Bathtub Racer - Fun on Tap!

Hunchback Dinosaur Found: Carnivorous "Camel"

Mysterious hump, scrawny "feathers" stump scientists.

C. corcovatus lives again—complete with hump and stubby "protofeathers"—in an artist's conception.

The Cretaceous period's carnivorous answer to a camel has been unearthed in Europe after 130 million years, a new study says (prehistoric time line).
The new, hunchbacked species of dinosaur sprouted spiky, featherlike shafts on its arms; was probably a powerful runner; and likely ate small dinosaurs, crocodiles, and early mammals, researchers say.
Discovered via a finely preserved, nearly complete skeleton found in central Spain, the 20-foot-long (6-meter-long) Concavenator corcovatus—"the hunchback hunter from Cuenca"—had two raised backbones, each 1.3 feet (40 centimeters) taller than the dinosaurs' other vertebrae.
C. corcovatus's hump possibly supported a mound of fleshy tissue storing fat, as on a camel, according to the study team, led by paleontologist Francisco Ortega of the Universidad Nacional de Educacíon a Distancia in Madrid.
Alternatively, the hump might have had a display role—for example, attracting a mate or intimidating rivals—or may have helped diffuse heat and regulate body temperature, Ortega said.
(See "Giant Toucan Bills Help Birds Keep Their Cool.")
Hunchback Dinosaur Had "Feathers," Not Flight
C. corcovatus's oddity extended beyond a hump to bumps—so-called quill knobs on the dinosaur's forearms. In certain birds, the same structures hold the bases of large wing feathers.
In nonavian dinosaurs, feather-like structures could have helped the animals display, control body temperature, or attack faster—perhaps by gliding very short distances—scientists say.
But given the new dinosaur's one-ton weight, it's unlikely the few "protofeathers"—likely short, rigid filaments—would have been any help with dissipating heat or providing locomotion.
"The only useful explanation that we have is display," Ortega said.
(Related: "First Dinosaur Feathers for Show, Not Flight?")
Hunchback Dinosaur Was European Colonist?
C. corcovatus was an early member of the carcharodontosaurids ("shark-toothed lizards"), a dinosaur group that later gave rise to massive, fanged predators outside Europe—for example, a meat-eating carcharodontosaurid dinosaur with "steak knife" teeth.
"Ten or 12 years ago everybody thought that carcharodontosaurids were a group that was exclusive to South America and Africa," Ortega said.
With the discovery of C. corcovatus and other primitive carcharodontosaurids outside those areas, "now we are thinking the early evolution of this group was in Europe."

 

Events In Pictures (International)

A Somali fisherman carries a shark on his shoulders to the market in Mogadishu

Ultra-Orthodox Jews pray in front of a pool filled live fish in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv. During this 'Tashlich' ritual sins are cast into the water just before Yom Kippur, the most solemn day in Jewish calendar. 

Students wait for the opening move of Indonesian rising chess star, 14-year-old national junior chess champion Masruri Rahman, during simultaneous matches against 200 opponents at a chess exhibition in Jakarta.

Gilder Michael Bowen's face is flecked with 23 1/2 carat gilt as he works in the Round Room at Strawberry Hill house in London, England.

Palestinian girls prepare themselves for a Koran recital competition during a parade organized by Hamas. 

Two planes collide during an air show in Warngau, southern Germany. One pilot was killed in the mid–air collision; the other plane remained airborne and made an emergency landing. 

An Ultra Orthodox Jewish man checks an etrog, a lemon-like citrus fruit, for blemishes to determine if it is ritually acceptable, before buying it as one of the four items used on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

One of 25 pilot whales that died after beaching themselves in the sand at Spirits Bay, New Zealand.

Jacobite Highlander re-enactors sit in a bus stop as a woman cycles past in Prestonpans, Scotland. The actors were in town promoting this weekends re–enactment of the 1754 Battle of Prestopans. 

Visitors of Oktoberfest celebrate the festival's 200th anniversary in Munich. The original 1810 Oktoberfest was held to celebrate the 12th marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to the Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese. 

	A masked man shouts slogans during a demonstration over pension reforms in Marseille

ArtHotel Lalala

Designed by Honorata Martin and Ula Wasielewska, the cleverly designed and flamboyant ArtHotel Lalala is located in the historic Polish seaside resort of Sopot. It is an incredible place for that look for a charming, airy space.

New Way to Demolish a Pipe House

Should you blow a building? But it’s not neat at all. There will be too much dust and too many broken bricks. So Toronto builders came up with a more unique way on how to demolish a house. Maybe it’s not that unique, but it’s still pretty interesting. Remember to watch the video of this demolishing process!.. More imagea and video after the break...

What Is This ?

Any ideas? What does it look like to you?

As usually, the answer is inside the post.

This is one hundred million pennies field. These photos were taken at the Penny Harvest at Rockefeller Center that is sponsored by a non-profit organization called Common Cents. It is an amazing sight with millions and millions of pennies in a pool. Although the spectators tossed in other coins, the field mostly contains pennies.

Amazing Events In Pictures

A statue of Ceres, Roman goddess of agriculture, is silhouetted against the rising super harvest moon as it stands on top of the Missouri State Capitol building in Jefferson City. The rare occurrence of the Super Harvest Moon occurs when the autumnal equinox coincides with the full moon and what NASA calls a '360-degree, summer-autumn twilight glow that is only seen on rare occasions'. The last time such a Super Harvest Moon happened in 1991

Rachel Vincent is painted as a brick wall at the Airbrush Venturi Body Painting Expo at Parklands Showgrounds, Gold Coast, Australia...

...Rob Bampton is painted to look like a gargoyle at the Airbrush Venturi Body Painting Expo in Australia

This is Bengal tiger Tanvir who has overcome his fear of heights to climb onto the top of his climbing frame at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, in Wroxall, North Somerset. Tanvir, a four-year-old Bengal tiger, was more scaredy-cat than scary cat as he battled to overcome his acrophobia. Last year [left] the big male climbed to the top of his 15ft purpose-built climbing frame at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, at Wroxall, North Somerset, and was too frightened to come down for 48 hours

Sparrows perform petty theft in Berlin, Germany

Filipino chef Angelito Araneta Jr displays a 24-carat gold covered mooncake garnished with .10-carat artificial diamonds at Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila. The mooncake is a traditional Chinese treat eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival

Female hippopotamus Mali, or Jasmine, eats fruits presented for her 44th birthday celebration, at Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand

Raymonde (right) and Lucienne, who are believed to be the oldest identical twins in the world, pose in Saint-Georges-de-Didonne, near the southern French city of Bordeaux. Born on September 23, 1912 in Paris, the two widows have lived together since their retirement

A child dressed as Lord Bhairav looks out the Kumari temple window during Indra Jatra in Kathmandu, Nepal

A tiny book is seen on the thumb nail of an employee at the House of the Bible in Dresden, Germany. The miniature book contains the Lord's Prayer in 12 different languages and is presented in the exhibition 'History and dissemination of the Bible'

Brazilian artist Regina Silviera presents her installation titled "Depth" at a gallery in Lodz, Poland

A 24-year-old farmer from Chongqing has spent the past year building his own plane. After 12 months of hard work Zeng Qiang proudly shows off the plane he built - "Teng Fei Yi Hao" (No.1 Flying). The 150kg plane is built from materials such as metal pipes, canvas, steel wires and sheet iron

A visitor tries out 3D glasses in a 3D self-portrait studio of Japanese camera maker Panasonic on the first day of Photokina, the world's largest fair for imaging, in Cologne

Two models show off creations at the MAN show at London Fashion Week

A girl examines a sculpture depicting a globe decorated with women's underwear in Kiev, Ukraine

Aliaksandra Narkevich of Belarus performs with the ribbon during the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Moscow

A young woman creates huge bubbles in front of Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate

Steel workers of of Germany's industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp AG protest with fireworks during a warning strike in Duisburg

Britain's Andrew Barrow catches himself as he flips over in his wheelchair during a match against Canada at the World Wheelchair Rugby meet in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

People sunbathe at the Travertines in Pammakule, Turkey

Former US President Bill Clinton and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair talk at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York