The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre has recently “rediscovered” an ancient shark skeleton that has been sitting in the museum’s collection for nearly 50 years. Could this shark be a part of a newly discovered ancient shark species?

This fossil’s original discovery was in 1975 on a farm just west of Morden, Manitoba. The skeleton was brought into the museum and was forgotten within the ever-growing fossil collection. The skeleton was hidden in the collections room for over 40 years and the center just recently found the fossil in its storage around eight years ago.

Adolfo Cuertara, the director of the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, explained that “It’s a very special shark for many reasons. It’s highly possible that we are talking about a new species.” Although the shark has not been given a scientific name yet, the museum has unofficially named the skeleton, “Dave”, in honor of the farmer on whose land the skeleton was found.

After the fossil rediscovery, Dave was exhibited at the fossil center museum. Dave is around 15 feet long and is one of the largest well-preserved shark skeletons in the entire world. Within the paleontology (古生物学) world, complete shark fossils are extremely rare due to their soft cartilage (软骨结构) which disintegrates as they age. Dave’s shark species are filter feeders with no teeth, who receive their nutrition by absorbing it out of the water. Cuertara emphasizes Dave’s uniqueness by explaining, “The shape of the jaws and the skull and the kind of structures that it has, because the preservation is really amazing, is telling us that it is probably going to be a new species. The problem is now we need scientific papers and scientific research and this paper is underway.”

The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre is hopeful that more scientific research will provide more information on Dave’s ancient shark species. For now, Dave is currently on display at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre and the museum has the exhibit up to date with their current information.

Eating Bugs

Some insects, such as butterflies and ladybugs, are quite beautiful. But, did you know that many bugs are also edible and are filled with protein?

Aletheia Price knows this—and a lot more—about bugs. She also thinks you should try eating some. If you visit the website www.eatbug.com, you will find all kinds of information about edible insects. Most of it was written by Aletheia Price when she was fifteen years old. Aletheia started eating bugs at the age of thirteen. Before long, she found that she really enjoyed some of them. She also became interested in finding out more about which kinds of bugs could be eaten and how to cook them.

According to Aletheia, there are at least 1,462 kinds of edible insects. (Doesn’t that make you wonder who tried all of them and decided they were edible?) Some of her favorite dishes include mealworm chocolate chip cookies, ant tacos(玉米卷), and chocolate-covered crickets(蟋蟀). On her website she has recipes for insect entrees(开胃菜) and some helpful tips. For example, when preparing crickets, it is best to remove their legs before cooking, for the legs tend to get stuck in your teeth. She also offers information for anyone who wants to raise bugs for food.

Aletheia realizes that eating bugs is not for everyone. But, if you think about it, you have to admit that eating bugs might be a good idea. There are billions and billions of bugs in this world. If we could get used to eating them, we would have plenty of food for everyone.

For thousands of years, humans have used names to communicate with one another. We also give names to animals, especially ones we love, such as pets. Until now there has been little evidence of animals naming one another, but a new study suggests that elephants use specific noises to identify other elephants.

A few animals, including parrots and dolphins, have been known to use sounds that are similar to names. Each dolphin invents a signature whistle that is unique to it, and other members of its species communicate with it by imitating (模仿) this special call. The new study, led by Michael Pardo of Colorado State University, shows that wild African elephants use names in a way that is not just copying sounds and is much closer to the way humans use names.

For the study, the researchers recorded 625 sounds made by wild African elephants in Kenya that they called “rumbles (隆隆声)”. This is the most common type of call produced by elephants, and it can travel long distances-as far as 3. 7 miles. It takes place at a very low frequency, which means humans can’t hear it.

The researchers analyzed the sounds using computers and found that certain rumbles were directed at specific elephants to get their attention. They found that all the elephants in the herd used the identical call to get a particular elephant’s attention-these calls were not just nicknames used by one of the elephant’s friends. Also, unlike the way dolphins communicate, the rumbles were not imitations of the elephant they were trying to communicate with.

The researchers then played back some of the recorded rumbles to the elephants. They found that elephants responded more to their own name than to other calls, coming toward it more quickly or calling back faster. Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell, an elephant expert, said, “The study shows that elephants can still keep in touch with one another even across a large area. ” She told Live Science, “It allows them to spread out much further and still have very close tabs (密切关注) on individuals. “