CaaC (John)

R.I.P. Grumpy Grumpy Cat internet legend dies https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48308638

No thanks Ole, we already have mid-fielders Matty Willock (23), Callum Cribbin (21), Ethan Hamilton (21) and Angel Gomes (19) giving it all for the reserves, blood them if you must.

Chicago Area Police Are Warning Pet Owners About ‘Zombie Raccoons’ The Riverside Police Department in suburban Chicago, Illinois is warning residents to look out for "zombie raccoons" stumbling through the area, the Chicago Tribune reports. The raccoons get their spooky nickname from a disease that causes them to walk upright, stagger aimlessly, and bare their teeth [PDF]. Despite resembling furry members of the undead, the scariest thing about them is their potential to spread a deadly disease to dogs. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/chicago-area-police-are-warning-pet-owners-about-zombie-raccoons/ar-AABr5gZ

Modern humans split from Neanderthals far earlier than thought: study afp.com © Aida Gomez-Robles This undated image released by the University College London shows teeth samples of hominins found at the Sima de los Huesos cave site in Spain Scientists seeking to unlock the mysteries of human evolution have in recent years relied on increasingly sophisticated DNA techniques that provide "molecular clocks" to date the remains of our ancient ancestors. But a new analysis that instead examines fossil teeth provides an alternative approach -- and one which yields a significantly earlier date for the divergence between modern humans and Neanderthals. The study by Aida Gomez-Robles from University College London proposes that the two species' last common ancestor may have lived 800,000 years ago, entering a debate that is hotly contested among anthropologists. The new timeline is between 200,000 to 400,000 years earlier than current estimates, and if correct would rule out Homo heidelbergensis, another extinct human species, as the last common ancestor between Homo sapiens and our nearest relatives the Neanderthals, as some scientists presently posit. According to Gomez-Robles, whose paper was published in Science Advances on Wednesday, recent research on hominin teeth has shown that while size varied greatly across various human species, the shape of teeth was more homogeneous and evolved at stable rates across the board.

A dog's life

Scientists unearth 'most bird-like' dinosaur ever found © OLIVER RAUHUT, OLIVER RAUHUT The notches in the wing bones of the new specimen point to muscles which would have allowed it to actively flap its wings Researchers in Germany have unearthed a new species of flying dinosaur that flapped its wings like a raven and could hold vital clues as to how modern-day birds evolved from their reptilian ancestors. For more than a century and a half since its discovery in 1861, Archaeopteryx -- a small feathered dinosaur around the size of a crow that lived in marshland around 150 million years ago -- was widely considered to be the oldest flying bird. Palaeontologists from Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU) in Munich and the University of Fribourg examined rock formations in the German region of Bavaria, home to nearly all known Archaeopteryx specimens. They came across a petrified wing, which the team initially assumed to be the same species. They soon found several differences, however. "There are similarities, but after detailed comparisons with Archaeopteryx and other, geologically younger birds, its fossil remains suggested that we were dealing with a somewhat more derived bird," said lead study author Oliver Rauhut from LMU's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Related slideshow: The world's most valuable dinosaurs ever found (provided by Lovemoney) They called the new bird-like dinosaur Alcmonavis poeschli -- from the old Celtic word for a nearby river and the scientist who discovered the fossil, excavation leader Roland Poeschl. The study, published in the journal eLife Sciences, said Alcmonavis poeschli was "the most bird-like bird discovered from the Jurassic". As well as being significantly larger than Archaeopteryx, the new specimen had more notches in its wing bones that pointed to muscles which would have allowed it to actively flap its wings. Significantly, this "flapping" trait found in Alcmonavis poeschli is present in more recent birds, but not in Archaeopteryx. "This suggests that the diversity of birds in the late Jurassic era was greater than previously thought," Rauhut said. The discovery is likely to fuel debate among dinosaur experts over whether birds and dinosaurs developed the ability to flap their wings from earlier gliding species. "Its adaptation shows that the evolution of flight must have progressed relatively quickly," said Christian Foth, from the University of Fribourg, and a co-author of the research. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/scientists-unearth-most-bird-like-dinosaur-ever-found/ar-AABoSDM

1/45 SLIDES - VIEW Walking fish and flying lemurs: Bizarre animals you’ve never heard of We often grow up learning about the same popular animals—lions, elephants, dogs, monkeys—but there are so many underappreciated species that are left behind! Spread across the four corners of the Earth are strange and intriguing creatures that often exceed our imagination, exhibiting shapes and colours that only Mother Nature could design. Click through for a thorough introduction to the world's weirdest and most wonderful animals.

I thought there was a catch with you putting this video in like somebody or two having a bonk beside the tree

Old Bob Hawke loved his beer, I remember him when I was out there in his Trade Union days, top bloke then and soon became Priminister.

Man City referred to Uefa financial body Manchester City say they are "disappointed, but regrettably not surprised" after being referred to Uefa's financial control body adjudicatory chamber. BBC Sport reported this week that Uefa investigators want City to be banned from the Champions League for a season if they are found guilty of breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. Chief investigator Yves Leterme has made his recommendation but it is not known if he supports a ban. City said, "the accusation of financial irregularities remains entirely false". Former Belgian prime minister Leterme, chairman of the investigatory panel of Uefa's independent financial control board (CFCB IC), his team looked at evidence first uncovered in a series of leaks published by German newspaper Der Spiegel last year. The reports alleged that City broke FFP regulations by inflating the value of a multimillion-pound sponsorship deal. City were fined £49m in 2014 for a previous breach of regulations. It understood Leterme's fellow board members firmly expressed the view at a recent meeting that a season-long ban would be a suitable punishment if City are found guilty. Uefa said Leterme, "after having consulted with the other members of the independent investigatory chamber", decided "to refer Manchester City FC to the CFCB adjudicatory chamber following the conclusion of his investigation". European football's governing body said it "will not be making any further comment on the matter until a decision is announced by the CFCB adjudicatory chamber". City, who won the Premier League for a second year in succession last Sunday, have denied any wrongdoing. "The leaks to media over the last week are indicative of the process that has been overseen by Mr Leterme," read a City statement. "Manchester City is entirely confident of a positive outcome when the matter is considered by an independent judicial body. "The CFCB IC referral ignores a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence provided by Manchester City FC to the chamber. "The decision contains mistakes, misinterpretations and confusions fundamentally borne out of a basic lack of due process and there remain significant unresolved matters raised by Manchester City FC as part of what the club has found to be a wholly unsatisfactory, curtailed, and hostile process." It is unlikely any punishment for City will apply to next season's Champions League because they could appeal, and even take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. City could also soon face a transfer ban, with the Football Association, Premier League and Fifa investigating the club over the signing of youth players. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48292248

See the face of a man from the last gasps of the Roman Empire Kristin Romey 3D-printed copy of the skull was used as the base of the facial reconstruction. Adelasius had unusually good teeth for the time. Adelasius Ebalchus has a decidedly Latin name for a man who lived in Switzerland around 700 A.D., centuries after the western Roman Empire fell apart. That choice of name was deliberate, explains Mirjam Wullschleger of the Solothurn state archaeology department. It was at this time that Germanic peoples were moving into the Swiss Plateau in the country’s north, changing the language and culture of the remnant Roman empire to that of the German-speaking Alemanni tribe. Adelasius’ name, and most of what we think we know about him, however, is speculation. His face was reconstructed from a skeleton discovered in 2014, recovered from one of 47 early medieval graves excavated ahead of building construction in the town of Grenchen in northern Switzerland. He was interred in a Roman-style burial, in a grave lined and covered with rocks and his feet pointing north. © Photograph by Oscar Nilsson Adelasius Ebalchus, who lived in northern Switzerland 1,300 years ago. He was in his late teens or early twenties when he died. Based on his remains, researchers determined Adelasius was between 19 and 22 years old and about 5 feet, 6 inches tall. He suffered from chronic osteomyelitis, a bone infection, and vitamin deficiencies—the combination of which likely led to his early death. His rock-lined grave may indicate a higher social status than other people living in Grenchen at the time. When Oscar Nilsson, an archaeological facial reconstructor, was commissioned to reconstruct the face of Adelasius Ebalchus, he was struck not only by the quality of the 3D-printed skull he had to work with, but also the state of his historical model’s dental work. “I’ve never seen more even or perfect teeth,” says Nilsson, who has worked on facial reconstructions from remains going back to the Paleolithic. “It’s not the typical case for me. Quite often, I have to start reconstructing the teeth by looking at what’s around them.” © Photograph courtesy Department of Archaeology of the Canton Solothurn, Switzerland Adelasius was buried in a grave lined with rocks, which may indicate he was of high social status. Nilsson knew that he wanted to highlight Adelasius’ teeth and decided that the reconstructed face would smile—a decision he doesn’t take lightly. When doing facial reconstructions—especially for law enforcement work—it’s not advisable to give your subject a smile, says Nilsson. It distracts from the overall physical impact of the reconstruction, he explains, while creating “an unconscious assumption that it’s a happy person.” “I don’t want to describe a personality I know nothing about,” he says. “At the same time, though, I need to create a face that gives the impression that this person was once alive and has a soul.” Nilsson has worked on individuals from many regions and time periods, but early medieval Switzerland was a first for him. “It’s quite exciting and quite underexplored. I hope I can put some light into this period of history.” Adelasius will be exhibited at Grenchen’s Kultur-Historischen Museum through early June, and then in November be put on permanent display at Solothurn’s state museum of archaeology in Olten. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/see-the-face-of-a-man-from-the-last-gasps-of-the-roman-empire/ar-AABrB0p?li=AAnZ9Ug

Chang'e-4: Chinese rover 'confirms' Moon crater theory The Chinese Chang'e-4 rover may have confirmed a longstanding idea about the origin of a vast crater on the Moon's far side. The rover's landing site lies within a vast impact depression created by an asteroid strike billions of years ago. Now, mission scientists have found evidence that impact was so powerful it punched through the Moon's crust and into the layer below called the mantle. Chang'e-4 has identified what appear to be mantle rocks on the surface. It's something the rover was sent to the far side to find out. Chunlai Li, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, and colleagues have presented their findings in the journal Nature. The lunar far side, which is turned away from Earth, is more rugged than the familiar near side and has fewer "maria" - dark plains formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. The Chinese spacecraft touched down on 3 January, becoming the first spacecraft to perform a soft landing on the lunar far side. The rover then rolled off the lander to explore its surroundings. The rover landed inside a 180km-wide impact bowl called Von Kármán crater. But that smaller crater lies within the 2,300km-wide South Pole Aitken (SPA) Basin, which covers nearly a quarter of the Moon's circumference. It's not known exactly how old the SPA Basin is, but it's thought to be at least 3.9 billion years old. The asteroid that carved it out is thought to have been about 170km wide. The Yutu-2 rover has now identified rocks with a very different chemical make-up to those found elsewhere on the Moon. Early results from the rover's Visible and Near Infrared Spectrometer (VNIS) suggest the rocks contain minerals known as low-calcium (ortho)pyroxene and olivine. They fit the profile of rocks from the lunar mantle and suggest that the ancient impact that created the SPA drove right through the 50km-deep crust into the mantle. Observational data taken by Moon-orbiting spacecraft have been inconclusive as to the presence of mantle rocks on the surface. The authors of the paper want to continue their examination of these rocks and find others. They have also raised the possibility of sending another mission to deliver some of them to Earth for study in laboratories. The results could now help scientists understand the chemical and mineralogical composition of the mantle, which could shed light on the origins and evolution of the Moon itself. The team members also want to find out more about what happened after the asteroid collided with the Moon and formed the SPA Basin. Scientists predict that the hole in the surface may have been filled by molten rock - forming a "melt sheet" within the impact bowl, which complicates the picture of this region's geology. Patrick Pinet, from the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology (IRAP) in Toulouse, France, called the results "thrilling" and said they "could have considerable implications for characterising the composition of the Moon's upper mantle". He added: "It is of the utmost importance to make progress towards unpacking the geology of the lunar far side, expanding our fundamental knowledge of the Moon's formation and the origin of the crustal asymmetry that exists between its near and far sides, and preparing future sample-return missions." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48285503

May 13, 2019 RELEASE 19-06 Shrinking Moon May Be Generating Moonquakes The Moon is shrinking as its interior cools, getting more than about 150 feet (50 meters) skinnier over the last several hundred million years. Just as a grape wrinkles as it shrinks down to a raisin, the Moon gets wrinkles as it shrinks. Unlike the flexible skin on a grape, the Moon’s surface crust is brittle, so it breaks as the Moon shrinks, forming “thrust faults” where one section of crust is pushed up over a neighbouring part. “Our analysis gives the first evidence that these faults are still active and likely producing moonquakes today as the Moon continues to gradually cool and shrink,” said Thomas Watters, senior scientist in the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington. “Some of these quakes can be fairly strong, around five on the Richter scale.” This visualization of Lee Lincoln scarp is created from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographs and elevation mapping. The scarp is a low ridge or step about 80 meters high and running north-south through the western end of the Taurus-Littrow valley, the site of the Apollo 17 Moon landing. The scarp marks the location of a relatively young, low-angle thrust fault. The land west of the fault was forced up and over the eastern side as the lunar crust contracted. In a May 2019 paper published in Nature Geoscience, Thomas Watters and his coauthors provide evidence that this fault and others like it are still active and producing moonquakes today. Credits: NASA/Goddard/SVS/Ernie Wright MORE >> https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/2019/moonquakes

Eoin Morgan: England captain banned for next ODI for slow over-rate England captain Eoin Morgan has been suspended for the next one-day international and fined 40% of his match fee for a slow over-rate during the six-wicket win against Pakistan on Tuesday. It is Morgan's second such offence within 12 months after England were guilty of a slow-over rate against the West Indies in February. Morgan will miss Friday's fourth ODI against Pakistan at Trent Bridge. England leads the five-match series 2-0. "England were ruled to be two overs short after time allowances were taken into consideration," the International Cricket Council said in a statement. They took almost four hours to bowl their 50 overs in Bristol. Also disciplined by the ICC was Jonny Bairstow, who was reprimanded for hitting the stumps with his bat when he was dismissed in the 29th over. The wicketkeeper-batsman struck a sensational century as England easily chased 359 to win at Bristol's County Ground. The rest of the England players have also been fined 20% of their match fees for the slow over-rate. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/48283052

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48212442

Jakobshavn Isbrae: Mighty Greenland glacier slams on brakes European satellites have detailed the abrupt change in behaviour of one of Greenland's most important glaciers. In the 2000s, Jakobshavn Isbrae was the fastest flowing ice stream on the island, travelling at 17km a year. As it sped to the ocean, its front end also retreated and thinned, dropping in height by as much as 20m year. But now it's all change. Jakobshavn is travelling much more slowly, and its trunk has even begun to thicken and lengthen. "It's a complete reversal in behaviour and it wasn't predicted," said Dr Anna Hogg from Leeds University and the UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM). "The question now is: what's next for Jakobshavn? Is this just a pause, or is it a switch-off of the dynamic thinning we've seen previously?" The glacier is sited in southwest Greenland. It's famous for its spectacular production of icebergs - colossal blocks calve from its terminus and drift down its fjord, out into Disko Bay and onwards to the North Atlantic. More than likely, it was Jakobshavn that spawned the iceberg that sank the Titanic. Scientists' interest in the glacier lies in its role as a drainage outlet for the Greenland Ice Sheet. It's a key channel for the export of ice that can then raise global sea levels. The rapid flow, thinning and retreat of Jakobshavn's front end in the mid to late 2000s were probably driven by warm ocean water from Disko Bay getting into the fjord and attacking the glacier from below. The phase change, scientists think, may be related to very cold weather in 2013. This would have resulted in less meltwater coming off the glacier, which in turn might have choked the mechanism that pulls warm ocean water towards Jakobshavn. "Fjord overturning, the circulation that draws warm ocean water in from Disko Bay to melt the glacier at its base is, in part, forced by surface melting on the Greenland Ice Sheet. If you don't get a lot of fresh, cold meltwater going into the fjord, this circulation is weaker," said Dr Hogg. The Leeds researcher has been using a suite of European satellites to monitor Jakobshavn, including the EU's Sentinels 1 and 2 and the German national TerraSAR-X mission. Another useful tool has been the radar altimeter on the European Space Agency's Cryosat platform. This has a very high-resolution "swath" mode that has allowed Dr Hogg to track elevation changes on the glacier's narrow trunk. Where previously this was dropping in height by 20m a year, it's now thickening by 20m a year. "All this is a reminder of how unpredictable glaciers can be," she told BBC News. "We didn't predict this change in behaviour, and if Jakobshavn does start thinning and retreating again - we can't predict when that will happen. "The rate of sea-level contribution from Greenland has slowed in recent years and it's because some of the biggest ice evacuators like Jakobshavn aren't contributing as much as they used to." Dr Hogg was speaking here at the Esa's Living Planet Symposium, Europe's largest Earth observation conference. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48265217

Todays a wee bit better and no rain, sunny and 20c, I can hack that but anything over 35c then I am toiling with my asthma and migraines that will hit me, yuck.

@nudge, you will love this, a long read though Mariana Trench: Deepest-ever sub dive finds a plastic bag By Rebecca MorelleScience Correspondent, BBC News An American explorer has found plastic waste on the seafloor while breaking the record for the deepest ever dive. Victor Vescovo descended nearly 11km (seven miles) to the deepest place in the ocean - the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. He spent four hours exploring the bottom of the trench in his submersible, built to withstand the immense pressure of the deep. He found sea creatures, but also found a plastic bag and sweet wrappers. It is the third time humans have reached the ocean's extreme depths. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48230157

A New Zealand man found 12-million-year-old footprints left by an extinct 500-lb bird Natasha Frost When New Zealand’s first settlers arrived in the country in around 1300, they found a series of islands with lots of seafood, not much by way of edible plant life, and some of the most extraordinary flightless birds the world had ever seen. Over millions of years, New Zealand had developed a unique ecosystem. It has almost no native mammals and is instead home to a vibrant array of avian life—at most recent count, some 378 species, many of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Without the risk of mammal predators, a striking number are shockingly defenceless, and spend their lives trotting sweetly—and vulnerable—along the forest floor. Moa should not have been at risk. These enormous birds stood twice the height of an adult man and weighed nearly three times as much. They had few natural predators, beyond the now-extinct Haast’s eagle, with their size weapon enough against almost anything. But they were slow, unwieldy, and possibly quite delicious. With few alternative sources of food, New Zealand’s newly-arrived Maori people quickly grew accustomed to killing and eating them. Within a century, the birds were gone forever. Earlier this year, however, a New Zealand tractor driver had an exceptional brush with some of these long-dead giants. While taking his dogs for a swim in a river in a remote area of New Zealand’s South Island, Michael Johnston noticed some unusual markings in the clay and contacted the local Otago museum. Days later, museum experts used snorkels and underwater cameras to find seven moa footprints preserved in the river’s hard clay, beneath about three feet (one metre) of water. They are the first tracks from the bird ever found on the island and believed to be as much as 12 million years old. Recent wet weather in the area seems to have eroded the bank, exposing the clay slab below, with its seven footprints. Each is roughly a square foot (30 cm) in size. Museum experts are now extracting the footprints from the clay, with a view to eventually making them available for researchers to study. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/a-new-zealand-man-found-12-million-year-old-footprints-left-by-an-extinct-500-lb-bird/ar-AABgU5N

Life can be a bastard but the best thing is to look back and then look at the situation today of life in general, I am coming on 70 years old now and sometimes when the wife is in bed and its all quiet in here I will switch the tv off and just sit here for about 20 minutes and think back. There was 9 of us in our family, 7 sisters and me and my brother and growing up in the '50s was hard as rationing from WWII was still around and my youngest brother was born with disabilities, one leg and most of his toes and fingers missing but we struggled along as a family and years later I think of today where I am now married (45 years up come Dec) my wife gave me 2 lovely children a boy and girl who gave me and the wife 3 lovely grandsons. So I will sit back when it's all quiet and think how lucky I am to still be alive, thinking about Dec 2017 where the wife had to call an ambulance and I was rushed into hospital with a collapsed lung, 2 weeks in hospital and an operation to boot but I am still here kicking along so I think to myself I am one of the lucky ones when I listen or read the early morning news of all the tragedies at home and around the world of death and destruction and I am still breathing, as I said, life can be a bastard but I am one of the lucky ones who is still alive and kicking.

18 hysterical photos from the Wildlife Comedy Photography Awards Talia Lakritz 1-19 SLIDES

Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool title bid was only first step Liverpool "tried everything" to win the Premier League title but finishing second to Manchester City was "only the first step", says manager Jurgen Klopp. The Reds beat Wolves 2-0 to finish on 97 points; the highest ever points tally for any runner-up in any of Europe's top five leagues. "We wanted to write our own history and we did," Klopp told BBC Sport. "The team made so many big steps in the last year. We made a much bigger jump development wise." 'Klopp restores Liverpool's fire to offer hope amid title pain' The best top two ever - stats behind title battle The German added: "The boys pushed themselves to new levels, which I love, and that development and improvement is not finished. It is the first try. This team is one of the best that ever played for Liverpool; 100%. "As long as Manchester City are around with their financial power, no team will pass them easily. We need to be very close to perfection to win the Premier League as long as this is the case." The Reds, who last won the league in 1990, face Tottenham in the Champions League final on Saturday, 1 June. Liverpool finished fourth last season, 25 points behind champions City, but the Reds pushed Pep Guardiola's side all the way this season, losing just once to finish one point behind them. At one stage in the first half on Sunday they were winning and Brighton was beating Manchester City, which would have been enough to give the Reds the title - leading to a loud roar at Anfield. City went on to win 4-1. "It is difficult to prepare a team for a situation like that, we score and Brighton score," said Klopp. "It was a boost to a very good atmosphere. Going nuts. Wolves used it actually. "Then it calmed down. It was clear when the atmosphere was not ecstatic anymore something had happened we didn't like at Brighton." But Klopp, whose last major trophies were the 2012 German domestic double with Borussia Dortmund, is confident the Reds' title battle bodes well for the future. "The team made so many big steps in the last year," he said. "The boys were all there from last season apart from [goalkeeper] Alisson. "It's a very special season, a better season than I played with my team [Dortmund] when we were champions in Germany. But we cannot ignore one team were better. "It's clear we were lucky in moments like City were. We were unlucky against City but scored in the last second against Everton and late on against Newcastle - they could have been draws as well. "The season is a very long, hard one. You have to deal with setbacks. We were always competitive. City got the points they have because we were there. "They have 198 points in two years; that's special. We made such big steps. Always after a good year, we lost key players [in the past] but we won't so we'll be there again." 'We tried everything to win those games' Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said they could not have done any more to win the title. "No regrets," the midfielder said. "We have been outstanding all season and left everything out on the pitch. "We have lost one game. People might talk about the draws but we tried everything to win those games. We gave everything over the whole season. City are a fantastic side and you take your hat off to them. "Next season we give everything to win it." Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, the PFA player of the year, said: "It's a very special team and I am very proud to be part of it. We have a big final to come, we should be proud but congratulations to City and hopefully we can challenge them next year. "We struggled a little bit today, we are human beings and it will be in your head, you cannot deny it. City have been outstanding but so are we. "We are going to work hard again and hopefully try to do it." Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold set up Sadio Mane's second goal. "I'm gutted, it is a tough one to take but City proved they are one of the best teams in the world," the 20-year-old said. "We only lost one game and you expect to win the league, but it is what it is and we go again next year." https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48247523