#mark choiniere

[pushingraleigh]

Max Schaaf | This Time

Max Schaaf | This Time Filmed and Directed by Mark Choiniere

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Nemegtonykus citus

By Ripley Cook 

Etymology: Nemget Claw

First Described By: Lee et al., 2019

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Alvarezsauria, Alvarezsauroidea, Alvarezsauridae, Parvicursorinae

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: 70 million years ago, in the Maastrichtian of the Late Cretaceous 

Nemegtonykus is known from the Nemegt Formation of Ömnögovi, Mongolia 

Physical Description: Nemegtonykus is known from a partial skeleton, showing a one meter long, lightly built bipedal animal. Like other Alvarezsaurs, it had a long tail and long, thin legs. We don’t know much about its arms or head, but it’s reasonable to suppose it - like other Alvarezsaurs - would have had single thumb claws, and no other digits on its arms; and a small head, ending in a very pointed snout. Parvicursorines, like Nemegtonykus, were of the small and lightly-built vein of Alvarezsaurs - and the apparently much more diverse group - rather than the heavily built Patagonykines. As a small birdie dinosaur, Nemegtonykus would have been covered in feathers, and possibly even had small wing-like feathers on its arms as display structures.

Diet: Alvarezsaur diets is a bit of question - one of the most popular hypotheses is that Alvarezsaurs are insectivores, however there is still a question and they may have been more generalist omnivores. 

By José Carlos Cortés 

Behavior: Nemegtonykus, as an Alvarezsaur, would have been extremely specialized in speed - its legs were well built for running, both to escape predators and potentially search for prey. It also would have been fairly good at hopping, able to leap out of the way in times of danger or distress. It is possible that the little claws of Nemegtonykus would have been useful in digging up insects or other sources of food out of hard to reach places. Nemegtonykus, like other Alvarezsaurs, would have been a very skittish and anxious animal, using its ability to run to escape danger as quickly as possible. The feathers would have been useful both in thermoregulation (given its small size) and display to other members of the species; and it probably took care of its young to some extent.

Ecosystem: Nemegtonykus lived in the famous and diverse Nemegt Formation, an environment filled to bursting with different kinds of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. This was a vast wetland, flooded with river channels that created extensive lakes, mudflats, and floodplains, much like the modern Okavango Delta in Botswana. This swamp field was surrounded by extensive coniferous forests, where the ground became somewhat drier. This was an area of animals highly specialized for their environment - especially creatures specialized for feeding on water plants, making them all various kinds of vaguely-duck-like animals. There was Duck Satan Deinocheirus, and the ornithomimosaurs Gallimimus and Answerimimus who also had duck-like bills for feeding on soft plants. There was the Hadrosaur (Duck-Billed Dinosaur) Saurolophus, which also fed on soft, mushy plants; and the actual early duck-like thing, Teviornis. In terms of non-duck dinosaurs, there was the large tyrannosaur Tarbosaurus and the smaller Alioramus; Troodontids like Tochisaurus, Zanabazar, and Borogovia; a million kind of chickenparrots like Avimimus, Elmisaurus, Conchoraptor, Nemegtomaia, Nomingia, and Rinchenia; the Hesperornithine Brodavis; Pachycephalosaurs like Homalocephale and Prenocephale; Ankylosaurs such as Tarchia and Saichania; the titanosaur Nemegtosaurus; the Therizinosaur Therizinosaurus; the raptor Adasaurus; and another Alvarezsaur - Mononykus. There was also an Azhdarchid pterosaur, the mammal Buginbaatar, and a variety of crocodilians and turtles. 

By Scott Reid 

Other: Nemegtonykus was found alongside a specimen of Mononykus, potentially indicating that different Alvarezsaurs potentially socialized with each other, or at least didn’t avoid each other within their shared habitats. This may also indicate a level of niche partitioning between different Alvarezsaurs.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources Under the Cut 

Arbour, V. M., Currie, P. J. and Badamgarav, D. (2014), The ankylosaurid dinosaurs of the Upper Cretaceous Baruungoyot and Nemegt formations of Mongolia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 172: 631–652.  

Barsbold, R. (1983). “Carnivorous dinosaurs from the Cretaceous of Mongolia [in Russian].” Trudy, Sovmestnaâ Sovetsko−Mongol’skaâ paleontologičeskaâ èkspediciâ, 19: 1–120.

Chinzorig, T., Kobayashi, Y., Tsogtbaatar, K., Currie, P.J., Takasaki, R., Tanaka, T., Iijima, M., Barsbold, R. 2017. Ornithomimosaurs from the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia: manus morphological variation and diversity. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 494: 91 - 100.

Choiniere, J.N.; Xu, X.; Clark, J.M.; Forster, C.A.; Guo, Y.; Han, F. (2010). "A basal alvarezsauroid theropod from the early Late Jurassic of Xinjiang, China". Science. 327 (5965): 571–574.

Fanti, F., Bell, P.R., Tighe, M., Milan, L.A., Dinelli, E. 2017. Geochemical fingerprinting as a tool for repatriating poached dinoaur fossils in Mongolia: A case study for the Nemegt Locality, Gobi Desert. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 494: 51 - 64.

Fowler DW, Woodward HN, Freedman EA, Larson PL, Horner JR (2011) Reanalysis of “Raptorex kriegsteini”: A Juvenile Tyrannosaurid Dinosaur from Mongolia. PLoS ONE 6(6): e21376.

Funston, G. F.; Mendonca, S. E.; Currie, P. J.; Barsbold, R. (2017). “Oviraptorosaur anatomy, diversity and ecology in the Nemegt Basin”. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.

Gradzinski, R., J. Kazmierczak, J. Lefeld. 1968. Geographical and geological data form the Polish-Mongolian Palaeontological Expeditions. Palaeontologia Polonica 198: 33 - 82.

Holtz, Thomas R., Jr. (2007). "Ornithomimosaurs and Alvarezsaurs". Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages.

Holtz, T.R. 2014. Paleontology: Mystery of the horrible hands solved. Nature 515 (7526): 203 - 205.

Hurum, J. 2001. Lower jaw of Gallimimus bullatus. In Tanke, D. H., K. Carpenter, M. W. Skrepnick. Mesozoic Vertebrate Life. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 34 - 41.

Jerzykiewicz, T., Russell, D.A. 1991. Late Mesozoic stratigraphy and vertebrates of the Gobi Basin. Cretaceous Reserch 12 (4): 346 - 377.

Kielan-Jaworowska, Z. 1969. Fossils from the Gobi desert. Science Journal 5(1):32-38.

Kielan-Jaworowska, Z., R. Barsbold. 1972. Narrative of the Polish-Mongolian Palaeontological Expeditions 1967-1971. Palaeontologia Polonica 27: 5 - 136.

Kobayashi, Y., Barsbold, R. 2006. Ornithomimids from the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. Journal of the Paleontological Society of Korea 22 (1): 195 - 207.

Lee, Y.N., Barsbold, R., Currie, P.J., Kobayashi, Y., Lee, H.J. 2013. New specimens of Deinocherus mirificus from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Abstracts of Papers: 161.

Lee, Y.N., Barsbold, R., Currie, P.J., Kobayashi, Y., Lee, H.J., Godefroit, P., Escuillie, F.O., Chinzorig, T. 2014. Resolving the long-standing enigmas of a giant ornithomimosaur Deinocheirus mirificus. Nature 515 (7526): 257 - 260.

Lee, S., J.-Y. Park, Y.-N. Lee, S.-H. Kim, J. Lü, R. Barsbold, K. Tsogtbaatar. 2019. A New Alvarezsaurid Dinosaur from the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. Scientific Reports 9: 15493.

Lü, JC; Xu, L; Chang, HL; Jia, SH; Zhang, JM; Gao, DS; Zhang, YY; Zhang, CJ; Ding, F (2018). "A new alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Luanchuan, Henan Province, central China". China Geology. 1: 28–35.

Newbrey, M. G., Donald B. Brinkman, Dale A. Winkler, Elizabeth A. Freedman, Andrew G. Neuman, Denver W. Fowler and Holly N. Woodward (2013). “Teleost centrum and jaw elements from the Upper Cretaceous Nemegt Formation (Campanian-Maastrichtian) of Mongolia and a re-identification of the fish centrum found with the theropod Raptorex kreigsteini”. In Gloria Arratia; Hans-Peter Schultze; Mark V. H. Wilson (eds.). Mesozoic Fishes 5 – Global Diversity and Evolution. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil. pp. 291–303.  

Schweitzer, Mary Higby, Watt, J.A., Avci, R., Knapp, L., Chiappe, L, Norell, Mark A., Marshall, M. (1999). "Beta-Keratin Specific Immunological reactivity in Feather-Like Structures of the Cretaceous Alvarezsaurid, Shuvuuia deserti Journal of Experimental Biology (Mol Dev Evol) 255:146-157.

Shuvalov, V.F. (2000). “The Cretaceous stratigraphy and palaeobiogeography of Mongolia”. In Benton, Michael J.; Shishkin, Mikhail A.; Unwin, D.M.; Kurochkin, E.N. (eds.). The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 256–278.

Takanobu Tsuihiji, Brian Andres, Patrick M. O'connor, Mahito Watabe, Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar & Buuvei Mainbayar (2017) Gigantic pterosaurian remains from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Turner, Alan H.; Pol, Diego; Clarke, Julia A; Erickson, Gregory M.; Norell, Mark (2007). "A basal dromaeosaurid and size evolution preceding avian flight". Science. 317 (5843): 1378–1381.

Watabe, M., S. Suzuki, K. Tsogtbaatar, T. Tsubamoto, M. Saneyoshi. 2010. Report of the HMNS-MPC Joint Paleontological Expedition in 2006. Hayashibara Museum of Natural Sciences Reasearch Bulletin 3:11 - 18.

Watanabe, A., Eugenia Leone Gold, M., Brusatte, S.L., Benson, R.B.J., Choiniere, J., Davidson, A., Norell, M.A., Claessens, L. 2015. Vertebral pneumaticity in the ornithomimosaur Archaeornithomimus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) revealed by computed tomography imaging and reappraisal of axial pneumaticity in ornithomimosuria. PLoS ONE 10 (12): e0145168.

Zelenitsky, D K., F. Therrien, G. M. Erickson, C. L. DeBuhr, Y. Kobayashi, D. A. Eberth, F. Hadfield. 2012. Feathered non-avian dinosaurs from North America provide insight into wing origins. Science 338 (6106): 510 - 514.

[forayoff]

Journal de la revanche pornographique - mardi 11 janvier

J’avais pour idée de faire un post sur la situation sanitaire et sur le grand n’importe quoi qui nous habite au quotidien ( #Blanquerdémission), mais j’ai fait autre chose aujourd’hui, à savoir de belles interventions avec l’ami Sylvain Choinier auprès de lycéens du lycée ND d’Elbeuf. Au lieu de tout ça, je poste un disque qui a changé ma vie en 1996 ; Beautiful Freak de THE EELS. Je me souviens du jour et presque de l’heure où j’ai entendu « Novocaine for the soul » dans la cuisine chez mes parents. Je me souviens d’avoir demandé le cd à la médiathèque du village ensuite (1er rateau). Puis à la médiathèque de DSN de Dieppe (2eme rateau), j’ai dû attendre un peu et me faire une raison. À l’époque, internet, c’était un doux rêve, alimenté par quelques passionnés qui s'échangeaient des PDF avec comme unique message le mot Freedom. Autrement dit, personne n’était vraiment connectés. On ramait un peu pour retrouver nos crushs. J’ai fini par copier le disque sur une vieille cassette que je me passais en boucle. et quand j’y pense, je crois que ça a cristallisé en moi l’idée que je me faisais de la musique, un truc qui te transperce, entre rage et douceur ; la tempête hivernale et la quiétude d’un matin d’été. De forts contrastes, une émotion semi-controlée, voir pas du tout. Bien sur il y a avait eu Nirvana avant cela, mais Mark Oliver Everett, le fondateur du groupe, en remettait une couche, avec sa patte de savant fou. Et en moi, ça criait, vas-y mon gars, tu peux y aller, lance-toi gros !

À l’époque je n’avais ni la queue d’une guitare, ni la verve d’un dindon. Je me suis mis à rêver que c’était possible d'acquérir les deux. Et quand tu commences ce genre rêve c’est impossible de revenir en arrière (ça je crois que je l’ai emprunté à Oscar Wilde, mais je suis pas sûr).

Donc ce soir, si vous voulez bien, je vous propose de mettre « Novocaïne for the soul » (au volume que vous souhaitez) comme un hymne qui nous rassemble, dans une grande manif.

à mardi,

FORAY

[sciencespies]

Sharp size reduction in dinosaurs that changed diet to termites

https://sciencespies.com/nature/sharp-size-reduction-in-dinosaurs-that-changed-diet-to-termites/

Sharp size reduction in dinosaurs that changed diet to termites

Dinosaurs were generally huge, but a new study of the unusual alvarezsaurs show that they reduced in size about 100 million years ago when they became specialised ant-eaters.

The new work is led by Zichuan Qin, a PhD student at the University of Bristol and Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing. He measured body sizes of dozens of specimens and showed that they ranged in size from 10-70 kg, the size of a large turkey to a small ostrich, for most of their existence and then plummeted rapidly to chicken-sized animals at the same time as they adopted a remarkable new diet: ant-eating.

The alvarezsaurs lived from the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous (160 to 70 million years ago) in many parts of the world, including China, Mongolia, and South America. They were slender, two-legged predators for most of their time on Earth, pursuing lizards, early mammals, and baby dinosaurs as their diet.

“Perhaps competition with other dinosaurs intensified through the Cretaceous,” says Prof Michael Benton, one of Zichuan’s supervisors, at Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences. “The Cretaceous was a time of rapidly evolving ecosystems and the biggest change was the gradual takeover by flowering plants. Flowering plants changed the nature of the landscape completely, and yet dinosaurs mostly did not feed on these new plants. But they led to an explosion of new types of insects, including ants and termites.”

This restructuring of ecosystems has been called the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution, marking the time when modern-style forests and woodlands emerged, with diverse plants and animals, including insects that specialised to pollinate the new flowers and to feed on their leaves, petals and nectar.

A key problem with many alvarezsaur specimens, especially the chicken-sized ones, was to be sure they were all adults. “Some of the skeletons clearly came from juveniles,” says Dr Qi Zhao, a co-author and an expert on bone histology, “and we could tell this from sections through the bone. These showed the ages of the dinosaurs when they died, depending on the number of growth rings in the bone. We were able to identify that some specimens came from babies and juveniles and so we left them out of the calculations.”

Ant-eating might seem an amazing diet for dinosaurs. “This was suggested years ago when the arms of Mononykus were reported from Mongolia,” says Professor James Clark in Washington, DC, a co-author of this paper, and also one of the first discoverers of tiny alvarezsaurs from Mongolia. “Mononykus was one of the small alvarezsaurs, just about 1 metre long, but probably weighing 4-5 kilograms, a decent-sized Christmas turkey. Its arm was short and stout and it had lost all but one of its fingers which was modified as a short spike. It looked like a punchy little arm, no good for grabbing things, but ideal for punching a hole in the side of a termite mound.”

“Interestingly, alvarezsaur dinosaurs were indeed not small in size or ant eaters at start,” says Professor Jonah Choiniere in South Africa, a co-author of this paper, who was first to report the earliest alvarezsaurs in China. “Their ancestors, like Haplocheirus, are relatively large, close to the size of a small ostrich, and their sharp teeth, flexible forelimbs and big eyes suggest they had a mixed diet.”

Zichuan Qin took all the measurements of body size and mapped these across a dated evolutionary tree of the alvarezsaurs. “My calculations show how body sizes went up and down for the first 90 million years they existed, ranging from turkey to ostrich-sized, and averaging 30-40 kg,” says Zichuan. “Then, 95 million years ago, their body size suddenly dropped to 5 kg, and their claw shapes changed from grabbing and cutting to punching.”

“This is a very strange result, but it seems to be true,” says Professor Xing Xu, a co-supervisor to Zichuan in Beijing. “All other dinosaurs were getting bigger and bigger, but one group of flesh-eaters miniaturized, and this was associated with living in trees and flying. They eventually became birds. We’ve identified a second miniaturization event — but it wasn’t for flight, but to accommodate a completely new diet, switching from flesh to termites.”

#Nature

[365footballorg-blog]

Philadelphia Union vs. Montreal Impact | 2018 MLS Match Preview

September 12, 20183:19PM EDT

Philadelphia Union vs. Montreal Impact 2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 29 Talen Energy Stadium — Chester Sept. 15 — 7:30 pm ET WATCH: TVAS, ESPN+

It’s a huge six-pointer in the Eastern Conference playoff race when the Philadelphia Union host the Montreal Impact Saturday night at Talen Energy Stadium.

Fifth place in the East, the Union have four wins in a five-match unbeaten run following a 2-2 draw at Orlando on Sept. 1, while the sixth-place Impact have only lost one of their last five games and come in off a 3-0 home win over the New York Red Bulls on Sept. 1.

This is the second meeting this season with the Union claiming a 2-0 win at Stade Saputo on May 12. Cory Burke scored two minutes before halftime and Haris Medunjanin added a late insurance goal against the 10-man Impact, who saw Daniel Lovitz sent off in the 67th minute for DOGSO following Video Review.

Philadelphia Union

Philadelphia (12-11-4) were moments from a fifth straight victory, but were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw at Orlando on Sept. 1.

After Dom Dwyer put the hosts in front, Burke leveled in the 32nd minute and Fafa Picault put the Union in front two minutes from full time before Scott Sutter scored the stoppage-time equalizer.

“We control our own destiny, which is a good thing,” Jim Curtin said. “But we obviously have a little bit of a break now. A perfect time to recharge some of the batteries, get some guys some treatment for injuries, take a look at some young players this week, some academy kids that are in and impressing, so overall a good time to refresh, recharge, and go into now what will be a big September for the club.”

Suspended: None

Suspended after next caution: None

International duty: None

Injury Report: OUT: D – Matt Real (left knee sprain), M – Ilsinho (quad strain); QUESTIONABLE: M – Anthony Fontana (right hamstring strain), M – Borek Dockal (ankle sprain)

Projected Starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left) GK: Andre Blake — Keegan Rosenberry, Jack Elliott, Auston Trusty, Raymon Gaddis — Haris Medunjanin, Derrick Jones — CJ Sapong, Alejandro Bedoya, Fafa Picault – Cory Burke

Montreal Impact

Montreal (11-14-3) made it two wins in three games with a decisive 3-0 victory over the Supporters’ Shield-leading New York Red Bulls at Stade Saputo on Sept. 1.

Rod Fanni opened the scoring with his first MLS goal on the half-hour mark, followed eight minutes later by Bacary Sagna’s first league tally. Ignacio Piatti closed out the scoring in second-half stoppage time.

“The remaining six games will look like this one, that is, with a need to get a good result,” head coach Remi Garde said. “We must put the same ingredients and the same parameters that allowed us to beat one of the best teams on the circuit, who came to Montreal with great confidence.”

Suspended: None

Suspended after next caution: None

International duty: None

Injury Report: OUT: M – David Choiniere (ankle surgery), D – Kyle Fisher (quad injury)

Projected Starting XI (4-3-3, right to left) GK: Evan Bush — Bacary Sagna, Rod Fanni, Jukka Raitala, Daniel Lovitz — Micheal Azira, Samuel Piette, Saphir Taider — Alejandro Silva, Quincy Amarikwa, Ignacio Piatti

All-Time Series

Overall: Philadelphia Union 4 wins, 21 goals … Montreal Impact 7 wins, 30 goals … 6 draws

At Philadelphia: Union 2 wins, 11 goals … Impact 1 win, 12 goals … 5 draws

Last meeting at Philadelphia: Philadelphia Union 0, Montreal Impact 3 (Aug. 12, 2017)

Officials

Referee: Armando Villarreal Assistant Referees: Adam Wienckowski, Kevin Klinger 4th Official: JC Rivero VAR: Ricardo Salazar

<!–

Stay connected: Get access to breaking news, videos, and analysis from North America’s best soccer reporters via “This Week in MLS” newsletter or using our FREE mobile app.

–>

Stay connected: The all-new, completely redesigned, FREE official MLS app is your best mobile source for scores, news, analysis and highlights. Download:  App Store  |  Google Play

#block-block-188 {padding:0;} #stay-connected {border-top:1px solid #ebebeb;margin:20px 0;} #stay-connected p {margin:0;color:#4d4d4d;line-height:1.5em;} @media screen and (max-width: 730px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 731px) and (max-width: 1120px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 1121px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:708px;} }

MLSsoccer.com News

Philadelphia Union vs. Montreal Impact | 2018 MLS Match Preview was originally published on 365 Football

[crossoverbdg]

. #crossomixover Vol.16 . THROWDOWN . Album : Intolerance Asal : Orange county, California Label : eOne . Current Members : . • Dave Peters – lead vocals (2002–present); guitars (2000–2002) . • Matt Mentley – bass (2005–2007, 2014–present); guitars (2004–2005); touring guitar (2001-2004) . Former . • Javier Van Huss – bass (1997–1998) • Marc Jackson – guitar (2004); drums, percussion (1997–2002) • Keith Barney – guitars (2002–2004); lead vocals (1997–2002) • Tommy Love – guitars (1997–2004) • Dom Macaluso – bass (1998–2005); guitars 1997–1998) • Brandan Schieppati – guitars (1998–2000) • Mark Choiniere – guitars (2005–2011) • Mark Mitchell – bass (2007–2014) • Ben Dussault – drums, percussion (2004–2008) . Throwdown official Facebook : www.facebook.com/pg/throwdownOC . Soundcloud : www.soundcloud.com/eone-music/sets/throwdown-intolerance #crossoverbdg #crossovermovement #crossmixover #THROWDOWN #crossovermusic #crossoverrecords #indiemusic #hoardoftheseeker #fromzerotohero #shot2kill #urbanshot #streetshared #infinitytones #toneskiller #urbanrising

[lastsutra]

filmed and directed by mark choiniere

[betterskatethannever]

Max Schaaf // This Time

[sciencespies]

Digital Reconstructions Reveal 200-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Embryo’s Unusual Teeth

https://sciencespies.com/news/digital-reconstructions-reveal-200-million-year-old-dinosaur-embryos-unusual-teeth/

Digital Reconstructions Reveal 200-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Embryo’s Unusual Teeth

Some 200 million years ago, a long-necked, plant-munching dinosaur called Massospondylus carinatus laid a clutch of eggs. Sadly, the doomed creatures within never got the chance to hatch. But thanks to a new digital reconstruction technique, the world can now better acquaint itself with the petite, pointed skulls of Massospondylus’ ill-fated offspring—eons after their species went extinct.

Described last week in the journal Scientific Reports, the skulls of the Massospondylus embryos measure just an inch or so in length. They also sport extra teeth that would likely have been reabsorbed or shed before the young hatched—a phenomenon that’s been described in today’s reptiles, reports Nicola Davis for the Guardian.

The findings feature some of the oldest dinosaur eggs ever discovered, and reveal striking parallels between the developmental trajectories of these ancient creatures and those of some of their distantly related modern relatives.

“It’s incredible that in more than 250 million years of reptile evolution, the way the skull develops in the egg remains more or less the same,” study author Jonah Choiniere of the University of Witwatersrand says in a statement. “Goes to show—you don’t mess with a good thing!”

The seven eggs in the study—three of which contain embryos—were first uncovered nearly five decades ago in South Africa’s Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Had they hatched as planned, the pint-sized creatures within would have ballooned to long-necked adults roughly 15 feet in length that carried their 2,000-pound bodies on two well-muscled legs.

Wary of the eggs’ fragility and rarity and lacking the tools to analyze their contents, researchers spent years performing mostly superficial experiments on the embryos. Then, in 2015, Choiniere, along with fellow University of Witwatersrand researchers Kimberley Chapelle and Vincent Fernandez, got the chance to scan the specimens at France’s European Synchrotron. At the facility, the team used high-powered x-rays to visualize the fossils’ contents without destroying them, generating a series of images detailed enough to capture individual bone cells. The researchers then pieced the images together in three dimensions, revealing aspects of the embryos’ anatomy that had previously been hidden from view.

The 3D reconstruction of the skull of a Massospondylus embryo

(Kimberley Chapelle / University of Witwatersrand)

​Other researchers had previously thought the trio of embryos had been on the verge of hatching. But when the University of Witwatersrand team compared their new scans to data from the embryos of distant modern relatives of dinosaurs, including crocodiles, chickens, turtles and lizardsat different stages of development, they found that the growing Massospondylus may have been no more than 60 percent of the way through their incubation, Vincent says in a separate statement. (Researchers still aren’t sure how long total incubation lasted.)

To the Guardian, University of Bristol paleontologist Michael Benton, who wasn’t involved in the study, praised the research as a “fantastic” use of modern technology. “This gives a reliable method of aging an embryo of a dinosaur for the first time,” he says.

The comparisons also revealed that, despite being separated by hundreds of millions of years of evolution, today’s bird and reptile embryos seem to form bone tissue in steps similar to those that dictated dinosaur development during the Triassic, which lasted from about 199 million years ago to 251 million years ago.

In line with this, the skulls of the Massospondylus embryos seemed to be studded with two types of teeth: the serrated precursors to what they’d use to chomp plants as adults, and a set of simple cones that the researchers think would have disappeared before the creatures hatched. So-called “null generation” teeth are seen in crocodiles, geckos and other reptiles that romp the earth today. By the time one of these animals hatches, it has sometimes already “replaced its teeth maybe twice,” Vincent says in the second statement.

Though the preservation of this trait throughout evolution makes sense, these embryos mark researchers’ first evidence of this developmental juncture in dinosaur eggs, Chapelle tells the Guardian, making the discovery a unique freeze frame of a time long gone. “We have never seen that before,” she says.

#News

[365footballorg-blog]

MLS players named to 2018 FIFA World Cup squads

May 14, 20181:30AM EDT

LAFC right back Omar Gaber and Orlando City center back Amro Tarek have made the cut for Egypt’s 29-man FIFA World Cup provisional squad announced Monday.

Egypt national team head coach Hector Cuper will select his final 23-man World Cup roster from this group. While provisional rosters are due to FIFA on May 14, participating teams have until June 4 to finalize their final 23-man squads for the tournament. The 2018 World Cup kicks off on June 14 and Egypt play in Group A against Russia, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.

Both Gaber and Tarek were involved in MLS Week 11 action on Sunday and both went the full 90 minutes. Gaber featured at right back for LAFC in their 2-2 home draw against NYCFC. Meanwhile, Tarek and Orlando City were on the losing end of a 2-1 result against rivals Atlanta United FC.

Seattle Sounders center back Kim Kee-hee was not named to Korea Republic’s provisional roster. 

Among other squad news, former NY Red Bulls forward Tim Cahill was included in Australia’s 32-man list announced back on May 6.

2018 FIFA World Cup Provisional Rosters: 

Group A: Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay Group B: Iran, Morocco, Portugal, Spain Group C: Australia, Denmark, France, Peru Group D: Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria Group E: Brazil, Costa Rica, Serbia, Switzerland Group F: Germany, Korea Republic, Mexico, Sweden Group G: Belgium, England, Panama, Tunisia Group H: Colombia, Japan, Poland, Senegal

MLS players on 2018 FIFA World Cup squads:

<!– HIDE TEAMS ATL TO HOU

Atlanta United FC

Player/Position Country Dates Miguel Almiron (M) PAR Mar. 27 at USA Andrew Carleton (F) USA U-20 March camp Chris Goslin (M) USA U-20 March camp Darlington Nagbe (M) USA Mar. 27 vs. PAR Romario Williams (F) JAM Mar. 25 vs. ATG (56 min)

Chicago Fire

Player/Position Country Dates Nemanja Nikolic (F) HUN Mar. 23 vs. KAZ (76 min); Mar. 27 vs. SCO (7 min) Matt Polster (D) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Brandon Vincent (D) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH

Colorado Rapids

Player/Position Country Dates Marlon Hairston (M) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH

Columbus Crew SC

Player/Position Country Dates Zack Steffen (GK) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH; Mar. 27 vs. PAR Wil Trapp (M) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH; Mar. 27 vs. PAR Gyasi Zardes (F) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH

D.C. United

Player/Position Country Dates Paul Arriola (M) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Russell Canouse (M) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Oniel Fisher (D) JAM Jan. 30 at KOR; Mar. 25 vs. ATG (90 min) Ian Harkes (M) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Dane Kelly (F) JAM Jan. 30 at KOR; Mar. 25 vs. ATG (87 min) Ulises Segura (M) CRC Mar. 23 vs. SCO (DNP); Mar. 27 vs. TUN (33 min) Zoltan Stieber (M) HUN Mar. 23 vs. KAZ (DNP); Mar. 27 vs. SCO (DNP) Bruno Miranda (F) BOL Mar. 22 at CUW (78 min); Mar. 26 at CUW (25 min)

FC Dallas

Player/Position Country Dates Tesho Akindele (F) CAN Mar. 24 vs. NZL (20 min)

Houston Dynamo

Player/Position Country Dates Adolfo Machado (D) PAN Mar. 22 vs. DEN (90 min); Mar. 27 vs. SUI (90 min)

END HIDE TEAMS ATL TO HOU –>

Player/Position Country Latest Omar Gaber (D/M) Egypt Named to 29-man provisional roster on May 14

<!– HIDE TEAMS LA TO NY RED BULLS

LA Galaxy

Player/Position Country Dates Giovani dos Santos (F) MEX Jan. 31 vs. BIH Jonathan dos Santos (M) MEX Jan. 31 vs. BIH Ola Kamara (F) NOR Mar. 23 vs. AUS (90 min); Mar. 26 at ALB (DNP) Emrah Klimenta (D) MNE Mar. 23 at CYP; Mar. 27 vs. TUR

Minnesota United FC

Player/Position Country Dates Michael Boxall (D) NZL Mar. 24 vs. CAN (90 min) Francisco Calvo (D) CRC Mar. 23 at SCO (12 min); Mar. 27 vs. TUN (90 min) Christian Ramirez (F) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Rasmus Schuller (M) FIN Mar. 23 vs. MKD (90 min); Mar. 26 vs. MLT (DNP)

Montreal Impact

Player/Position Country Dates David Choiniere (M) CAN U-23 January camp Raheem Edwards (M) CAN Mar. 24 vs. NZL (15 min) Thomas Meilleur-Giguere (D) CAN U-23 January camp James Pantemis (GK) CAN U-23 January camp Michael Petrasso (D) CAN Mar. 24 vs. NZL (45 min) Samuel Piette (M) CAN Mar. 24 vs. NZL (90 min) Shamit Shome (M) CAN U-23 January camp Saphir Taider (M) ALG Mar. 22 vs. TAN (DNP); Mar. 27 vs. IRN (DNP)

New England Revolution

Player/Position Country Dates Juan Agudelo (F) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Cody Cropper (GK) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Krisztian Nemeth (F) HUN Mar. 23 vs. KAZ (45 min); Mar. 27 vs. SCO (32 min) Kelyn Rowe (M) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH

New York City FC

Player/Position Country Dates Ronald Matarrita (D) CRC Mar. 23 at SCO (DNP); Mar. 27 vs. TUN (DNP) Alexander Ring (M) FIN Mar. 23 vs. MKD (DNP); Mar. 26 vs. MLT (DNP) Rodney Wallace (M) CRC Mar. 23 at SCO (26 min); Mar. 27 vs. TUN (DNP)

New York Red Bulls

Player/Position Country Dates Tyler Adams (M) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH; Mar. 27 vs. PAR Fidel Escobar (D) PAN Mar. 22 vs. DEN (90 min); Mar. 27 vs. SUI (DNP) Kemar Lawrence (D) JAM Jan. 30 at KOR; Mar. 25 vs. ATG (90 min) Michael Murillo (F) PAN Mar. 22 vs. DEN (90 min); Mar. 27 vs. SUI (45 min) Tim Parker (D) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH

END HIDE TEAMS LA TO NY RED BULLS–>

Orlando City SC

Player/Position Country Latest Amro Tarek (D) Egypt Named to 29-man provisional roster on May 14

<!– HIDE TEAMS PHI TO VAN

Philadelphia Union

Player/Position Country Dates Andre Blake (GK) JAM Mar. 25 vs. ATG (90 min) Mark McKenzie (D) USA U-20 March camp Haris Medunjanin (M) BIH Jan. 28 at USA; Jan. 31 at MEX; Mar. 23 vs. BUL (45 min); Mar. 27 vs. SEN (30 min) Matthew Real (D) USA U-20 March camp CJ Sapong (F) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH

Portland Timbers

Player/Position Country Dates David Guzman (M) CRC Mar. 23 at SCO (56 min); Mar. 27 vs. TUN (DNP) Andy Polo (M) PER Mar. 23 vs. CRO (DNP); Mar. 27 vs. ISL

Real Salt Lake

Player/Position Country Dates Danny Acosta (D) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Justen Glad (D) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Brooks Lennon (M) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Albert Rusnak (M) SVK Mar. 22 vs. UAE (90 min); Mar. 25 vs. THA (82 min)

San Jose Earthquakes

Player/Position Country Dates Harold Cummings (D) PAN Mar. 22 vs. DEN (DNP); Mar. 27 vs. SUI (90 min) Anibal Godoy (M) PAN Mar. 22 vs. DEN (90 min); Mar. 27 vs. SUI (90 min) Nick Lima (D) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Vako (M) GEO Mar. 24 vs. LTU (83 min); Mar. 27 vs. EST (90 min)

Seattle Sounders

Player/Position Country Dates Jordy Delem (M) MTQ Mar. 24 vs. TRI (23 min) Jordan Morris (F) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Cristian Roldan (M) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH; Mar. 27 vs. PAR Gustav Svensson (M) SWE Mar. 24 vs. CHI; Mar. 27 at ROU Roman Torres (D) PAN Mar. 22 vs. DEN (DNP); Mar. 27 vs. SUI (90 min)

Sporting KC

Player/Position Country Dates Ike Opara (D) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Daniel Salloi (F) HUN U-21 Jan. 28 vs. BIH; MAR 22 vs. CYP; MAR 26 at BEL

Toronto FC

Player/Position Country Dates Alex Bono (GK) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH; Mar. 27 vs. PAR Jay Chapman (M) CAN Mar. 24 vs. NZL (DNP) Marky Delgado (M) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH; Mar. 27 vs. PAR Ashtone Morgan (D) CAN Mar. 24 vs. NZL (59 min) Justin Morrow (D) USA Jan. 28 vs. BIH Jonathan Osorio (M) CAN Mar. 24 vs. NZL (90 min) Tosaint Ricketts (F) CAN Mar. 24 vs. NZL (70 min)

Vancouver Whitecaps

Player/Position Country Dates Kendall Waston (D) CRC Mar. 23 at SCO (DNP); Mar. 27 vs. TUN (90 min)

END HIDE TEAMS PHI TO VAN –> #post-bottom {display:none;} .card-container, .card-header, .card-body {float:left;position:relative;} .card-container {width:100%;} .club-logo, .club-name {display:table-cell;vertical-align:middle;} /* .card-container {-webkit-border-radius: 3px;-moz-border-radius: 3px;border-radius: 3px;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.12), 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.24);transition: all 0.3s cubic-bezier(.25,.8,.25,1);margin:15px 0 25px 0;padding:24px 20px 16px 24px;} */ .card-container {margin:15px 0 25px 0;} .club-logo img {width:34px;height:auto;margin-right:10px;} .club-name h2 {margin:0;} .card-body {width:100%;} .card-body p {margin:0;} .node-post .card-body p.card-links a {color:#e22319;} .node-post .card-body p.card-links a:hover {color:#e22319;border-bottom:1px solid #e22319;} .node-post .card-body table {font-size:0.92em;} @media screen and (max-width: 730px) { .card-body ul {padding-left:30px;font-size:0.90em;} } @media screen and (min-width: 731px) and (max-width: 1120px) { .node-post .card-body table th.player {width:205px;} .node-post .card-body table th.country {width:30px;} } @media screen and (min-width: 1121px) { .node-post .card-body table th.player {width:205px;} .node-post .card-body table th.country {width:30px;} }

<!–

Stay connected: Get access to breaking news, videos, and analysis from North America’s best soccer reporters via “This Week in MLS” newsletter or using our FREE mobile app.

–>

Stay connected: The all-new, completely redesigned, FREE official MLS app is your best mobile source for scores, news, analysis and highlights. Download:  App Store  |  Google Play

#block-block-188 {padding:0;} #stay-connected {border-top:1px solid #ebebeb;margin:20px 0;} #stay-connected p {margin:0;color:#4d4d4d;line-height:1.5em;} @media screen and (max-width: 730px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 731px) and (max-width: 1120px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 1121px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:708px;} }

MLSsoccer.com News

MLS players named to 2018 FIFA World Cup squads was originally published on 365 Football

[pushingraleigh]

Max Schaaf | This Time

[markchoiniere69]

Lanna Lyon . 1976

Photo Mark Choiniere 

[leimo]

BAM! Fashion conglomerate Kering is beginning to meld the lines of high fashion and action sports... FINALLY!! It's a call for other brands to follow suit and I sure hope they do.

[womenwhoride]

photo by mark choiniere, 2012