http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Paleontologists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, found more than a dozen eggs from the lower member of the Late Cretaceous Chichengshan Formation in Shuangtang, Qiaoxia and Brewery in the Tiantai Basin. These eggs have a distinctive eggshell microstructure not seen in other types of dinosaur egg. Based on both egg macrostructure and eggshell microstructure characteristics, researchers established one new oofamily, two new oogenera, one new oospecies, and one new binomial combination oospecies, according to a paper published in the October 2012 issue of the Journal of Chinese Science Bulletin (vol.57, 28-29). http://phys.org/news269077819.html Other Sciences Wed, 10 Oct 2012 08:50:30 EST news269077819 (Phys.org)—High-pressure systems over oceans, which largely determine the tracks of tropical cyclones and hydrological extremes in much of the northern hemisphere, are likely to intensify this century, according to a Duke University-led study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. http://phys.org/news268648897.html Space & Earth Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:42:02 EST news268648897 An international research team, led by Institute of Oceanology of Chinese Academy of Sciences and BGI, has completed the sequencing, assembly and analysis of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) genome—the first mollusk genome to be sequenced—that will help to fill a void in our understanding of the species-rich but poorly explored mollusc family. The study, published online today in Nature, reveals the unique adaptations of oysters to highly stressful environment and the complexity mechanism of shell formation. http://phys.org/news267280895.html Biology Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:41:44 EST news267280895 (Phys.org)—Paleoanthropologists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, used both traditional metrics and recently developed 3D scanning techniques to explore the morphological variations of Peking Man's skulls at Zhoukoudian Locality 1, and found that the skull of the latest inhabitant did increase in every direction as compared to the earliest inhabitant, but the shape remained relatively stable. The slow evolutionary rates derived from11 cranial measurements indicate Peking Man is an isolated population. Researchers reported in the latest issue of Acta Anthropologica Sinica 2012 (3). http://phys.org/news266570192.html Other Sciences Tue, 11 Sep 2012 08:16:41 EST news266570192 A joint team of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Gansu Provincial Institute of Archaeology found a new paleolithic site at Xujiacheng village, Wanquan Town, Zhuanglang County, Gansu Province on June 29, 2009, and excavation was carried out later on in an area of about 15m2. The Xujiacheng paleolithic site was buried in the Malan Loess overlying the second terrace of the Shuiluo River. Nine stratigraphic layers were identified, with total thickness of more than 6.5m. Four cultural layers were identified and more than 5500 stone artifacts and 550 fossils were unearthed. Researchers reported their findings in the latest issue of Acta Anthropologica Sinica 2012. http://phys.org/news266484775.html Other Sciences Mon, 10 Sep 2012 08:33:02 EST news266484775 Ochotonids (commonly called pikas) are a group of small-sized lagomorphs, placed in the family Ochotonidae, and are most diversified in Asia, with only two species in North America and one in Europe. Though numerous fossil species have been found, only one genus of Ochotonidae, Ochotona, survives to the present. Fossil records indicate Asia was the center of origin for Ochotonidae. However, the divergence time of Ochotona is still unclear. http://phys.org/news264068075.html Other Sciences Mon, 13 Aug 2012 09:14:44 EST news264068075 Coryphodontids, are a group of extinct large herbivorous mammals widespread in Eurasia and North America from late Paleocene to middle Eocene, placed in the archaic, extinct order Pantodonta, and are among the most useful mammalian index fossils for stratigraphic correlations in North America. In Asia, however, they are rarely applied to strata correlation because of taxonomic confusion and misinterpretation of the lithostratigraphy of the fossil-bearing units. http://phys.org/news263720125.html Other Sciences Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:35:54 EST news263720125 Most known Eocene cricetids are from East and Central Asia, especially China and Kazakstan. The genus Pappocricetodon is considered to be the most primitive cricetid. However, the origin of Cricetidae and the relationships among the earliest species from Central and East Asia are still unclear. http://phys.org/news263637741.html Other Sciences Wed, 08 Aug 2012 09:42:39 EST news263637741 Paleontologists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently collected some early Paleogene (Upper Paleocene through Middle Eocene) mesonychid specimens from the Huheboerhe area and Bayan Ulan, eastern Erlian Basin, Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia). Dr. JIN Xun described them and reported in a paper published in the latest issue of Vertebrata PalAsiatica. These new materials represent six species and four genera, including a new species. They provide a good chance for scientists to study the succession of ecological niches occupied by mesonychians at different stratigraphic levels, and help better understand their general evolutionary trends. http://phys.org/news263626343.html Other Sciences Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:33:47 EST news263626343 Chinese scientists use silica nanoparticles resembling raspberries to create a water-repellent, fog-free, self-cleaning finish for glass and other transparent surfaces. http://phys.org/news262861986.html Nanotechnology Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:13:33 EST news262861986 New research on dark energy is helping scientists understand the potential fate of the Universe. http://phys.org/news262508826.html Space & Earth Thu, 26 Jul 2012 08:07:16 EST news262508826 More than ten thousands of bone fragments were recovered from the Lingjing site, Henan Province during 2005 and 2006. By taking statistical analyses of the skeletal elements of the two predominant species in this assemblage, aurochs (Bos primigenius) and horse (Equus caballus), scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, found that hominids at this site have already practiced sophisticated hunting techniques and subsistence strategies and may be quite familiar with the ecological and anatomical characteristics and nutritional values of the large-sized prey animals and can accordingly take different processing and handling strategies at the hunting site, as reported in the journal of Science China Earth Sciences, 2012, 55 (2). http://phys.org/news256988782.html Other Sciences Wed, 23 May 2012 10:47:43 EST news256988782 Danjiangkou reservoir is located in the northwest of Hubei province and southwest of Henan province at the headwaters area of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project. In October, 2004, Scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted a survey around the margin of the reservoir that will later be submerged upon completing a new section of the dam, and found 367 lithic artifacts with handaxes and picks from 43 open-air sites, distributed upon different terraces along the Hanshui River and its tributary Danjiang River. The finding of handaxes and picks offers new materials to discuss the diffusion and cultural communication of early hominids, researchers reported in the latest issue of Acta Anthropologica Sinica 2012 (2). http://phys.org/news256549263.html Other Sciences Fri, 18 May 2012 08:42:44 EST news256549263 The Liuhuaishan site is an important early Paleolithic site found in the Bose Basin. In December 2008, Scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Youjiang Museum for Nationalities, Bose, carried out a short survey around this site and found three new Paleolithic localities with a collection of 37 stone artifacts. This new finds will help better understand the human behavior at open-air sites in south China, researchers reported in the latest issue of Acta Anthropologica Sinica 2012 (2). http://phys.org/news256462045.html Other Sciences Thu, 17 May 2012 08:30:17 EST news256462045 Several hundred disarticulated bones have been recovered from a large dinosaur quarry of the Upper Cretaceous Yuliangzi Formation at the base of the Wulaga outcrop of Heilongjiang Province near the Sino-Russian boundary. Most of them are tentatively assigned to the derived lambeosaurine Sahaliyania elunchunorum, and a small number of them were referred to the hadrosaurine Wulagasaurus dongi. Researchers from Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, American Museum of Natural History, and Geological Museum of Heilongjiang Province, re-described Wulagasaurus dongi based on both original specimens and some recently recovered materials, and found Wulagasaurus shares strong morphological similarities with the North American taxa Brachylophosaurus and Maiasaura, forming a monophyletic basal clade of hadrosaurines. It is likely that this basal hadrosaurine clade originated in Asia and subsequently dispersed to North America. http://phys.org/news255600498.html Other Sciences Mon, 07 May 2012 09:09:43 EST news255600498 China's economic growth will continue to be energy-intensive and highly polluting for the foreseeable future with emissions and efficiency far below capital growth on the agenda, according to a study published in the International Journal of Global Energy Issues. http://phys.org/news254739051.html Other Sciences Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:52:11 EST news254739051 The Tibetan Plateau is the youngest and highest plateau on Earth, and its elevation reaches one-third of the height of the troposphere, with profound dynamic and thermal effects on atmospheric circulation and climate. The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau was an important factor of global climate change during the late Cenozoic and strongly influenced the development of the Asian monsoon system. However, there have been heated debates about the history and process of Tibetan Plateau uplift, especially elevations in different geological ages. http://phys.org/news254475456.html Other Sciences Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:38:24 EST news254475456 Chinese scientists from BGI together with the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Shihezi University, Xinjiang province, made a significant breakthrough in animal cloning. The world's first transgenic sheep produced with a simplified technique, handmade cloning, was successfully born at 12:16pm, March 26, 2012, in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. The project was also supported by the Animal Science Academy of Xinjiang. http://phys.org/news254050130.html Biology Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:40:05 EST news254050130 What can surnames tell us about the culture, genetics and history of our society? That is the question being answered by Chinese researchers who have traced the evolution of surnames across China.The research, published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, reveals how surnames can act as a genetic stamp, allowing scientists to trace lineage and understand the migrations and historical events which shaped modern China. http://phys.org/news253530592.html Other Sciences Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:10:03 EST news253530592 The coupled normal mode method is a powerful approach for solving range-dependent propagation problems in underwater acoustics. An important area of study is to improve stability and efficiency so as to be able to deal with complex scenarios in a realistic environment. Professor LUO Wenyu and his group from the State Key Laboratory of Acoustics, Institute of Acoustics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, set out to tackle this problem. After several years of innovative research, they have developed an accurate, efficient, and numerically stable coupled normal mode method to solve the range-dependent propagation problem. Their work, entitled "A numerically stable coupled-mode formulation for acoustic propagation in range-dependent waveguides", was published in SCIENCE CHINA Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy. 2012, Vol. 55(4). http://phys.org/news253252106.html Physics Tue, 10 Apr 2012 04:48:34 EST news253252106 The discovery of a giant meat-eating dinosaur sporting a downy coat has some scientists reimagining the look of Tyrannosaurus rex. http://phys.org/news252767446.html Other Sciences Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:10:52 EST news252767446 New research into the impact of climate change on Chinese cereal crops has found rainfall has a greater impact than rising temperature. The research, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found that while maize is sensitive to warming increases in temperature from 1980 onwards correlated with both higher and lower yields of rice and wheat. http://phys.org/news252755794.html Space & Earth Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:57:48 EST news252755794 Although paleontologists have greatly increase the pterosaur diversity in the last decades, particularly due to discoveries made in western Liaoning, China, very little is known regarding pterosaur biogeography. An international team led by Dr. WANG Xiaolin, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, described a new pterosaur, Guidraco venator gen. et sp. nov., from the Early Creataceous Jiufotang Formation, western Lianing, China, adding significantly to our knowledge of pterosaur distribution and enhancing the diversity of cranial anatomy found in those volant creatures, researchers report in the April 2012 issue of the journal of Naturwissenschaften. http://phys.org/news251715740.html Other Sciences Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:02:49 EST news251715740 Organic aerosol (OA) is a crucial component of atmospheric fine particles. To achieve a better understanding of the sources of OA is very significant for air pollution control. In the 2012, Vol 57(7) of Chinese Science Bulletin, a paper identified three main sources of submicron OA in Beijing winter of 2010 with a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer. It provides a new effective strategy for moderating the fine particles pollution of Beijing. http://phys.org/news250141634.html Space & Earth Mon, 05 Mar 2012 03:47:22 EST news250141634 The effect of sand layer on the ground temperature of permafrost is one of the unsolved scientific problems in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the sand layers were found to play a key role in the protection of the underlying permafrost by the measured data, and this research work was published in Chinese Science Bulletin. http://phys.org/news250141457.html Space & Earth Mon, 05 Mar 2012 03:44:27 EST news250141457 The research of Chinese pterosaurs has made remarkable contributions to the study of those flying reptiles. Most specimens were unearthed from the Yixian and Jiufotang formations of western Liaoning, China. More recently, some pterosaur materials are found in the region of Linglongta at the Jianchang County, western Liaoning. Dr. Wang Xiaolin, a research professor at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his collaborators from China and Brazil, described a partial skeleton of a new pterosaur, Jianchangnathus robustus gen. et sp. nov. from a locality near Linglongta, Jianchang County,western Liaoning, China, as reported in the journal of Historical Biology (Vol. 24, No. 1) in February 2012, demonstrating a larger diversity in the pterosaur fauna of the Linglongta region so far dominated by the non-pterodactyloid clade Wukongopteridae. http://phys.org/news249897520.html Other Sciences Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:06:43 EST news249897520 Pleistocene Gigantopithecus blacki is the largest species of all extinct and extant primates. Its diet, distribution and evolution remained unclear. According to a paper in press in the journal of Quaternary International (2012), paleoanthopologists from Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, reported fossil teeth of Early Pleistocene Gigantopithecus blacki and associated mammalian fauna from Baeryan Cave, Bijie County in Guizhou Province, providing new evidence for analysis on this giant ape’s diet, living habitat, distribution and evolution. http://phys.org/news249727582.html Other Sciences Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:46:31 EST news249727582 (PhysOrg.com) -- Whether dealing with Internet traffic or vehicle traffic, congestion can slow everything down. One team of researchers working on improving network transmission efficiency has developed a strategy that identifies certain links or edges that can be removed to decrease the overall congestion. Somewhat counterintuitively, these links - which the researchers call "black sheep" - are those that connect the busiest hubs. In a sense, the strategy is similar to closing some of the busiest roads during rush hour, and finding that vehicles reach their destinations faster than before. http://phys.org/news249664422.html Technology Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:14:19 EST news249664422 A new study led by the Georgia Institute of Technology provides further evidence of a relationship between melting ice in the Arctic regions and widespread cold outbreaks in the Northern Hemisphere. The study's findings could be used to improve seasonal forecasting of snow and temperature anomalies across northern continents. http://phys.org/news249565631.html Space & Earth Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:00:15 EST news249565631 Periodicity of Retzius lines of primates is a key factor in dental development, and provides information on classification, evolution and adaptation of hominoids in different times and areas. Paleoanthropologists from Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, examined the periodicity of Retzius lines in fossil Pongo from South China using polarized light microscope observation of dental ground sections. They found the periodicities for all of the 15 teeth were 9 d, and compared it with those in extant primates, fossil apes and hominins. This study was published in Chinese Science Bulletin (Vol.57, No.7) in March 2012. http://phys.org/news249555980.html Other Sciences Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:06:36 EST news249555980