New Sauropod Discovered in Spain

The newly-discovered long-necked dinosaur is called Turiasaurus riodevensis.
Image: AAAS

The recently uncovered sauropod, Turiasaurus riodevensis, weighed between 40-48 tons, possibly making it the largest land animal ever to walk Europe. The Joint Paleontology Foundation Teruel-Dinopolis found the animal which roamed the Teruel region of Spain during the late Jurassic Period, some 150 million years ago. The claw on the first digit of the creature's hoof is the size of an NFL football. Previously, large dinosaurs had been found in Africa and the Americas. The findings were published in the journal Science.

--USA Today has more information

Dozens of New Species Discovered

A newly discovered species of tree frog, rhacophorus gadingensis, on the island of Borneo.
Image: Reuters

Scientists have announced that 52 new species of animals and plants have been discovered on the island of Borneo in southeast Asia. Stuart Chapman of the World Wildlife Federation stated that these discoveries reinforce the notion of the island as a critical center for biodiversity. One of the finds, a catfish with suction cups on its belly, has protruding teeth. Borneo is home to one of the world's last remaining rainforests, a habitat which is under threat to the rubber and palm oil industries.

--The USA Today has more information

2006 Census of Marine Life

Limacina helicina (up to 1 cm), a subpolar/polar species of shelled pteropod, found in the Gulf of Alaska.
Image: www.eurekalert.org

Findings from the Census of Marine Life in 2006 have been released. A sampling of the record-breaking discoveries:

Shrimp, mussels, and clams adapted to an environment with brutal temperature changes (2ºC water surrounding sea vents spewing 407ºC fluids, hot enough to melt lead—hottest marine temperature recorded)

A shrimp thought extinct 50 million years ago found in the Coral Sea

Huge new species of microbe, 1 cm in diameter

Twenty million fish swimming together off the New Jersey coast—a school of fish the size of Manhattan Island

—Read more at Eurekalert.org

Recent Water Flow on Martian Surface?

These gullies on the Martian surface may have been created by recent water flow.
Image: NASA

Nasa says gullies on the Martian surface may have been created by water flow within the last few years. The images, taken by Nasa's Mars Global Surveyor, support the claims of many that Mars possibly hosts life. Gullies first photographed in 1999 and 2001 appear to have altered in 2004 and 2005 images, hinting at either water or liquid carbon dioxide movement. This information, coupled with data from the Mars rovers, suggests an active Martian geologic history, a history that may have included life. The findings were published in Science.

--BBC has more information