Category: 7. Science

An extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived during the Jurassic period seems to have had quite the penchant for overreaching.

A new analysis of fossilized Tharsis fish reveals that the carnivorous marine animals seem to have frequently met their end with large cephalopods known as belemnites lodged quite fatally in their gullets.

According to paleontologists Martin Ebert and Martina Kölbl-Ebert of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany, Tharsis fish found in the 152 million-year-old Solnhofen Plattenkalk (limestone) formation in Germany appear in multiple instances to have died while attempting to swallow a belemnite nearly as long as themselves.

“A recent review of collection material … uncovered several specimens of Tharsis from the Late Jurassic Plattenkalk deposits of the Solnhofen Archipelago with belemnites wedged in mouth and gill apparatus,” they write in their paper.

“In all cases, the rostrum [beak] reexits through the gill apparatus, whereas the broad phragmocone [internal shell] of the belemnite is firmly lodged in the mouth opening.”

Related: Ancient Tyrannosaur’s Last Victims Can Still Be Seen Inside Its Stomach

Tharsis fish were what are known as micro-carnivores; animals that eat very small animals such as larvae and zooplankton, in this case by using suction to gulp down their food. Their fossils are quite common.

Belemnites, which resembled squid with a long hooded body and multiple arms, lived in the open ocean, left far fewer fossils.

Interestingly, the belemnite fossils found in the Plattenkalk basins of Eichstätt and Solnhofen often consist of an internal shell overgrown with bivalves – suggesting that the belemnite was dead, kept buoyant in the water column by a gas-filled shell colonized by other animals, such as clam-like molluscs, feasting on the decaying soft tissue.

Tharsis fish were unlikely to be looking for food amid the hostile conditions of the seafloor, nor would the fish have been preying directly on the belemnites – but the researchers believe they know why the dead, drifting cephalopods may have posed such a choking hazard for the hapless fish.

“Apparently, these micro-carnivore fish were in the habit of sucking remnants of decaying soft tissue or overgrowth such as algae or bacterial growth from floating objects, but when a streamlined floating belemnite rostrum accidentally was sucked into the mouth, they were no longer able to get rid of these deadly objects,” the paleontologists write in their paper.

“Even though the fish tried to pass the obstructive item through its gills, there was no way of getting rid of it, leading to death by suffocation.”

Sounds deeply unpleasant, really.

The research has been published in Scientific Reports.

An extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived during the Jurassic period seems to have had quite the penchant for overreaching.

A new analysis of fossilized Tharsis fish reveals that the carnivorous marine animals seem to have frequently met their end with large cephalopods known as belemnites lodged quite fatally in their gullets.

According to paleontologists Martin Ebert and Martina Kölbl-Ebert of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany, Tharsis fish found in the 152 million-year-old Solnhofen Plattenkalk (limestone) formation in Germany appear in multiple instances to have died while attempting to swallow a belemnite nearly as long as themselves.

“A recent review of collection material … uncovered several specimens of Tharsis from the Late Jurassic Plattenkalk deposits of the Solnhofen Archipelago with belemnites wedged in mouth and gill apparatus,” they write in their paper.

“In all cases, the rostrum [beak] reexits through the gill apparatus, whereas the broad phragmocone [internal shell] of the belemnite is firmly lodged in the mouth opening.”

Related: Ancient Tyrannosaur’s Last Victims Can Still Be Seen Inside Its Stomach

Tharsis fish were what are known as micro-carnivores; animals that eat very small animals such as larvae and zooplankton, in this case by using suction to gulp down their food. Their fossils are quite common.

Belemnites, which resembled squid with a long hooded body and multiple arms, lived in the open ocean, left far fewer fossils.

Interestingly, the belemnite fossils found in the Plattenkalk basins of Eichstätt and Solnhofen often consist of an internal shell overgrown with bivalves – suggesting that the belemnite was dead, kept buoyant in the water column by a gas-filled shell colonized by other animals, such as clam-like molluscs, feasting on the decaying soft tissue.

Tharsis fish were unlikely to be looking for food amid the hostile conditions of the seafloor, nor would the fish have been preying directly on the belemnites – but the researchers believe they know why the dead, drifting cephalopods may have posed such a choking hazard for the hapless fish.

“Apparently, these micro-carnivore fish were in the habit of sucking remnants of decaying soft tissue or overgrowth such as algae or bacterial growth from floating objects, but when a streamlined floating belemnite rostrum accidentally was sucked into the mouth, they were no longer able to get rid of these deadly objects,” the paleontologists write in their paper.

“Even though the fish tried to pass the obstructive item through its gills, there was no way of getting rid of it, leading to death by suffocation.”

Sounds deeply unpleasant, really.

The research has been published in Scientific Reports.

Related News

Ever wanted to explore space, but get the willies thinking about flying in a rocket? Celestia, a free and open-source space simulator, might be just the thing you’re looking for. This lightweight software works across a variety of platforms, including macOS, Windows, Linux, and even on mobile devices, doesn’t require much storage space, and has loads of powerful features that make it a great tool for spending a few hours exploring your local galactic cluster.

If you’re a space geek, this is one bit of software you absolutely need to install. Here’s why.

5

Moving from one planet to another is smooth

The transition sequences are nearly lag-free

Celestia is one of the better-optimized space simulators available at the moment, with smooth movement between celestial bodies and easy zooming in and out of locations. Even scrolling the mouse wheel back is enough to take you far away from Earth and give you a much wider view of the galaxy at large.

You can also zoom in close enough to see small details like spacecraft. If you want more (or less) information, you can adjust exactly what Celestia shows through its settings menu.

4

The celestial database is immense

Explore more than 100,000 stars

Celestia doesn’t limit the user to a specific area. You can explore a massive number of different planets, stars, and star systems — more than 100,000, in fact. And that’s just the ones included in the base program. There are many more options available through add-ons. Aside from the number of planets, you can explore each location in three dimensions. Ever been curious what the dark side of the moon looks like? Celestia makes it easy to see, and you can zoom in for more detail.

By default, Celestia uses the Hipparcos catalog, a part of the European Space Agency’s astrometric mission from 1989 until 1993. Be aware that some of the information could be outdated, given new information and discoveries from satellites like the Hubble Telescope and the James Webb Telescope.

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Celestia shows planets’ locations in real time

Or any time you want

If you want to see the exact location a planet is in at the given time, all you have to do is look it up in Celestia. You can set the camera to follow that planet, stay focused on it, and much more, and you can also adjust the planet’s velocity.

But the feature goes beyond that. If you want to know exactly where a planet was on a given date, you can plug that in and find it. For example, you can find out the arrangement of the planets on January 1, 2025, at midnight. Celestia can also show you where a planet will be in the future.

Spaceships, exoplanets, and so much more

By default, Celestia is focused on scientific accuracy, but you can add a lot more details to the application through community-created add-ons. For example, you can download scripts that will provide tours of Mars and Mercury. You can download black holes that don’t appear in Celestia normally.

You can even download fictional content from Stargate, Babylon 5, and other sci-fi shows. The community is passionate about Celestia and provides a huge amount of content at no cost. Seriously — there’s more than 80GB of extensions available for download, and some of those add-ons are so detailed that they require somewhat high-end hardware.

NASA and the ESA use it for educational purposes

Celestia is so accurate that official organizations like NASA and the European Space Agency have used it for educational outreach programs. In fact, the French Space Agency created a modified version of Celestia called VTS Timeloop that multiple other organizations have since used. If you’re a teacher, it’s a great way to give a lesson on the solar system. If you’re a parent, Celestia is an interesting way to get your children curious about space.

Celestia has also made an appearance in popular culture several times over, including the movies “The Andromeda Strain” and “The Day After Tomorrow.” It also made an appearance in a 2006 episode of “NCIS,” but that might not be high praise — if you’ve ever seen the show, you know the liberties it took with technology.

Celestia is a great tool for anyone, but it’s excellent for space enthusiasts

I’ve spent hours toying around with Celestia. As a writer, I’ve used it to get ideas for stories and ensure space-related estimates are correct. Some members of the community have even created fictional planetary systems, special effects, and a whole lot more that can be used in role-playing games. The application is powerful by default, but if you enjoy using it, immerse yourself in the community. It will enhance your experience and connect you with others that are just as passionate about space as you.

Forget textbook platitudes: our Solar System is a laboratory of physical paradoxes where mass, motion, and matter stage spectacles that challenge classical intuition. A single star monopolises 99.86 % of the system’s mass, and Kuiperian dwarfs patrol a frontier four billion years in the making. This curated list of facts threads peer-reviewed data through narrative flair, translating heliophysics, planetology, and icy trans-Neptunian dynamics into accessible insight. Prepare to travel the cosmos’ balance sheet; its dividends are gravitational, its liabilities incandescent.

1. The Sun Makes Up 99.86% of the Solar System’s Mass

The Sun is the heart of our solar system, and its sheer size is mind-boggling. It accounts for 99.86% of the total mass of the solar system, with the remaining 0.14% shared among planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. To put this into perspective, you could fit about 1.3 million Earths inside the Sun. This massive star generates energy through nuclear fusion, converting hydrogen into helium and providing the light and heat necessary for life on Earth. Its gravitational pull keeps all the planets in orbit, acting as the anchor of our cosmic system. Without the Sun, life as we know it would not exist.

2. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is a Storm Bigger Than Earth

Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is home to the Great Red Spot—a gigantic storm that has been raging for at least 400 years. This storm is so large that it could swallow Earth whole. While the storm has been shrinking in recent years, it still measures about 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) wide, making it one of the most iconic features of our solar system. Scientists believe the storm’s red hue may be caused by chemicals reacting in the planet’s atmosphere. It’s a powerful demonstration of Jupiter’s volatile and dynamic weather systems, which include other large storms and fast-moving winds.

3. Saturn’s Rings Are Made of Ice and Rock

Saturn’s stunning rings are one of the most recognizable features in the solar system. These rings are composed of countless particles of ice and rock, ranging in size from tiny grains to massive boulders. The rings stretch out over 175,000 miles (282,000 kilometers) but are surprisingly thin, with some sections only about 30 feet (10 meters) thick. Scientists believe the rings may have formed from the debris of comets, asteroids, or even moons that broke apart due to Saturn’s gravity. Despite their beauty, the rings are not solid and are constantly evolving due to gravitational interactions and collisions among the particles.

4. Venus Has a Day Longer Than Its Year

Venus, often called Earth’s twin due to its similar size and composition, has one of the most unusual rotation patterns in the solar system. A day on Venus (the time it takes to complete one rotation on its axis) lasts 243 Earth days, while its year (the time it takes to orbit the Sun) is only 225 Earth days. This means a day on Venus is longer than its year! Additionally, Venus rotates in the opposite direction to most planets, a phenomenon known as retrograde rotation. Its dense atmosphere, composed mainly of carbon dioxide, creates a runaway greenhouse effect, making it the hottest planet.

5. Mars Has the Tallest Volcano in the Solar System

Olympus Mons on Mars is the tallest volcano in the solar system, standing at a staggering 13.6 miles (22 kilometers) high—nearly three times the height of Mount Everest. This shield volcano is also about 370 miles (600 kilometers) in diameter, making it roughly the size of the state of Arizona. Scientists believe Olympus Mons formed over billions of years due to Mars’ lack of tectonic plate movement, allowing lava to pile up in one location. The volcano’s gentle slopes and massive size make it a compelling target for planetary scientists. Its relatively recent lava flows suggest Mars was geologically active not long ago.

6. Neptune Radiates More Heat Than It Receives from the Sun

Neptune, the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun, is an icy giant that radiates more than twice the amount of heat it receives from the Sun. This internal heat source drives the planet’s extreme weather, including supersonic winds that can reach speeds of up to 1,500 miles per hour (2,400 kilometers per hour). The exact source of this heat remains a mystery, but it is thought to be a combination of leftover heat from the planet’s formation and the slow cooling of its core. Neptune’s vivid blue color is due to methane in its atmosphere, which absorbs red light and reflects blue.

7. Uranus Rolls on Its Side

Uranus is unique among the planets in the solar system because it rotates on its side. Its axis is tilted at an angle of about 98 degrees, meaning it essentially rolls around the Sun like a ball. This extreme tilt is thought to be the result of a massive collision with an Earth-sized object billions of years ago. As a result, Uranus experiences extreme seasons, with each pole getting about 42 years of continuous sunlight followed by 42 years of darkness. Its pale blue color comes from methane in its atmosphere, and it has faint rings that are difficult to observe from Earth.

8. There Are More Than 400 Moons in the Solar System

While Earth has just one moon, our solar system is home to over 400 known moons orbiting planets, with even more orbiting dwarf planets and small bodies, bringing the total to over 890 confirmed moons. Jupiter and Saturn alone have 97 and 274 confirmed moons, respectively, with new discoveries continuing as telescope technology improves. These moons are incredibly diverse. For example, Europa, one of Jupiter’s largest moons, has a subsurface ocean beneath its icy crust that may harbor the conditions necessary for life. Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, features rivers, lakes, and even rain, but of liquid methane and ethane, not water. These fascinating worlds are key targets in the ongoing search for extraterrestrial life and understanding planetary systems. Some moons even have atmospheres or show signs of geological activity.

9. The Kuiper Belt is Home to Dwarf Planets

Beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt, a region filled with icy bodies and dwarf planets, including Pluto. This belt is similar to the asteroid belt but is far larger and contains objects made mostly of frozen volatiles like methane, ammonia, and water. Pluto, once considered the ninth planet, is now classified as a dwarf planet and is one of the largest objects in the Kuiper Belt. Other notable dwarf planets in this region include Eris, Haumea, and Makemake. These distant objects provide crucial clues about the formation and evolution of the solar system and represent a largely unexplored frontier in planetary science.

10. The Solar System is 4.6 Billion Years Old

Our solar system formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago from a giant molecular cloud of gas and dust. The Sun formed at the center, while the remaining material coalesced into planets, moons, and other celestial bodies. By studying meteorites, scientists have been able to determine the age of the solar system with remarkable accuracy. These ancient rocks provide a glimpse into the early days of our cosmic neighborhood and help us understand how it has evolved over billions of years. The solar system’s history is recorded in craters, asteroid belts, and planetary compositions, all offering evidence of its dynamic and violent past.

Part of NASA’s giant SLS rocket which will be used for the Artemis mission to return humans to the Moon. — © AFP MANDEL NGAN

Back to the Moon. NASA is gearing up for a new chapter in lunar exploration by sending a trio of high-tech instruments to the Moon. Two of the devices will be attached to a new lunar rover capable of carrying astronauts or operating remotely, while the third will gather data from orbit. For the Moon-bound devices, these will be equipped onto what is known as an LTV (Lunar Terrain Vehicle).

The LTV is part of NASA’s efforts to explore the lunar surface as part of the Artemis campaign and is the first crew-driven vehicle to operate on the Moon in more than 50 years. The Artemis program’s goal is to establish a permanent base on the Moon to facilitate human missions to Mars. This means reestablishing a human presence on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Designed to hold up to two astronauts, as well as operate remotely without a crew, this surface vehicle will enable NASA to achieve more of its science and exploration goals over a wide swath of lunar terrain.

These tools will focus on hunting for ice, mapping minerals, and analysing what lies beneath the surface. The aim is to offer a clearer picture of the Moon s makeup and its potential resources. While a future battle over resources might send geopolitical shudders through many, understanding more about our only satellite offers an enticing jump in scientific understanding.

Hunting minerals with AIRES

The Artemis Infrared Reflectance and Emission Spectrometer (AIRES) will identify, quantify, and map lunar minerals and volatiles, which are materials that evaporate easily, like water, ammonia, or carbon dioxide. The instrument will capture spectral data overlaid on visible light images of both specific features of interest and broad panoramas to discover the distribution of minerals and volatiles across the Moon’s south polar region.

Looking beneath the surface

The Lunar Microwave Active-Passive Spectrometer (L-MAPS) will help define what is below the Moon’s surface and search for possible locations of ice. Containing both a spectrometer and a ground-penetrating radar, the instrument suite will measure temperature, density, and subsurface structures to more than 131 feet (40 meters) below the surface.

The L-MAPS instrument team is led by Matthew Siegler from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Another aim is to uncover clues to the history of rocky worlds in our solar system.

From above

The Ultra-Compact Imaging Spectrometer for the Moon (UCIS-Moon) will be used in orbit. The instrument will provide regional context to the discoveries made from the LTV. From above, UCIS-Moon will map the Moon’s geology and volatiles and measure how human activity affects those volatiles.

The spectrometer also will help identify scientifically valuable areas for astronauts to collect lunar samples, while its wide-view images provide the overall context for where these samples will be collected.

The UCIS-Moon instrument will also provide the Moon’s highest spatial resolution data of surface lunar water, mineral makeup, and thermophysical properties.

What this all means

According to Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate: “The Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle will transport humanity farther than ever before across the lunar frontier on an epic journey of scientific exploration and discovery.”

She adds: “By combining the best of human and robotic exploration, the science instruments selected for the LTV will make discoveries that inform us about Earth’s nearest neighbour as well as benefit the health and safety of our astronauts and spacecraft on the Moon.”

These instruments will enable scientists to characterise the surface not only where astronauts explore, but also across the south polar region of the Moon, offering further opportunities for scientific discovery.

Gravitational waves are tiny distortions in spacetime itself, created when massive objects like black holes or neutron stars collide. These waves stretch and compress space as they pass through, but the effect is incredibly subtle, far smaller than the width of a proton. When Einstein predicted gravitational waves over a century ago, he likely never imagined that magnets could one day detect these gravitational ripples. Yet new research led by Valerie Domcke from CERN reveals that magnetic systems can function as exceptionally sensitive gravitational wave detectors, offering a fresh approach to studying some of the universe’s most violent events.

Albert Einstein (Credit : Oren Jack Turner)

Traditional gravitational wave detectors like LIGO use laser interferometry to measure these minuscule changes in distance. The new research proposes a completely different approach, using the magnetic fields themselves as sensors. The concept relies on a fascinating physical principle. When a gravitational wave passes through a direct current (DC) magnetic field, it couples with the conducting wires that carry the electrical currents generating that magnetic field. This interaction causes the wires to oscillate at the same frequency as the gravitational wave.

These oscillating currents then produce an alternating current (AC) component that can be measured and analysed. Essentially, the magnetic system transforms the gravitational wave’s spacetime distortion into a detectable electrical signal. The researchers describe this setup as creating a type of resonant mass detector called a “magnetic Weber bar,” named after physicist Joseph Weber, who pioneered gravitational wave detection in the 1960s.

LIGO Observatory is a traditional gravitational wave detector (Credit : LIGO Laboratory)

What makes this approach particularly promising is its sensitivity range. The magnetic detectors show exceptional performance across frequencies bounded by the mechanical and electromagnetic resonant frequencies of the system. This broad sensitivity could complement existing detectors, which are optimised for specific frequency ranges.

Perhaps most intriguingly, this discovery creates an unexpected connection between two cutting edge fields of physics. The concept works particularly well with powerful magnets already being deployed in the search for axion dark matter, hypothetical particles that could explain one of the universe’s greatest mysteries.

Experiments like DMRadio and ADMX-EFR use sophisticated magnetic systems to hunt for these elusive dark matter particles. The new research suggests these same systems could simultaneously serve as gravitational wave detectors, essentially getting two experiments for the price of one.

The study of galaxies like M33 reveals the presence of dark matter through the motion of stars in the outer regions (Credit : ESO)

This dual purpose capability represents more than just technological efficiency. It demonstrates how advances in one area of fundamental physics can unexpectedly benefit another, potentially accelerating discoveries in both gravitational wave astronomy and dark matter research.

While this research establishes the theoretical foundation for magnetic gravitational wave detection, the next steps involve demonstrating the concept experimentally and optimising the sensitivity. As dark matter search experiments continue to deploy increasingly powerful magnetic systems, they may soon provide the first real world tests of this innovative detection method.

This convergence of gravitational wave astronomy and dark matter research exemplifies how modern physics continues to reveal unexpected connections between seemingly separate phenomena, potentially opening new avenues for understanding our universe’s most fundamental mysteries.

Source : New Type of Detectors Could Search for Gravitational Waves with Magnets