Dinosaurs took much longer to incubate
their eggs than previously thought—a factor
that may have contributed to their demise.
Scientists at Florida State University came
to this conclusion after analyzing the teeth
of rare fossilized dinosaur embryos. Like
human teeth, reptile teeth are formed during
incubation from a liquid called dentin;
this calcified tissue builds up, adding a
new layer each day as the embryo develops.
“They’re kind of like tree rings,” lead
author Gregory Erickson tells CSMonitor
.com. “We could literally count them to see
how long each dinosaur had been developing.”
The researchers calculated that smaller
Protoceratops hatchlings took nearly three
months to develop, while the eggs of the
Hypacrosaurus, a duck-billed dinosaur that
grew to be about 30 feet long, incubated for
about six months. With such long incubations,
dinosaurs must have been very slow
reproducers—a trait that would hurt their
ability to rebuild their populations after
a comet or asteroid strike wiped many of
them out 65 million years ago. The discovery
may also help explain why birds, whose
eggs have significantly shorter incubation
times than dinosaurs’ did, survived the same
mass extinction event.
Will we build astronaut igloos on Mars?
NASA has identified a surprisingly basic
building material for housing astronauts
on Mars: ice. There is thought to be a
giant slab of frozen water only a few
meters below the Martian surface, spanning
an area larger than New Mexico.
NASA researchers, working in collaboration
with two space architectural
firms, believe this ice could potentially
be mined and used to make igloo-like
homes for astronauts. There would be
no need to transport large quantities of
building materials and equipment from
Earth, and the hydrogen-rich ice would
shield the Martian explorers from harmful
cosmic rays. The “Mars Ice Home”
would consist of a large inflatable dome,
surrounded by an icy outer shell. A
layer of carbon dioxide between the two
would provide insulation from the chilly
temperatures outside, keeping the living
and working quarters at a comfortable
72 degrees Fahrenheit. Construction
would take as long as 400 days, but that
work could be done by robots before the
astronauts’ arrival. The Ice Home could
be larger than a building made from traditional
materials, and could be deflated
and relocated if required. Another benefit,
notes NASA’s Kevin Kempton, stems from
the translucent qualities of ice. “Some
outside daylight could pass through,” he
tells Space.com, “and make it feel like
you’re in a home and not a cave.”
building material for housing astronauts
on Mars: ice. There is thought to be a
giant slab of frozen water only a few
meters below the Martian surface, spanning
an area larger than New Mexico.
NASA researchers, working in collaboration
with two space architectural
firms, believe this ice could potentially
be mined and used to make igloo-like
homes for astronauts. There would be
no need to transport large quantities of
building materials and equipment from
Earth, and the hydrogen-rich ice would
shield the Martian explorers from harmful
cosmic rays. The “Mars Ice Home”
would consist of a large inflatable dome,
surrounded by an icy outer shell. A
layer of carbon dioxide between the two
would provide insulation from the chilly
temperatures outside, keeping the living
and working quarters at a comfortable
72 degrees Fahrenheit. Construction
would take as long as 400 days, but that
work could be done by robots before the
astronauts’ arrival. The Ice Home could
be larger than a building made from traditional
materials, and could be deflated
and relocated if required. Another benefit,
notes NASA’s Kevin Kempton, stems from
the translucent qualities of ice. “Some
outside daylight could pass through,” he
tells Space.com, “and make it feel like
you’re in a home and not a cave.”
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