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Hundreds Of Eggs From Ancient Flying Reptile Are Found In China

A cache of hundreds of eggs discovered in China sheds new light on the development and nesting behavior of prehistoric, winged reptiles called pterosaurs.

Pterosaurs were fearsome-looking creatures that flew during the Lower Cretaceous period alongside dinosaurs. This particular species was believed to have a massive wingspan of up to 13 feet, and likely ate fish with their large teeth-filled jaws.

Researchers working in the Turpan-Hami Basin in northwestern China collected the eggs over a 10-year span from 2006 to 2016.

A single sandstone block held at least 215 well-preserved eggs that have mostly kept their shape. Sixteen of those eggs have embryonic remains of the pterosaur species Hamipterus tianshanensis, the researchers said in findings released today in Science.

The fossils in the area are so plentiful that scientists refer to it as “Pterosaur Eden,” says Shunxing Jiang, a paleontologist at the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology. “You can very easily find the pterosaur bones,” he says, adding that they believe dozens more eggs might still lie hidden within the sandstone.

Artist’s rendition of a family of pterosaurs, which had massive wingspans of up to 13 feet and likely ate fish with their large teeth-filled jaws. Illustrated by Zhao Chuang

Hundreds of pterosaur bones from the Lower Cretaceous period lie on the surface of an excavation site in the China’s Turpan-Hami Basin. Alexander Kellner/Museu Nacional/UFRJ

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Red fire ammonite

gentle stillness

by Denny Bitte

With little warning Chile’s Calbuco volcano erupted with ferocity after 42 years of stability.

On April 22nd, plumes of ash began spewing from the volcano up to 10 kilometres in the air, and resulted in a large evacuation process as well as these powerful images. 

With warning of as little as 15 minutes for some residents, this eruption highlights the immense difficulty in forecasting volcanic eruptions. Chile has 400 or so active volcanoes - one of the highest amounts on the planet, yet there’s still little that can be done to efficiently predict these eruptions. 

The proximity of high population density near large volcanoes seen in countries like Chile, Malaysia and The US have experts in the field concerned about the measures taken to ensure safety. Volcanoes that have been dormant for hundreds or thousands of years can still spring to life, begging the question; what can we do to ensure safety of these populations?

(Nat Geo, Vox, Time)

Puppies in the snow