cienciaaonatural
Luis Azevedo Rodrigues
Paleontologist (PhD); Science writer/blogger
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SCIENCE AND MEDIA
BIODIVERSITY
December 2009: Second Snowiest on Record in the Northern Hemisph
England Buried In Snow – image from The Times
Giant Spider Species Discovered in Middle Eastern Sand Dunes | W
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16650" title="cerbalus660" src="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2010/01/cerbalus660.jpg" alt="cerbalus660" width="660" height="495" /> Scientists have unearthed a completely new species of spider hiding in sand dunes on the Israel-Jordan border. With a legspan that stretches 5.5 inches, the spider, called Cerbalus aravensis , is the biggest of its type in the Middle East. “It is rare to find a new species of spider — at least around this part of the world — which is so big,” said biologist Uri Shanas of the University of Haifa-Oranim in Israel, who discovered the arachnid. Most of Cerbalus aravensis ‘s habits remain a mystery, but the researchers say it is nocturnal and most active during the blazing summer heat. The spider lives in an underground den, hidden by a door that swings upwards to welcome unsuspecting prey like lizards and insects.
EVOLUTION
Este método de respiração pode ter permitido aos antepassados destes animais serem mais resistentes e dominarem a Terra depois da extinção massiva ocorrida há 251 milhões de anos. Depois da extinção que provocou a morte de 70 por cento da vida terrestre e 96 por cento da marinha, estes répteis – arcossauros – foram os animais que dominaram o planeta. Terá sido uma forte actividade vulcânica ou o impacto de um grande asteróide que provocou a catástrofe.
Pássaros e jacarés respiram da mesma forma
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From the Guardian, finally some refreshing honesty in Science: