This week in Science Friday we look into the awesome world of animals through the eyes of science. Plus, the latest news from our water-seeking lunar spacecraft. Geneticists cure color blind monkeys, paleontologists discover new mini T. Rex’s, and ecologists study how crows use tools. All this and more plus our gadgets of the week: robots that resemble dogs and fleas!
Scientists Discover Mini T-Rex Ancestor
Paleontologists recently discovered a new animal fossil that suggests that Tyrannosaurus rex wasn’t the first animal that developed the kind of body type associated with gigantic predators. The fossil, called Raptorex kriegsteini, was found in China and dates back 125 million years — well before T. rex. The odd thing about Raptorex is that it looks just like T. rex, except it’s about 1/90th the size, about 9 feet tall, and it weighed more or less what an average human does. It had T. rex’s big head, deep jaws, tiny arms, long legs and lanky feet. The new fossil suggests that this assembly of predatory body parts wasn’t about size. Read and hear more from NPR science.
The Raptorex skull is dwarfed by it’s successor T. Rex
Crows Can Use Multi-Tools
Scientists tasked tool-toting New Caledonian crows with snagging a snack trapped down in a clear tube. To get this treat, birds needed to use a short stick to ferret an intermediate stick out of a different tube, which they used to obtain a third stick, which was long enough to reach the food. Positive reinforcement may explain why animals use tools to obtain a reward, such as food. But, explaining the use of one tool to retrieve another is a whole different story, according to scientists.
Scientists Find Cure for Color Blindness – monkeys help
Genetic scientists have discovered the cure for color blindness. Scientists at the University of Washington, in Seattle, and the University of Florida restored normal vision to two color blind monkeys. The technique could prove to be a safe and effective cure for color blindness and other visual disorders related to the cones in the retina. “Although color blindness is only moderately life-altering, we have shown we can cure a cone disease in a primate and that it can be done very safely,” said Professor William Hauswirth, an ophthalmic molecular geneticist. “That is extremely encouraging for the development of therapies for human cone diseases that really are blinding.” Read more about color blind monkey business from London Times.
Can you see the dots? If yes, eat this banana. Good monkey.
Moon May Have Water Ice
If we ever want to open up a zoo on the moon, we are going to need water.
The powerful Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), NASA’s new moon orbiter, has successfully completed its testing and calibration phase and entered its mapping orbit of the moon. Instruments aboard LRO have just begun measuring the lunar environment and have already confirmed the presence of large amounts of hydrogen, a possible signature of water, on the moon. LCROSS, sister spacecraft of LRO, has plans to soon smash into the moon’s surface in an attempt to send water ice flying into space so that it can be measured. LRO will continue its mission of making the most detailed and high resolution maps of the lunar surface ever made. Below is a short video intro to LRO. For more info on LRO, check out the official website.
Gadgets of the Week: Little Dog and a flea-like Robot
In keeping with the zoological theme, we have a couple of animal-like robots. First up, Boston Dynamic Little Dog Robot is not new, but it has been learning and evolving and in this video below it demonstrates "dynamic double-support gait". More info at BotJunkie.com.
Also from BotJunkie comes new video of the Precision Urban Hopper robot, which seems to have a flea-like ability to jump.
#FollowFriday
If you are on Twitter, you know there are plenty of amazing people out there tweeting away. And, many of them are scientists! Every Friday I’ll be bringing you a new list of great scientists and techies to follow on Twitter. This week…
- @NOVAonline: The popular PBS science program. Blowing your mind since 1974.
- @wilw: Wil Wheaton. I’m just this guy, you know?
- @nerdist: I am Chris Hardwick and these are my Tweets!
Science Quickies
Not enough science for you? Here’s a warp-speed look at some more science tid-bits that are worth a look.
- In search of dark asteroids
- Space station crew welcomes first Japanese cargo ship
TrekMovie’s Science Friday is an homage the the great NPR radio show Science Friday. Science Friday® is a registered service mark of ScienceFriday Inc.
Raptorex! now thats a filmaker’s dream come true.
I wonder why Kirk & crew (or Picard, or Archer) never discovered a planet full with dinosaurs. They found cowboys, romans, Indians, 19th century America, even Abe Lincoln – but never dinosaurs.
Well, a dinsaur-episode surley needs too many redshirts, I guess.
Presumably it should read that the mini-Rex was 1/9th the size of a T-rex and not 1/90th?
As for robots, I’ve always like the M.U.L.E. the four legged one that is modeled after a pack mule, it is designed to carry supply’s for a 4-6 man squad in the Mountains or Dessert. It’s battery powered so a gas generator charges it when not in use. I say give it sime thermal Atomic batteries so it can run for months to years in places like the Afghan Mountains.
If they are going to find anything but Bin Lauden’s Ghost they need something more mobile than a jeep and smaller than a helicopter. That is if he is not a ghost for real now days.
Did anyone see the History channels Historys Prehistoric missing Monsters episode thursday night on Histoy International. Interesting science facts on physical body struture limits in Acient Earth Atmospheres. I missed the part they had on the mini version of one of the huge monsters. But it’s on my DVR so I can watch it uninterrupted and burn it to a DVD.
As for Trek Dinos, first the FX needed is costly, and they always try to save money on TV shows, why do you think the Transporters were used. Second in Voyager they had Dinos that in an alternate Universe replace the Inteligent Human life. And they did evolve into bipeds like man and they did come from Earth. There just was no Asteriod to hit Mexico and kill them off so Mammals became rodents. The holo-doc, Janeway & 7of9 figured it out in a holodeck lab when they learned they Alien Reptiles had Earth like DNA.
I always thought that was a good episode.
And why no Dino’s really in Trek, toddlers love dino’s so adding them in the setting would counter what Star Trek is aimed at, that’s the grown up viewers and those that do not think 2 + 2 = 5, or the comic book junkies. You need more than a few brain cells to comprehend Star Trek, those that have troubles doing so have Star Wars a Lucas.
Why do you think NASA people like Trekkie’s and tell the force people to get a life. But then the Jock jerks say that to Trekkie’s.
Wow smart bird :D
wow 5 u got it all wrong; it wasnt an alternate universe it was a hidden period in prehistory… the idea ur thinking of, the alternate universe one, was a TOS Novel
Thank you Kayla for the Tarbosaurus annotation picture. That´s by the famous painter Zdenek Burian from my country (Czech Republic). It´s nice to see, that his pictures are stil popular :-).
@7: There was both, a TOS novel called First Frontier, and a Voyager epidoes called Distant Origin
Kayla, nice round-up as usual. Love Raptorex. Reminds me of the Gorn, a little bit.
But please find a more accurate rendering of T. Rex at the top of the article. That restoration, beautiful painting that it is, is about 40 years out of date!
Scott B. out.
Re: #2 – I remember reading in — someone correct me if I’m wrong about my source — The Making of Star Trek, that Gene Roddenberry had as one option for the second pilot, a rough “Planet of Dinosaurs” idea that involved using stock movie footage from “dinosaur” movies to craft a story about the crew battling the beasts on an alien world. It would have been ridiculous. I’m glad it never happened.
Now today, with CGI, and a lot more knowledge of how dinosaurs actually looked and lived, it could be an awesome idea. In fact, I have the story outline in my head. Oh, for a weekly Star Trek show to pitch it to. :-)
Scott B. out.
# 5 Spockish
Humanoid dinosaurs don’t count as dinosaurs!
I can’t understand why encounter dinos in Trek should be less intelligent as meeting ancient romans, space nazis, cowboys or cute furballs! I think, such an episode would be pure fun and entertainment! On the other side, if you are with Bob Orci’s camp and hate dinosaurs, well, then I understand.
As for the budget reason: Of course, a dinosaur-episode would be very, very expensive. But if I watch the old BBC-documentries (especially the Nigel-Marven-episodes) an episode with dinos can’t be SO expensive.
BTW: That dog-robot is cool, but I can’t recognise the shape of the flee-robot (too small). How is that thing working?
# 13:
Great! I for myself wrote down a dinosaur-Trek-story about an alien planet with earth-dinosaurs, involving the Klingons and some modern-day allegory. Perhaps we should send our stories to Bob as birthday-gifts. I know, he would enjoy it. ;)
Dinos in Trek??
Um. Why? What’s strange, new or civilized about being munched by a T-Rex or squished by an Apatosaurus (the artist formerly known as Brontosaurus)?
It’s great fun, but not really Trek… IMHO.
I could think up a few uses for the fence-jumpin’ bot. Cool!
Thanks, Kayla.
#7 Porthos X you are correct, I was tired at 4AM Denver time. My memory was kind of working. I could remember the episode, but could not recall the proper frame of the episode was using.
I liked the Voyager concept of dinosaurs evolved into intelligent bipeds. Although I would have preferred if they had based the episode on a planet populated by both intelligent dinosaurs and the more savage variety. As I recall, that Voyager episode was kind of boring.
What would the evolution of intelligence be like if you constantly faced the threat of being attacked by dinosaurs? What would the city’s look like? How would civilization be maintained with the constant threat of savage dinosaur attacks?
#2
got gorn?
#3, no 1/90th is in fact correct. The raptorex weights about 60 kg, while the T Rex weighs in at several tons.
Wow…. it’s like a bite-size Rex.
Now that’s just fun. Though, I still wouldn’t want to run into one on a rainy night on a tropical island.
Poor Little Dog — at the end of each test, it looked doggone tired!
18 – Thank you, Kayla, I appreciate the correction.
Still, that puts the little fella at 1/90th the weight or mass of a T-rex. If the newly-discovered dino is 9 feet tall and 1/90th the size of a Rex, that would put a Rex at a height of 810 feet.
Everybody run like hell! ;-)
18 – Oops, Kayla, I meant “clarification” not “correction.”
In the making of Trek book, I remember the second plot was reptiles, and big ones at that but do not recall the word dinosaur used, I think Gene Coon liked the first GOD like plot because at the time TV FX at the time was like still in the 50’s era, at least the affordable stuff. They saved much production costs with the Mater-energy-mater transpotation rather than Shuttles or Rockets, and FX effects via film not video which just turned color and Star Trek was Desilu’s first color show. I’m happy they still used film as back up for safety. They were not experienced with video recordings yet. Bet the electronics still used Tubes 2 or 3 times the size of your thumb, solid state transistors would not win out the Vietnam War for Hollywood. Now what they have on a chip would take a skyscraper to hold and need an Iceberg to cool. The wonders of Bell Labs ant TI doing solid state silicon instead of glass enclosed gas vacuums and metal plates that needed 1,000 or more times the energy.
And the Pogobots were first created back in 1981 at MIT when they started thinking of creating 2 legged walking robots. And Japan bet the US to it.
I always thought the snake-bots were easy and most efficient in travel, slower but easier.
It took me 3 years to teach myself to walk again and leave my wheel chair. I never thought there was much to walking, but after my knowledge was lost by the Head Injury, I had to figure it out again, I child’s brain needs to educate it’s self with much. But they have less to fall than a 6’2″ adult. The fall is not bad it’s getting back up on two feet that’s hard. Even harder being semi-paralyzed on my left side.
And if you had a Mini T-Rex as a pet would you let it nibble on your toes or fingers. What about it wanting dinner and you do not want it getting fat. Or the Neighbors cat or dog wanted to play with it. How much fur would you find after 15 minutes of play time. They may have small brains but the brain is still built on Dino architecture. But they would still be cute pets, but they might make a pit-bull look like a poodle.
Use ’em as guard dogs. I mean, guard ‘Rexes.
;-)
You know how people name their animal guardians “Rex”? (Or maybe, in irony, do the same thing to their small pets (hamsters, etc.)?) Well, if you genetically revived this micro-Rex they’re talking about, they’d have a reason to do that.
As far as the microcenphalic nature of dinosaurs — last time I looked, neither crocs nor alligators — both of which pre-date the dinosaurs — were any less successful. :-) And people love pet lizards, besides!
Now THAT’S what the Space Program has been missing – DRAMATIC THEME MUSIC! (And no goofy lyrics…)
[Physicist hat on]
“1/90th the size, about 9 feet tall”
“Size” is an imprecise term. It should read 1/90 the *mass*, not “size” which could mean any unit of measurement, and certainly not “weight”, which is the force exerted on a mass in the presence of a gravitational acceleration, usually countered by a normal force which gives the “feeling” or “sense” of weight. (You feel weightless when falling in freefall, but the force on you by the large planet — your weight — is still there!)
Help stamp out the confusion between mass and weight. Kilograms are a unit of mass. Newtons are the unit of weight. The little critter would weight in at about 600 newtons, whereas the T. Rex would come in around 60,000 newtons. A human with a mass of 100 kg weighs in at 1,000 newtons. And the pressure that would result from 100 people standing on your about 1 square meter of skin is exactly what atmospheric pressure is doing to you! Anyweigh… ;)
Kudos to Brett for imagining a 810 foot tall dino! That would be 81 stories (or storeys for our British friends) tall! Sort of a Super-Godzirra! :)
Mass goes as volume at constant density, so comparing a three-dimensional volume to a one-dimensional height means we just need the cube root of 90, about 4.5. So, 9 x 4.5 gives about 41 feet… which according to Wikipedia is within the “up to 43 feet” height of a T. Rex. Cool.
From “This Side of Paradise”, Spock told Leila that there were dragons on Berengaria 7. So, dragons/dinosaurs… there you go.
hey spockish.
Does a mater-energy-mater transporter ONLY transport mothers?
that could be handy but somewhat limiting…..
Maybe its just me, but “little dog” has the profile of a 1940s or 50s car with legs.
OH… LAST!!!
To: #11) Scott B, I do not have names or numbers, but the ideas will have to go through Paramount. I’ve looked into it years ago.
But to really even get Paramount to hear you as more than an echo in the wind, you are going to need to be rich enough to hire a Idea/Concept Marketing person with some experience in the field. Then they will be presenting the concept to Paramount s paper shufflers. If liked they will contact your representative and either say yes/no to him or want to see you in person to talk about things, namely $$$ and their corrective thoughts. Presenting the idea to them it also helps it you have script action drawings, a story board or animation presentation would be even better.
With computer software today a animated outline of your story would run $10,000 to $100,000. Even cheaper if your the type to have a wooden leg and a eye patch and a pet parrot that likes crackers. But if you did that and made money you’d be meeting many legal eagles wanting to make money off your money. In other words to make money and not have others make money off you, going legal is the best way.
Or there is two other Hollywood ways, Become buddy’s with the Paramount paper shufflers, or start sleeping with them. But these ways are only rumors, I’ve herd no first hand stories of such, just uptenth hand stories or newspaper rumors.
Also my best of luck wishes.
#31) Charlie, the walking care is a prototype, and new things cost money to make. Would you buy a scrap 50’s car body for $50 or go buy a Grand or so costing 80’s or 90’s car. The differnce can allow you many more servos or even a better computer processor to let you travel faster.
Discovery had a series that had a 6 legged walking jeep, and in the show they even presented the version 0.5 version of the Army’s new speed tank, in the show they had the 6 screen ATI video device that was in last weeks Sci-Friday report. And the speed tank has even been shown in Pop. Sci. The future Now and on History channels shows.
I like the ATI six screen graphics card, since being a ATI geek since 1995 when I built my first 386 Tower PC that used Win 95. (had to clairify because Power PC hints at Apple or as I call the Crapple since my Atari ST days).
Re: # 11 – I think one of Gene’s story ideas for future possible stories in the Star Trek format “pitch” to NBC was something called “To Skin a Tyranosaur” – one of several log line style story ideas and one of the few pitched that didn’t morph into a later episode in some form or fashion.
Did anyone else laugh their ass off when the Little Dog robot just kept falling down when it was done with each task? That may be the funniest thing I’ve seen this week.
I thought it was deliberate — Little Dog was done with its task, so it sat down as programmed.
It’s a funny little thing.
possible those are just baby teenage T-Rex’s?
# 38 – Nope. The age is wrong, for one thing. The tiny R’ex appeared tens of millions of years before T Rex. Secondly, juvenile dinos are like any juvenile — their bones are different proportions than an adult version. Further, you can look at the two skulls above, and while morphologically similar, they’re not all that exact a match. They’re clearly two different species.
I think the comparison between Raptorex and T Rex is based more on the basic body design and the unexpected similarity of the forelimbs. The tiny, apparently vestigial arms on the 9-foot dino are rather unexpected.
Scott B. out.