Gizmorama - August 28, 2013

Good Morning,

A huge discovery has been made in China. Scientists say they have found the "most evolutionarily successful and long-lived mammal lineage".

I had no idea that evolution had a success rate attached to it. Well, I guess if you have made it through many years and many evolutionary changes you would be a success... like Madonna. I'm kidding.

Learn about this and other interesting stories from the scientific community in today's issue.

Until Next Time,
Erin

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*-- Eruption on the sun sends particle storm toward Earth --*
GREENBELT, Md. - NASA says the sun erupted early Tuesday with an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection, emitting billions of tons of particles that could reach Earth. While the streams of particles cannot travel through the atmosphere and harm humans on the ground, the particles can affect electronic systems in satellites and on the ground, the space agency said. Observations from NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory show the CME departed the sun at speeds of around 570 miles per second, a fairly typical speed for CMEs, scientists said. The particle stream would reach the Earth Thursday or Friday. Earth-directed CMEs can cause a space weather phenomenon called a geomagnetic storm that can degrade communication signals and cause unexpected electrical surges in power grids. They also can create atmospheric auroras seen at high latitudes. Geomagnetic storms caused by CMEs of the strength of the current one have usually been mild, NASA said.


*-- Samsung's giant Galaxy Mega smartphone coming to U.S. carriers --*
NEW YORK - Samsung has confirmed its giant 6.3-inch-display Galaxy Mega smartphone will be available from U.S. carriers AT&T, Sprint and U.S. Cellular. AT&T has announced it will offer the Galaxy Mega as of Friday for $149.99 with a two-year contract or for $24 per month under its early upgrade plan called AT&T Next. Sprint said it plans to offer the smartphone "later this year" with unlimited data plans, while U.S. Cellular has yet to announce launch details, International Business Times reported Tuesday. The Mega's 720 x 1280 HD Super Clear LCD display, approaching tablet size, is aimed at optimal watching of movies and music videos, reading books and playing games. Available in 8GB and 16GB options in black or white, the Mega will run Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, comes with 1.5GB of internal RAM and has a removable 3,200 mAh battery, Samsung said Monday. Storage can be expanded up to 64GB with an external micro SD card. Even at 6.3 inches, the Mega isn't the leader in the phablet race; Sony that honor with its 6.4-inch Xperia Z Ultra smartphone.


*-- Fossil in China called that of history's most successful mammal --*
BEIJING - A nearly complete fossil of the oldest ancestor of the "most evolutionarily successful and long-lived mammal lineage" has been found in China, scientists say. Dubbed Rugosodon eurasiaticus, the newly discovered species announced by U.S. and Chinese researchers, looked a bit like a small rat or a chipmunk, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. Living 160 million years ago, it was an early member of the group of mammals known as multituberculates, which flourished across the Earth from about 170 million to 35 million years ago, the researchers said. Multituberculates occupied a diverse range of habitats for more than 100 million years before they were out-competed by more modern rodents, they said. "The new mammal is called Rugosodon after the rugose (corrugated) teeth ornamented by numerous tiny ridges and grooves and pits, indicating that it was an omnivore that fed on leaves and seeds of ferns and gymnosperm plants, plus worms and insects," a team of scientists from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing Museum of Natural History and the University of Chicago said in a statement. Complex teeth that allowed them to enjoy a varied diet and unique locomotive skills that enabled them to traverse treetops helped them thrive in the shadows of dinosaurs and survive through their mass extinction 65 million years ago, the scientists said, paving the way for later plant-eating and tree-dwelling mammals.

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