November 2019

New fossils of an ancient legged snake called Najash rionegrina offer new information on the evolution of snakes

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An article published in the journal “Science Advances” reports the study of new fossils of a snake belonging to the species Najash rionegrina, which lived in the Cretaceous period, between 90 and 100 million years, in today’s Patagonia, Argentina. A team of researchers led by Fernando Garberoglio of the Fundación Azara at Universidad Maimónides in Buenos Aires, Argentina, subjected various fossils belonging to this species, which had well-developed limbs, to a high-resolution CT scan to obtain new information on the evolution of snakes.

Edwin Hubble

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Edwin Power Hubble was born on November 20, 1889 in Marshfield, Missouri, USA. The observations he made allowed him to find cepheid variable stars, which could be used to calculate the distances of the nebulae that host them and to prove that they were outside the Milky Way, contradicting the theory that was then more highly regarded. Other studies by Edwin Hubble concerned galaxies’ redshift.

Radio Free Albemuth by Philip K. Dick

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The novel “Radio Free Albemuth” by Philip K. Dick was published for the first time in 1985.

Nicholas Brady left the University of Berkeley and started working in a record store in the city. His life changes radically when he starts having strange experiences, in particular when he believes that an alien entity he calls VALISystem A or simply VALIS has started communicating with him from orbit. Among the messages received there’s one that tells him to move to Orange County.

In his new city of residence, Nicholas Brady sees the beginning of the political rise of Ferris F. Fremont, who after a few years is elected president of the USA. Populist politics based on paranoia and hatred for his adversaries, accused of being communist and subversive, leads to a progressive descent of the nation into a dictatorship. Nicholas and his friend Phil end up under scrutiny by the movement created by Fremont.

Fukuipteryx prima fossil (Image courtesy Imai et al)

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An article published in the journal “Communications Biology” reports the identification of a bird that lived about 120 million years ago, in the Cretaceous period, that was named Fukuipteryx prima. A team of researchers led by Dr. Takuya Imai examined a partial skeleton discovered in today’s Japan noting some features similar to those of the famous Archeopteryx. It’s one of the most primitive birds discovered, particularly outside China, and offers information on the evolution of flight thanks also to its preservation in three dimensions.

Paul McGann in 2015

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Paul John McGann was born on November 14, 1959 in Liverpool, England. Paul McGann studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He doesn’t come from a family of actors but his three brothers have become actors as well.

In 1996 the “Doctor Who” TV movie was released in which Paul McGann played the Eighth Doctor. It was a BBC co-production with Universal Studios and Fox Broadcasting Network which aimed to revive the famous show, which was canceled in 1989. The high ratings in Great Britain but low in the USA led to Fox’s giving up its option to start a new series. Despite this, it wasn’t the end of McGann’s experience linked to the saga.