Science News

[Natalka]

'Flawless': NASA's InSight lander touches down on Mars successfully




A NASA spacecraft designed to burrow beneath the surface of Mars landed on the red planet Monday after a six-month, 482 million-kilometre journey and a perilous, six-minute descent through the rose-hued atmosphere.



https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/nasa-insight-mars-landing-success-1.4921165




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[Natalka]

Dr. Noel and Dr. Hu discover structures on the cat tongue, hollow spines that they call cavo papillae, shared across six species of cats.

Cats’ tongues are carpeted with hundreds of sharp spines, which are composed of keratin and spring into action during grooming.


“The cat tongue is most recognized for its hundreds of sharp, backward-facing keratin spines called filiform papillae,” said Georgia Tech scientists Alexis Noel and David Hu.


“A 1982 study concluded that a cat papilla has the shape of a solid cone, an observation that remained undisputed for two decades.”


“In our study, we show that the papilla is in fact scoop shaped, enabling it to use surface tension forces to wick saliva.”


http://www.sci-news.com/biology/cat-tongues-06638.html

[Natalka]

'Extraordinary experience': Canada's David Saint-Jacques to launch into space



If all goes as planned, at 6:31 a.m. ET Monday, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques will be riding a Russian Soyuz rocket launched from Kazakhstan, en route to the International Space Station (ISS).



Saint-Jacques will be joined by Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and American astronaut Anne McClain on the mission, with the trio set to dock with the ISS six hours later.


A doctor who also holds degrees in engineering and astrophysics, as well as a commercial pilot's licence, Saint-Jacques says he's been moved by the rituals of the Russian space program that take place ahead of each launch


The most "touching" ritual came two days, he said, when he planted a tree along Baikonur's Cosmonaut Alley.

"That's something that every first-time flyer on a Russian spacecraft has done ever since [first astronaut] Yuri Gagarin, and so I had the privilege to plant my own tree. A poplar."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/d...unch-1.4928118

[Natalka]

Scotty, world’s largest T-rex, goes on display in Regina


Scotty, the world’s largest Tyrannosaurus rex, is now on display at his new home in Regina.
The CN T-rex Gallery opened on Friday to the public at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM).

The famous Saskatchewan dinosaur was found near Eastend, Sask., in 1991.


A study by University of Alberta paleontologists released earlier this year officially confirmed Scotty as the world’s biggest T-rex at 13 metres long.
University officials said the record-breaking T-rex has leg bones suggesting a living weight of more than 8,800 kilograms, making it bigger than all other carnivorous dinosaurs.

Scotty lived in prehistoric Saskatchewan 66 million years ago.


https://globalnews.ca/news/5288278/scotty-t-rex-regina/

[Natalka]

Weighing in at 20,000 lbs, 42 ft. long and 18 ft. tall, @scotty theTREX is the largest T.rex to ever be discovered.

Discovered by a high school teacher looking for fossils, Scotty — as the dino was dubbed — was removed over the next two decades. About 65 per-cent of his fossilized bones were found.
A full-model replica of Scotty was installed at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) T. rex Discovery Centre in Eastend, about 400 kilometres west of Regina, in March 2015.

Scotty’s big reveal is also garnering international attention. CBS News visited the museum and the area where Scotty was found. They even went live this week from the Regina museum to give viewers a look at the massive display.


Scotty the T-Rex Fast Facts

• Named after scotch, which was what researchers drank when celebrating the T-Rex’s discovery
• Biggest dinosaur found in Canada
• Approximately 30 years old at time of death
• 65 per cent of fossil intact

https://leaderpost.com/news/local-ne...onal-attention

[Natalka]

Weighing in at 20,000 lbs, 42 ft. long and 18 ft. tall, @scotty theTREX is the largest T.rex to ever be discovered.

Discovered by a high school teacher looking for fossils, Scotty — as the dino was dubbed — was removed over the next two decades. About 65 per-cent of his fossilized bones were found.
A full-model replica of Scotty was installed at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) T. rex Discovery Centre in Eastend, about 400 kilometres west of Regina, in March 2015.

Scotty’s big reveal is also garnering international attention. CBS News visited the museum and the area where Scotty was found. They even went live this week from the Regina museum to give viewers a look at the massive display.


Scotty the T-Rex Fast Facts

• Named after scotch, which was what researchers drank when celebrating the T-Rex’s discovery
• Biggest dinosaur found in Canada
• Approximately 30 years old at time of death
• 65 per cent of fossil intact

https://leaderpost.com/news/local-ne...onal-attention