By Stephen Brusatte, Chancellor's Fellow in Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Edinburgh
The following is an edited extract from The Story of Birds: A New History From Their Dinosaur Origins To the Present
I will never forget my first dinosaur wing. I was a college student, on my first international expedition, preparing to venture into the mountains of Tibet in search of Jurassic dinosaurs.
Our team assembled in Beijing, and as we rushed through the galleries and storehouses of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, I stole a fleeting glance, from across the room. A skeleton of the little carnivore Microraptor, its…
(Full Story)
|
By Stephen Brusatte, Chancellor's Fellow in Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Edinburgh
Exactly how did birds evolve from dinosaurs? It’s a mystery that has been with us for more than 150 years, and palaeontologists are still hunting for pieces of the puzzle today.
Among them is the University of Edinburgh’s Professor Steve Brusatte, whose latest book, The Story of Birds, tells the whole fascinating story. We caught up with him recently to find out more.
Of all the great dinosaur subjects, why this story?
I’ve…
(Full Story)
|
By Alice Milner, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London
Peatlands are central to climate change, yet basic questions remain unanswered. A global research community has mapped out what we most urgently need to know.
(Full Story)
|
By Dylan Ryan, Lecturer in Mechanical & Energy Engineering, Edinburgh Napier University
Plug-in solar panels could soon be on sale in UK, but there’s some steps the government still needs to take.
(Full Story)
|
By Anne Irfan, Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Race, Gender and Postcolonial Studies, UCL
It’s hard to hold a vote when nearly 2 million people, 90% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced during the conflict.
(Full Story)
|
By Stephanie Brown, Lecturer in Criminology, University of Hull
In England and its colonies, no one was burnt at the stake during witch-hunts: not at Pendle, not at Salem, and not under the campaigns of the witchfinder general.
(Full Story)
|
By Kartikeya Walia, Lecturer, Department of Engineering, Nottingham Trent University
A table tennis robot has outperformed elite players in recent evaluations. The robot, called Ace, marks a significant step toward artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can operate in fast, uncertain, real-world environments.
In the tests, the autonomous robot won three out of five matches against elite players – competitive athletes with over ten years’ experience and an average of 20 hours weekly training. The…
(Full Story)
|
By Gary Skuse, Professor of Bioinformatics, Rochester Institute of Technology
Sherry Dadgar, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, George Washington University
Combining AI with quantum computing could enable doctors and researchers to analyze the human body at an unprecedented molecular level, unlocking breakthroughs in personalized medicine. Yet significant quantum technology hurdles remain before this vision becomes reality.
(Full Story)
|
By Chris Vagasky, Meteorologist and Research Program Manager, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Don’t blame the weatherman. A meteorologist explains where your local weather forecasts really come from, and how storm scientists are trying to fill the gap.
(Full Story)
|
By Brittany Adams, Assistant Professor of Literacy Education, University of Alabama
Elias Blinkoff, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University
Karyn Allee, Associate Professor of Elementary Education, Mercer University
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Professor of Psychology, Temple University
Despite decades of legislation meant to boost children’s reading levels, literacy scores have remained relatively stagnant across the U.S. over the past 30 years.
Educators, policymakers and parents were genuinely excited in the late…
(Full Story)
|