."

Kids are not the only ones benefiting from LEGO's innovation this year. In June 2020, the company released the LEGO® Nintendo Entertainment System™ (NES) Building Kit. Adult LEGO fans and nostalgic gamers can relive their favorite Super Mario Bros.™ childhood experiences by building an NES brick console with realistic details and a 1980's style LEGO television with a one-dimensional, 8-bit Mario figure on the scrolling screen. A scannable action brick, with LEGO® Mario™ from the LEGO Super Mario Starter Course, allows fans to mobilize the popular fictional character and watch him react to on-screen enemies, obstacles, and power-ups, just as he would have in the real Super Mario Bros. game.

For those not into gaming, there is "Lego Art." Introduced by the company on September 1, 2020, it enables adults to create pop art "posters" by arranging small, bead-size "bricks" on a canvas. The offering currently includes Andy Warhol's "Marilyn Monroe," Marvel Studios "Iron Man," Star Wars "The Sith," and The Beatles. Each set comes with the appropriate music, interviews, and background information, providing fans with an immersive experience as they create their masterpiece.

Resources: www. CNN.com, techchrunch.com,legobraille.com,

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LEGO's New Bricks Make Learning Braille Fun For Visually Impaired Students

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Invented by French teenager Louis Braille in 1824, braille has enabled millions of visually impaired kids worldwide to learn to read and write. However, the system of raised dots, representing individual alphabet and numbers, can be complicated for younger students to grasp.

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Guests At South African Lodge Get A Surprise Visit From A Leopard

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Visitors enjoying a quiet breakfast at the Singita Ebony Lodge, a luxury hotel in South Africa’s Sabi Sand Game Reserve, were treated to a rare encounter with a leopard in early September 2020. The handful of guests watched in awe —and a little trepidation — as the majestic animal, who appeared to b…

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Despite their massive size Andean condors can remain aloft for hours while expending little energy (Pedro Szekely / CC BY-SA-2.0/Creativecommons.org)

Andean Condors, which weigh between 20 to 30 pounds (9 to 13 kilograms) and boast a wingspan of more than 10 feet, are one of the world's heaviest and largest flying birds. Yet the majestic vultures, which spend their days circling the Andes mountains and nearby Pacific coasts of western South America in search of carcasses, manage to stay afloat for hours.

Though researchers have long suspected that the massive creatures conserved energy by using rising air currents to surf the skies, nobody had ever documented how infrequently the birds used their wings. Now, a new study has found that the incredibly energy-efficient condors use their wings just 1 percent of their time aloft - mostly during takeoff and landing. In comparison, ospreys and storks flap their wings 25 percent and 17 percent of the time, respectively, during their overland migratory flights.

"Condors are expert pilots, but we just had not expected they would be quite so expert," said study co-author Professor Emily Shepard, a biologist at Swansea University in Wales.

The researchers tagged the condors with flight recorders to monitor their movement (Credit: Emily Shepard)

The extensive research, conducted in Patagonia - a semi-arid plateau on the southernmost tip of South America - from 2013 to 2018, entailed attaching high-tech flight recorders to the birds' wings. Shepard and her team, in collaboration with Sergio Lambertucci, a biologist at the National University of Comahue in Argentina, often spent hours waiting for the magnificent animals to be lured in by strategically placed sheep carcasses and bones.

The information collected - 320 different data points per second - was too much to send back via the phone or satellite network. Hence, the researchers had to physically retrieve the devices, which were designed to fall off the birds after a week. While an embedded GPS tracker allowed the scientists to ascertain the recorders' exact locations, getting to them was no easy task given Patagonia's rough terrain and minimal infrastructure.

Bird researcher Orlando Mastrantuoni recovers a condor tag in the Andes mountains (Credit: Emily Shepard)

After losing seven recorders for every one they retrieved, the team shifted their focus to younger condors, who tend to hover over the communal roosts, which are located on gently rolling hills rather than the cliff tops frequented by adults. The 250 hours of flight data collected from eight juvenile condors revealed that the birds flew for an average of three hours but flapped their wings for less than two minutes of the time. One efficient aviator managed to cover 106 miles (172 kilometers) over five hours without a single flap!

The researchers, who published their findings in the journal PNAS on July 28, 2020, say the large fliers expend the most energy during takeoff. However, once in the air, they can soar for long periods of time without turning on their "engines." The scientists speculate that adult condors may demonstrate an even more impressive flight record than their younger counterparts.

Resources: theconversation.com, theguardian.com

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Andean Condors Can Stay Aloft For Hours Without Flapping Wings

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Andean Condors, which weigh between 20 to 30 pounds (9 to 13 kilograms) and boast a wingspan of more than 10 feet, are one of the world's heaviest and largest flying birds. Yet the majestic vultures, which spend their days circling the Andes mountains and nearby Pacific coasts of western South America in search of carcasses, manage to stay afloat for hours.

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Brazilian pro-surfer Maya Gabeira broke the women's world record for highest wave surfed (Credit: Aleixo/WSL)

Most people would shudder at the idea of getting caught up in a 73.5-foot wave. But for Brazilian pro-surfer Maya, it presented the perfect opportunity to break her 2018 world record for the largest wave surfed by a female. The athlete skillfully maneuvered the massive swell earlier this year, at the inaugural World Surf League (WSL) Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge in Praia do Norte, Portugal. It was the same site where she established her first world record by riding an equally-intimidating 68-foot wave.

"This wave was during the [WSL Nazaré Tow Surfing] contest, and although I say I'm not a competitive person, I was very in the zone and braver than I usually am on this day," said Gabeira. "I was risking more than I usually like to do. When I let go of the rope, I had a feeling it could be the one but wasn't sure. The speed was very high, but the noise that the wave made when it broke made me realize that this was probably the biggest wave I'd ever ridden."

Though Gabeira completed the incredible feat on February 11, 2020, her record was not announced by the Guinness World Records until September 10, 2020. That's because the WSL officials had to first determine whether it was the Brazilian surfer or her competitor, Justine Dupont, who had ridden the largest wave. The wave's height from trough to crest is usually estimated with the help of photos and videos. However, the proximity of the large swells ridden by the two pro-surfers, and the possibility of a new world record being established, warranted a more rigorous analysis.

To help them with the process, the WSL recruited scientists at the Kelly Slater Wave Company and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The experts used photogrammetry techniques and other methods to precisely calculate the size of each wave. The findings revealed that Gabeira's 73.5-foot monster was two feet higher than Dupont's wave, earning her WSL's 2020 women's XXL Biggest Wave Award. It was also 3.5 feet higher than the 70-foot wave ridden by the 2020 men's XXL Biggest Wave Award winner Kai Lenny!

The 33-year-old believes her achievement may be a turning point in the perception of the ability of women surfers. "Our sport is very male-dominated, with the performances on the male side [being] often much stronger than ours as females," she told The Atlantic. "So to find a way and a place and a certain discipline to shorten that gap, and to conclude this year that a woman did surf the biggest, tallest wave of the year is quite phenomenal. It opens the idea that in other categories and other areas of surfing, this could be accomplished, too."

Though Gabeira, who has been surfing competitively since she was 15, seemed to effortlessly glide over the monster surf, it has not all been smooth sailing. Her first attempt at pursuing the world's biggest waves in Nazaré, Portugal, in 2013 could have ended the career of someone with less resolve. The surfer suffered a devastating wipeout that broke her ankle and almost caused her to drown. However, the "minor" setback did not diminish her love for the extreme sport and her determination to forge her legacy as one of the world's greatest surfers!

Resources: Pro.org, surfertoday.com, The Atlantic.com

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Maya Gabeira Shatters Her Own World Record For Largest Wave Surfed By A Woman

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Most people would shudder at the idea of getting caught up in a 73.5-foot wave. But for Brazilian pro-surfer Maya, it presented the perfect opportunity to break her 2018 world record for the largest wave surfed by a female.