Bigger-than-man Sea Scorpion Discovered

Giant Sea Scorpion Picture Illusion by Simon Powell

The fossilised remains of a giant claw that once belonged to a sea scorpion roughly 2.5 metres long have been found in Germany.

Researchers say the monstrous creature is the largest arthropod ever known – over 30 centimetres bigger than the previous largest specimen of the same species.

Markus Poschmann with the giant sea scorpion fossil via

Simon Braddy at the University of Bristol, UK, Markus Poschmann in German Archeology Directorate, O. Erik Tetlie at Yale University, examined the 46-centimetre-long claw, found in a quarry near Prüm, western Germany, and believe it belonged to a sea scorpion species called Jaekelopterus rhenaniae that roamed the ocean floors between 460 and 255 million years ago.

Link to Biology Letters' article Link to the Press Release of University of Bristol  Link to NewScientists report Tags: Simon Braddy, sea scorpion, Markus Poschmann, arthropod

Texan Chupacabra Is a Coyote

Still remember the rumored chupacabra, or goat-sucker, found at Phylis Canion's ranch in Cuero of Texas in September? Now the DNA tests carried by biologist Mike Forstner on the mythical animal yielded a virtually identical match to coyote DNA, determining it nothing more than a coyote with a hair loss problem. Link

Tags: Chupacabra, coyote, texas, dna test, goat sucker

Leonid Hurwicz, Eric S. Maskin and Roger B. Myerson Won 2007 Nobel Prize in Economics

 

The US trio Leonid Hurwicz (bio), Eric Maskin (bio) and Roger Myerson (bio) won 2007 Nobel Prize in Economics  for having laid the foundations of mechanism design theory", announced The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Hurwicz, a U.S. citizen born in Moscow, is an emeritus professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Maskin, 56, a New York City native, is a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Boston-born Myerson, 56, is a professor at the University of Chicago.

The three economists picked up the prize for their work that helps find the optimal mechanism to reach certain goals such as social welfare or private profit.

"Mechanism design theory initiated by Leonid Hurwicz and further developed by Eric Maskin and Roger Myerson has greatly enhanced our understanding of optimal allocation mechanisms in such situations, accounting for individuals' incentives and private information," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

"Today, mechanism design theory plays a central role in many areas of economics and parts of political science," it said.

The economics prize is the last prize handed out this year and not part of the original crop of Nobel Prizes set out in Alfred Nobel's 1895 will. It was established in 1968 and is officially called The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Link

Tags: noble prize in economics, Leonid Hurwicz, Eric Maskin, Roger Myerson