Exploring dinosaur growth

Public release date: 28-Jun-2013
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Contact: Hannah Johnson
hannah.johnson@bristol.ac.uk
44-117-928-8896
University of Bristol

Psittacosaurus, the 'parrot dinosaur' is known from more than 1000 specimens from the Cretaceous, 100 million years ago, of China and other parts of east Asia. As part of his PhD thesis at the University of Bristol, Qi Zhao, now on the staff of the Institute for Vertebrate Paleontology in Beijing, carried out the intricate study on bones of babies, juveniles and adults.

Dr Zhao said: "Some of the bones from baby Psittacosaurus were only a few millimetres across, so I had to handle them extremely carefully to be able to make useful bone sections. I also had to be sure to cause as little damage to these valuable specimens as possible."

With special permission from the Beijing Institute, Zhao sectioned two arm and two leg bones from 16 individual dinosaurs, ranging in age from less than one year to 10 years old, or fully-grown. He did the intricate sectioning work in a special palaeohistology laboratory in Bonn, Germany.

The one-year-olds had long arms and short legs, and scuttled about on all fours soon after hatching. The bone sections showed that the arm bones were growing fastest when the animals were ages one to three years. Then, from four to six years, arm growth slowed down, and the leg bones showed a massive growth spurt, meaning they ended up twice as long as the arms, necessary for an animal that stood up on its hind legs as an adult.

Professor Xing Xu of the Beijing Institute, one of Dr Zhao's thesis supervisors, said: "This remarkable study, the first of its kind, shows how much information is locked in the bones of dinosaurs. We are delighted the study worked so well, and see many ways to use the new methods to understand even more about the astonishing lives of the dinosaurs."

Professor Mike Benton of the University of Bristol, Dr Zhao's other PhD supervisor, said: "These kinds of studies can also throw light on the evolution of a dinosaur like Psittacosaurus. Having four-legged babies and juveniles suggests that at some time in their ancestry, both juveniles and adults were also four-legged, and Psittacosaurus and dinosaurs in general became secondarily bipedal."

The paper is published today in Nature Communications.

###

Notes to editors

Paper

'Histology and postural change during the growth of the ceratopsian dinosaur Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis' by Zhao, Q., Benton, M.J., Sullivan, C., Sander, P.M., and Xu, X. in Nature Communications.

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Public release date: 28-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Hannah Johnson
hannah.johnson@bristol.ac.uk
44-117-928-8896
University of Bristol

Psittacosaurus, the 'parrot dinosaur' is known from more than 1000 specimens from the Cretaceous, 100 million years ago, of China and other parts of east Asia. As part of his PhD thesis at the University of Bristol, Qi Zhao, now on the staff of the Institute for Vertebrate Paleontology in Beijing, carried out the intricate study on bones of babies, juveniles and adults.

Dr Zhao said: "Some of the bones from baby Psittacosaurus were only a few millimetres across, so I had to handle them extremely carefully to be able to make useful bone sections. I also had to be sure to cause as little damage to these valuable specimens as possible."

With special permission from the Beijing Institute, Zhao sectioned two arm and two leg bones from 16 individual dinosaurs, ranging in age from less than one year to 10 years old, or fully-grown. He did the intricate sectioning work in a special palaeohistology laboratory in Bonn, Germany.

The one-year-olds had long arms and short legs, and scuttled about on all fours soon after hatching. The bone sections showed that the arm bones were growing fastest when the animals were ages one to three years. Then, from four to six years, arm growth slowed down, and the leg bones showed a massive growth spurt, meaning they ended up twice as long as the arms, necessary for an animal that stood up on its hind legs as an adult.

Professor Xing Xu of the Beijing Institute, one of Dr Zhao's thesis supervisors, said: "This remarkable study, the first of its kind, shows how much information is locked in the bones of dinosaurs. We are delighted the study worked so well, and see many ways to use the new methods to understand even more about the astonishing lives of the dinosaurs."

Professor Mike Benton of the University of Bristol, Dr Zhao's other PhD supervisor, said: "These kinds of studies can also throw light on the evolution of a dinosaur like Psittacosaurus. Having four-legged babies and juveniles suggests that at some time in their ancestry, both juveniles and adults were also four-legged, and Psittacosaurus and dinosaurs in general became secondarily bipedal."

The paper is published today in Nature Communications.

###

Notes to editors

Paper

'Histology and postural change during the growth of the ceratopsian dinosaur Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis' by Zhao, Q., Benton, M.J., Sullivan, C., Sander, P.M., and Xu, X. in Nature Communications.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/uob-edg062613.php

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A Lot of Cameras Are Going to Change in the Tiniest Way Possible

If you use a Sony or Fujifilm camera or Nokia phone or anything like that, you may notice a slight difference in future editions of your favorite camera and phones. The iconic Carl Zeiss imprint on the camera lens will now be just ZEISS. I guess they were growing tired of non photogs asking who the heck is Carl Zeiss?

Carl Zeiss, of course, was the founder of the optics company Carl Zeiss AG. Zeiss lenses have long adorned Sony and Nokia products with the 'Carl Zeiss' name but now will be shifted to a simple ZEISS branding. Something about unifying the brand.

The change specifically affects "future product families". ZEISS writes:

The changeover for the lenses will take place at the family level: existing lens families will not be changed after-the-fact, but future families will be labeled with ZEISS. The first family to introduce this change is the ZEISS Touit lenses. For production-technical reasons, some Touit lenses were produced and placed on the market with the label ?Carl Zeiss.?

I'll be hawking Carl Zeiss branded lens from now on. [Zeiss via PetaPixel]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-lot-of-cameras-are-going-to-change-in-the-tiniest-way-614681952

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Jeff Shaara, The University of Texas at Arlington, and Writing ...

June 23, 2013 by Jimmie A. Kepler

Author Jeff Shaara

Today is Sunday June 23, 2013. it is 8:15 PM. I am at home at my desk listening to Author Jeff Shaara being interviewed by Ed Tracy on February 4, 2010 at the Pritzker Military in Chicago. He is discussing his book ?No Less Than Victory?.

Speaking of Jeff Shaara ? I posted fourteen pictures of Jeff Shaara at PICTURES. The photographs were taken on November 11, 2009 during a private dinner with a meet and greet I attended with author Jeff Shaara. He spoke later that evening to the public at The University of Texas at Arlington promoting his book of ?No Less Than Victory?. It concluded the World War Two trilogy of historical fiction that Jeff Shaara began with The Rising Tide and continued in The Steel Wave. The evening ended with him being interviewed on stage with a question-and-answer session with the audience. Jeff Shaara has written twelve New York times bestsellers.

Speaking of The University of Texas at Arlington ? I attend this fine university from August 1971 to December 1975 graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in history with minors in English and military science. On December 19, 1975 I not only graduated but was commissioned a second lieutenant, Infantry, United States Army Reserves. I was selected for indefinite active duty (career status). It was at The University of Texas at Arlington I developed a deep love for history, reading, and writing.

Speaking of Writing ? I am 99% finished doing my third rewrite/edit of the historical fiction novel ?Honor and Jealousy in Texas?. This weekend I worked on rewrite/edit of last chapter in book and wrote the first draft of a nonfiction article. The target audience of this article is unusual as it directed at suicide prevention of adult men. This is for a national suicide prevention organization that has a website getting over 50,000 people visit a month from people who are considering suicide. They do a web search on suicide and through the magic of Goggle search people thinking of suicide are directed to a Christian site focusing on stopping suicides. I was given the assignment when at the Colorado Christian Writer?s Conference. I pray that God will direct my thoughts as I write this article and He will use it to save lives.

Photo credit: Author Jeff Shaara by Photographer Jimmie A. Kepler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

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Posted in English, History, Humanities, Liberal Arts, Memoir, Military History, Nonfiction, Reading, Religion, United States History, Writing | Tagged Growing-Up, History, Jimmie A. Kepler, Memoir, Military History, Personal Experiences, Religion, Southern Authors, Texas Authors, World War II, Writing, Writing Life | Leave a Comment

Source: http://jimmiekepler.wordpress.com/2013/06/23/jeff-shaara-the-university-of-texas-at-arlington-and-writing/

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Bear with head stuck in jar is rescued in Pa.

JAMISON CITY, Pa. (AP) ? Four central Pennsylvania residents said they used only a rope and a flashlight during a wild chase to rescue a young bear whose head had been stuck in a plastic jar for at least 11 days.

The frightened but powerful bruin fell into a swimming pool at least twice during the ordeal, according to a report Saturday in the Press Enterprise of Bloomsburg (http://bit.ly/166z97k ). But the group eventually yanked off the jar and set the animal free.

"I thought, 'No one is going to believe us,'" said Morgan Laskowski, 22, the bartender at the Jamison City Hotel and a member of the impromptu bear-wrangling team.

Area residents first spotted the 100-pound bruin with its head in a red jar on June 3, but it eluded game wardens. The animal was attracted to the container because it appeared to have once contained cooking oil.

"He put his head in, and had a problem," said Mike Jurbala, 68, another rescuer. "He'd have died in a couple more days."

Jurbala saw the bear Thursday night as he was leaving the bar at the Jamison City Hotel. He called Jeff Hubler, a local employee of the state Game Commission who had been among those trying to capture it for days with a lasso.

The two teamed up with Laskowski and her mother, bar owner Jody Boyle, to follow the bear through the darkness.

"You knew where he was because you could hear him banging into things," Jurbala said.

They cornered the bear in a resident's backyard, where it ended up falling into a pool a couple of times. Eventually, they wrangled the animal into a position where Hubler could pull off the jar.

"You'd think the bear would be weak, because it hadn't eaten or drunk for a week, but it was strong," Boyle said.

Hubler said people should keep lids on food jars that they throw away.

___

Information from: Press Enterprise, http://www.pressenterpriseonline.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-06-15-Bear%20Stuck%20In%20Jar/id-6000c5011823497ca46b105365638874

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'The Bling Ring': The Reviews Are In!

Sofia Coppola new film has reviewers debating culture criticism — MTV News rounds up the reviews.
By Todd Gilchrist

"The Bling Ring"
Photo: A24

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1709019/the-bling-ring-movie-reviews.jhtml

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Mumford & Sons cancel remaining tour dates

8 hours ago

Rick Kern / Getty Images

Ted Dwane.

British folk-rockers Mumford & Sons canceled the final three U.S. dates of their "Summer Stampede" tour on Friday and said bassist Ted Dwane was out of hospital after brain surgery.

The Grammy award-winning band said Dwane was on the road to a full recovery and that the decision to cancel all concerts until a June 30th performance at the Glastonbury Festival in Britain was based on medical advice.

"It is with great joy that we can announce that Ted has been discharged from hospital and is on the road to a full recovery," the band said in a statement on its website. "The surgery went well, and the excellent medical team helping him are very pleased with his progress."

The three latest cancellations at the Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee, the Telluride festival in Colorado and the Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in Kansas follow a Tuesday announcement which canceled earlier performances in Texas and Louisiana.

Dwane -- who plays bass, drums and guitar -- was taken to hospital on Monday where scans revealed a blood clot on the surface of his brain, which required an operation.

The "I Will Wait" singers asked fans for their understanding while Dwane recovers from his operation.

"We trust that you can respect our collective desire to encourage Ted to make a full recovery, and that this is based purely on the medical advice we have received," they said.

The four-member band, which formed in 2007, also includes Marcus Mumford, Winston Marshall and Ben Lovett. They won Album of the Year for "Babel" at the Grammy Awards in February.

The band thanked fans for their support and praised Dwane for his courage in facing a medical ordeal, which began with him feeling unwell for a few days followed by emergency treatment.

"He (Dwane) has been nothing short of heroic in how he has handled the whole ordeal, and now it has been medically proved that he does indeed have a brain."

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/mumford-sons-bassist-leaves-hospital-band-cancels-tour-6C10321666

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State broadcaster's end a blow to Greek identity

Supporters stand outside the Greek state television ERT headquarters in Athens, on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. State TV and radio signals were cut early Wednesday, hours after the government closed the Hellenic Broadcasting Corp., ERT, and fired its 2,500 workers. Greece?s two largest labor unions called a 24-hour general strike for Thursday amid escalating protests against a decision to close state-run TV and radio that threw the country?s conservative-led government into political crisis nearly a year after taking office. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Supporters stand outside the Greek state television ERT headquarters in Athens, on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. State TV and radio signals were cut early Wednesday, hours after the government closed the Hellenic Broadcasting Corp., ERT, and fired its 2,500 workers. Greece?s two largest labor unions called a 24-hour general strike for Thursday amid escalating protests against a decision to close state-run TV and radio that threw the country?s conservative-led government into political crisis nearly a year after taking office. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Supporters take cover from the rain in front of the Greek state television ERT headquarters in Athens, on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. State TV and radio signals were cut early Wednesday, hours after the government closed the Hellenic Broadcasting Corp., ERT, and fired its 2,500 workers. Greece?s two largest labor unions called a 24-hour general strike for Thursday amid escalating protests against a decision to close state-run TV and radio that threw the country?s conservative-led government into political crisis nearly a year after taking office. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A TV worker looks out of the window during a protest outside the Greek state television ERT 3 headquarters after the government's decision to shut down the broadcaster in Thessaloniki, Greece on Thursday, June 12, 2013. State TV and radio signals were cut early Wednesday, hours after the government closed the Hellenic Broadcasting Corp., ERT, and fired its 2,500 workers. (AP Photo/Nikolas Giakoumidis)

Workers protest outside the Greek state television ERT 3 headquarters after the government's decision to shut down the broadcaster in Thessaloniki, on Thursday, June 12, 2013. State TV and radio signals were cut early Wednesday, hours after the government closed the Hellenic Broadcasting Corp., ERT, and fired its 2,500 workers. Banner reads "No to the lay offs" and "solidarity to the workers". (AP Photo/Nikolas Giakoumidis)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? When Nazi troops marched into Greece's nearly deserted capital on April 27, 1941, radio announcer Costas Stavropoulos of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. announced the grim news. He urged his countrymen and women not to listen to future Nazi radio transmissions and signed off with the Greek national anthem.

That moment in Greek broadcasting history is indelibly etched into the country's collective memory.

It was the only time the state broadcaster ? also known as ERT ? had ceased to operate from its birth three years earlier. That is, until Tuesday, when Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' government shut ERT down and fired its 2,500 employees to prove to Greece's international lenders that he was serious about cutting the country's bloated public sector. Its TV and radio signals went dead early Wednesday.

That decision might just bring down Samaras' conservative-led coalition government, which lambasted the broadcaster for its "incredible waste." Two of the coalition's three parties ? PASOK and Democratic Left ? still want to discuss the possibility of keeping ERT going.

The country's two largest labor unions called a 24-hour general strike for Thursday to protest the closure, and flights from Greece's airports were set to halt for two hours that day. Protesters gathered Wednesday outside the company's headquarters north of Athens for a second day as ERT's journalists defied the closure order and continued a live Internet broadcast.

Journalist unions also launched rolling 24-hour strikes, halting news programs on Greece's privately owned broadcasters, while the government's center-left coalition partners demanded that ERT's closure be reversed.

Like other state-run companies in debt-drowned Greece, ERT over its 75 years was exposed to the kind of notorious political patronage that the country is famous for. As successive governments meted out jobs in exchange for votes, Greece's swelling ranks of public employees helped push it to near-financial ruin and in need of tens of billions in aid starting in 2010 from its 16 eurozone partners.

Despite that, ERT has forged a deep connection with ordinary Greeks, becoming the country's voice at home and to the world, especially in the absence of private broadcasting, which only came about in 1989.

ERT started radio programming in the 1930s and television in the mid-1960s. Though it was widely regarded as reflecting government policy ? it had a channel run by the military during the 1967-74 dictatorship ? the broadcaster was also valued for showcasing regional and cultural content and for covering major sporting events such as the World Cup and the Olympics.

Over the years, ERT became a mainstay of Greek life. At times, it provided the only outlet for entertainment and information to an impoverished nation slowly emerging from a bloody civil war in the late 1940s. It was also the sole link to the homeland for millions of diaspora Greeks around the globe.

ERT's old news jingle ? the introduction to the traditional Greek song "O Tsopanakos" ? still remains instantly recognizable to millions.

"ERT has been woven into Greeks' own identity," says Christodoulos Yiallourides, a professor of social and political science at Athens' Panteion University. "What's happening is a mistake. Certainly you need to make reforms and changes, but not like this. You don't shut down ERT, you try and fix it."

ERT is largely state-funded, with every Greek household paying a fee through its electricity bills ? whether they have a TV set or not. There are also several private broadcasters now in Greece, including Mega, Antenna and Skai.

Even in Greek-speaking Cyprus, where ERT programming is transmitted as part of a bilateral agreement, people condemned the Greek government's decision. An official from the Cypriot state broadcaster CyBC railed against ERT's closure, recalling how a young diaspora Greek girl tearfully remembered her father asking the family for silence so he could listen to the news from ERT.

Yiallourides, who once worked as a political talk show producer on ERT radio, says the strong reaction to the broadcaster's closure may be coming from a sense that Greeks' own cultural identity is being assailed.

ERT consistently produced programming that promoted Greek history and culture, even as it drew plummeting ratings once private radio and television began operations. Yiallourides noted one successful music show on ERT radio was overseen by the late, venerated Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis, who won an Academy award for his song "Never on Sunday" from the self-titled film.

He said despite the broadcasters' foibles and cost, ERT produced high quality programming that stands in stark contrast to the foreign-produced soap operas inundating private TV channels in Greece today.

Moreover, Greeks trusted ERT to provide balanced, objective news reports because its journalists weren't under the kind of commercial advertising pressures faced by private news outlets.

"Who will be left to speak the truth when the state broadcasters are gone?" asked Dimitris Trimis, head of the Athens journalists' union. "Private broadcasters are bankrupt and have slashed their workforces, and in order to survive they are clinging ever closer to business and political interests."

Yiallourides, the professor, warned that the government's surprise decision could reignite social unrest.

The government has defended the move, insisting a new more efficient and less costly public broadcaster would be launched before the end of the summer. Still, it faces a political battle: the executive order to close ERT must be ratified by parliament within three months but faces failure if it is not backed by all the coalition's members.

ERT employee Kaity Potha, 55, said the government was blaming the broadcaster's staff for its own incompetence, which included giving high-paid jobs at the broadcaster for political patronage.

"Our salaries have been cut 45 percent in the past three years," she said. "Every clown who governed Greece in recent decades dumped us not only with their own governing board but also with 200-300 new staff ? their salaries have not been cut."

___

Hadjicostis reported from Nicosia, Cyprus. Nicholas Paphitis contributed from Athens.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-12-Greece-Media/id-bbe4941a2f474979b16acf4b3e2f8d12

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