Science Tuesday (Saturday?) - Dinosaurs, Caregiving, and Giant Fleas!

An artist's impression of Kulindadromeus zabaikalicus, a newly discovered dinosaur from the Jurassic Period that had feathers. Credit

New Find Hints at More Feathered Dinosaurs
By SINDYA N. BHANOO, The New York Times, JULY 25, 2014

A new dinosaur species, one with feathers, has been discovered in Russia.
The finding could mean that feathers were more widespread among
dinosaurs than previously thought, the researchers say.

The dinosaur, described in the journal Science, was about five feet
long and belonged to a group of herbivorous, beaked dinosaurs known as
ornithischia.

The first feathered dinosaur was discovered in China in 1996. A
number of others have been found since then, but those specimens were all
theropods, the suborder that includes Tyrannosaurus rex.

( Read more... )

When the Caregivers Need Healing
By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS, The New York Times, JULY 28, 2014

“This has happened before,” she tells herself. “It’s nowhere near as bad as
before, and it will pass.”

Robbie Pinter’s 21-year-old son, Nicholas, is upset again. He yells. He
obsesses about something that can’t be changed. Even good news may
throw him off.

So Dr. Pinter breathes deeply, as she was taught, focusing on each
intake and release. She talks herself through the crisis, reminding herself
that this is how Nicholas copes with his autism and bipolar disorder.

With these simple techniques, Dr. Pinter, who teaches English at
Belmont University in Nashville, blunts the stress of parenting a child with
severe developmental disabilities. Dr. Pinter, who said she descends from
“a long line of the most nervous women,” credits her mindfulness practice
with giving her the tools to cope with whatever might come her way. “It is
very powerful,” she said.

All parents endure stress, but studies show that parents of children
with developmental disabilities, like autism, experience depression and
anxiety far more often. Struggling to obtain crucial support services, the
financial strain of paying for various therapies, the relentless worry over
everything from wandering to the future — all of it can be overwhelming.

( Read more... )

The Great Giant Flea Hunt
by: Carol Kaesuk Yoon, The New York Times, July 28, 2014

GIG HARBOR, Wash. — In the Pacific Northwest, we live among behemoths — snowcapped volcanoes, towering trees, great splashing salmon and lattes as big as a child’s head. Yet one of the region’s undeniably superlative titans has slipped beneath everyone’s radar.

The land of Bigfoot and Starbucks is also home to the world’s largest flea. The flea, Hystrichopsylla schefferi, is an awe-inspiring colossus that can reach nearly half an inch, its head alone the size of a cat or dog flea. Until last month, however, there existed not a single confirmed photograph of a live member of the species.

( Read more... )