A 520-million-year-old worm fossil has solved the mystery of how modern insects, spiders and crabs evolved. The “incredibly rare and detailed” fossil, named Youti yuanshi, offered a peek inside one of the earliest ancestors of many species today, as it dates back to the Cambrian period when major animal groups were first evolving.

Worm Fossil From 520 Million Years ago Solves Mystery of How Modern Insects and Crabs Evolved: ‘My jaw just dropped’

A tiny worm that lived half a billion years ago has been described as an "almost impossible discovery" by scientists. It's special because it's incredibly rare for an organism that small and fragile to be preserved so well - one scientist said their "jaw just dropped" when it was uncovered.

Rare worm fossil with internal organs, an 'almost impossible discovery'

LiveScience

Panda ants are actually wasps masquerading as an adorable ant, with black and white females possessing stingers half as long as their entire bodies.

Panda ant: The wasps whose black and white females have giant stingers and parasitic babies

The US Sun

A CHINESE robodog has received an all-terrain upgrade that allows it to not only climb stairs with ease – but traverse up walls too. Unitree, a robotics company based out of Hangzhou, recently unveiled the Go2-W quadruped – the latest in its range of robots. The video above pits the Go2-W machine against its predecessor: […]

Incredible video shows Chinese four-wheeled robodog climb walls and stairs with ease – it can even do handstands

ScienceAlert


Every now and again, our planet ponies up a fossil so spectacular that almost all you can do is gape in wonder.
Sometimes those fossils are the magnificent remains that once trod Earth's surface with thunderous feet. Sometimes, they are mere motes, particles at which you may not look twice – but contain within them the secrets of multitudes.



					
			

Such is the fossil of a sesame-seed-sized baby worm discovered encased in rock in China. Hailing from the Cambrian period some 520 million years ago, the larva represents a whole new genus and species of euarthropod called Youti yuanshi.
Such a small speck of...

520-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Larva Found With Preserved Brain And Guts

Blanco, TX

Community Voices represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program but not yet verified their accounts. Community Voices are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

community_voice

Brigid Pfeifer

There were a number of celebrities who passed away within the past week, including two notable actresses: Shelley Duvall and Shannen Doherty. Shelley Duvall passed away on Thursday July 11th at her home in Blanco, Texas. The cause of death was complications from diabetes and news of her death was confirmed by her partner Dan Gilroy.

Two Beloved Hollywood Actresses Have Passed Away This Week

A-Z-Animals

It’s a well-known fact that most birds can fly. Some birds fly to catch prey, while others fly to escape predators. Regardless, the ability to fly is one of the defining features of most birds. However, there exists a subset of birds that lack this ability. There exist a handful of birds that can’t fly […]

10 Birds That Can’t Fly

New York Post

Your friend ’til the end?

An on-the-go entrepreneur who claims to have a “very different life from most people” has invented an AI companion known as “Friend” designed to stick by him no matter what — a pal he calls his “most consistent relationship” in life.

Curious? Soon, anyone with $99 to burn will be able to experience this same level of virtual closeness for themselves — the groundbreaking gee-gaw, which hangs around your neck and chats with you all day long, has been referred to as a “Tamagotchi with a soul,” The Guardian reported.

Chinese-made humanoid robots raise alarms in Congress: ‘Stealth army on...

Meet ‘Friend’ — the new, viral AI ride-or-die that hangs around your neck and costs $99: ‘Tamagotchi with a soul’

Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Earth's roughly 76,000 species of mollusks come in an impressive variety of forms including clams, oysters, scallops, mussels, snails, slugs and even some possessing exceptional intelligence such as octopuses, cuttlefish and squid. But their ancestral form and early evolutionary history have been tough to decipher.

Primordial spiny slug from China was forerunner of world's mollusks

Are you a camper looking to upgrade your camping space and explore the great outdoors in comfort? Or perhaps you’re seeking a mobile office solution that can be set up anywhere? Or maybe you’re an emergency responder in need of quick, reliable shelter in disaster zones? The CMAX System just might be for you.

Building-in-a-box transforms into a portable tiny home in minutes

If you’re searching for a unique name that won’t be regularly heard around the playground, we’ve rounded up some of the rarest Irish boy names used in Ireland right now. With the Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO) having launched their list of the names chosen for all the bundles of joy welcomed into the world last year, we’ve picked a few of our favourites that didn’t make the top 100.

The Irish boy names given to only five babies or less in 2023

South Carolina State

Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

New research from scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography finds a tiny freshwater parasite known to cause health problems in humans defends its colonies with a class of soldiers that cannot reproduce. The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences vaults this species...

Biologists discover human-infecting parasite produces sterile soldiers like ants and termites

Rich people have become obsessed with building new cities lately—an affliction that extends even to hip-hop and R&B singer Akon. Back in 2020, Akon announced that he would build a futuristic new city in his “hometown” of Senegal. “Akon City” would be powered by green energy and solar power, feature condominiums, a seaside resort, and a university, and would use Akoin, his cryptocurrency, as its primary source of exchange. Akon promised that, soon, the African country would have “a futuristic city” on its hands, a “real-life Wakanda” that could act as a paragon for “how African society should become in the future.”

Akon’s Multi-Billion Dollar Crypto City in Africa Gets a Reality Check

So what is the difference between toads vs frogs? Well, Toads and frogs are both amphibians, which means they share similarities such as spending at least part of their lives in water or some moist place, and they usually lack tails, scales, and claws on their feet. Both are members of the Anura order. Anura […]

Toad vs Frog: The Six Key Differences Explained

Tennessee State

New photos show a young giraffe with an extremely deformed neck in Kruger National Park. The animal may have survived a broken neck or could have a severe case of an illness that also affects humans.

Severely injured giraffe with 'very twisted' zigzag neck spotted in South Africa

Inspired by the paper-folding art of origami, North Carolina State University engineers have discovered a way to make a single plastic cubed structure transform into more than 1,000 configurations using only three active motors. The findings could pave the way for shape-shifting artificial systems that can take on multiple functions and even carry a load—like versatile robotic structures used in space, for example.

Shape-shifting 'transformer bots' inspired by origami

Chicago, IL

Writers represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. Writers are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

writer

Foodie in Chicago

Shortly before 3 AM, people in the Chicago area may have felt their houses shake as a 3.4-magnitude earthquake occurred about 60 miles west of the city. (CHICAGO) The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.4-magnitude earthquake around Somonauk, IL. Somonauk is in DeKalb and LaSalle Counties, 64 miles west of Chicago.

Did You Feel the Earthquake?

Baby dormice have been found at a nature reserve for the first time, conservationists have said. The countryside team from East Devon District Council found the babies during their monthly survey of dormice boxes at Knapp Copse Local Nature Reserve in east Devon. Teams have been surveying the site for...

Baby dormice found at reserve for first time

Rhode Island State

Westerly, RI

Freaky footage captured a swarm of dragonflies turning a Rhode Island beach into a scene akin to a biblical plague over the weekend.

The seemingly endless swarm of dragonflies descended on Misquamicut Beach in Westerly on Saturday, when a cloud of the insects started buzzing across the beach, under umbrellas and chairs, past faces and between legs.

“I was enjoying a nice day at Misquamicut State Beach until we endured a dragonfly apocalypse,” witness Stephanie Martin told WCVB.



Fireflies are an enchanting phenomenon — but experts say they’re disappearing



Some beachgoers hunkered down for cover or fled the sand for their cars.

Arizona golf course...

Supersize swarm of dragonflies overwhelms Rhode Island beach in creepy clip

NewsBreak

Watch a Little Robot Flap Its Wings Like a Rhinoceros Beetle

A teeny robot designed to replicate the wing dynamics of rhinoceros beetles could be well-suited for search-and-rescue missions, as well as spying on real insects, according...

Watch a Little Robot Flap Its Wings Like a Rhinoceros Beetle

Comments / 0