Archive for the ‘Predator’ Category

New Cousin to the Velociraptor Discovered in China

Thursday, July 23rd, 2015

Liaoning Province in China is known for the substantial amount of dinosaur fossils that’ve turned up in the dirt there. Over the years everything from insects to fish to plants have been discovered in such detail that even skin textures have been left behind in the rock.

Now it appears that a new feathered dinosaur that is cousin to the Velociraptor can be added to the long list of discoveries there.

The new dinosaur with a ridiculous name to try and pronounce, Zhenyuanlong suni, stood at about 5 feet tall, had wings too short to allow them to fly and some of the most complex feathers seen on a dinosaur up to this point. The feathers’ complexity is clearly visible on the rock that the near-complete skeleton has been found in and resemble the feathers of today’s eagles.

Professor Junchang Lü from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences’ Institute of Geology:

“The first feathered dinosaurs were found here and now our discovery of Zhenyuanlong suni indicates that there is an even higher diversity of feathered dinosaurs than we thought. It’s amazing that new feathered dinosaurs are still being found.”

It’s also hugely terrifying to think of these semi-flying, feathered 5 foot dinosaurs tracking you down to feed their young.

[Sci News.com]

Idaho High School Catches Ghost or Possibly a Predator on Surveillance Video

Sunday, January 4th, 2015

In mid-September, surveillance cameras at Pocatello High School in Idaho caught what paranormal investigators are calling a human-looking figure wandering the halls during the winter break.

After seeing the video, you’ll probably shake your head, “Nope. Predator.”

During the video, lights repeatedly act strange and flicker on and off before the arrival of the figure. Then the figure makes its appearance outside of the men’s restroom. This knocks out the whole ghost theory.

Pocatello High School has been around since 1917. Over the years it’s been more like Sunnydale with stories of weird activity from suicide pacts to shadow figures to a mysteriously playing piano to the ghost of a drowned boy who died in the school’s pool.

Paranormal investigators were called in to look over the security footage. While excited about the footage, they can’t determine what it is. Shadow figure? Prank-playing science teacher who discovered invisibility? Predator? Sue Richards?

No one’s sure what strolls the halls of Pocatello High…but now it’s been caught on camera so let the hypotheticals begin!

Best part of the story for you long-time fans of Weird Things?

The paranormal group is called SPIRO.

[Idaho Local News 8]

Real Cloak of Invisibility? Company Develops Stealth Material!

Friday, December 28th, 2012

Harry Potter had one. Frodo Baggins had one. Even Max from Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place had one.

In fact, just about every single geek on the planet at some point in their life has probably hypothesized about how cool it would be to have some kind of a cape or blanket that you could cover yourself in and become instantly invisible.

Right?

Well that might soon become a reality.

While we’re still going to have to keep to our hypothetical invisible scenarios in our grinning heads, it won’t be long until soldiers, special ops agents and even….uh…submarines…begin using something called ‘Quantum Stealth’ to get all Predator-like.

Guy Cramer, the president and CEO of Hyperstealth Biotechnology in Canada, is vaguely but loudly declaring that he’s developed an invisibility cloak-like material!

After checking his site and looking at the ‘mock-up’ photos on display, we’re secretly hoping this is a serious technology that’s about to put old-school camouflage in the closet. Poking around online to see if there was ANY hint at what Cramer is developing turned up nothing that actually shows off the technology. He’s claiming that if a soldier were wearing his top secret material you wouldn’t know he was there until you tripped over him.

Pretty bold claims considering we’ve seen this kind of promise before.

But if we know our audience? We’re guessing you’re all crossing your fingers, doing some kind of little victory dance and hoping it’s true too.

[HyperStealth.com]

Terrifying Shrimp Once Thought To Be Earth’s First Predator, Proven To Be Total Wuss

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

skitched-20101109-111839.jpg

He once prowled the primordial sea, ruling all he surveyed. Legend would speak of this carnivorous shrimp in hushed, reverential tones for it was truly Earth’s first predator.

Until we found out yesterday that it was just like any other stupid shrimp and wasn’t carnivorous at all.

A new 3-D modeling of the mouth parts of the Anomalocaris, along with evidence that these parts were not hard like teeth, but flexible, shows that the famed predator could not have been munching on the hard shells of trilobites and other such creatures of the early seas.

Just for that, I’m headed to Red Lobster. Endless Shrimp is back and I’m gonna eat 75 of of this dude’s descendants.

[Science Daily via reader Dan Wheeler]