VIDEO: Brrr-Assic Park: New Dinosaur Discovered Buried Under Ice
Scientists have discovered what they believe is the first dinosaur known to have lived in icy Greenland 214 million years ago, during the Late Triassic Period.
The two-legged plant-eating dinosaur — dubbed Issi saaneq by researchers from Denmark, Germany and Portugal — was of medium size, had a long neck and needle-like teeth. It was an ancestor of the largest land animals ever known — the sauropods. Its name, meaning “cold bone,” is derived from the Greenland Inuit language.
Two skulls were originally uncovered in 1994 by Harvard University paleontologists at the Malmros Klint Formation in the Jameson Land Basin, a peninsula in eastern Greenland. It was first thought that one skull belonged to a long-necked Plateosaurus, a dinosaur species that lived in France, Germany and Switzerland during the Triassic Period.
“These specimens certainly pertain to a new species: Issi saaneq,” said Victor Beccari of NOVA University-Lisbon. Beccari is the lead author of a paper on the findings, which was published in the journal Diversity.
“It is exciting to discover a close relative of the well-known Plateosaurus, hundreds of which have already been found here in Germany,” said co-author Oliver Wings of Martin Luther University, Germany.
Researchers used an X-ray scan of the fossils to create three-dimensional models of the structures and bones within the sedimentary rock.
“The anatomy of the two skulls is unique in many respects, for example, in the shape and proportions of the bones,” said Beccari.
One of the two skulls described by the researchers came from a juvenile, while the other belonged to an animal that was almost an adult. Apart from their relative size, the differences between them in terms of bone structure are minor and only relate to proportions. The fossil dinosaur skulls will be transferred to the Natural History Museum of Denmark after studies are complete, as Denmark has sovereignty over Greenland.
The newly discovered dinosaur is different from all known sauropodomorphs but bears a resemblance to Brazilian dinosaurs, such as the Macrocollum and Unaysaurus, which predate it by almost 15 million years. The Brazilian dinosaurs and the Plateosaurus from Germany are among a group of graceful, bipedal plateosaurids that reached lengths of 10 to 30 feet.
Issi saaneq is the first-known distinct Greenlandic dinosaur species. The discovery of the species from the Late Triassic Period (235-201 million years ago) grants a better understanding of the evolution of sauropod dinosaurs, which lived for nearly 150 million years.
The Brontosaurus and Diplodocus, two of the best-known sauropods (meaning “lizard-footed”), were among the largest land animals ever to exist. Titanosaurus, the largest sauropod, lived 100 million to 66 million years ago and had a worldwide range.
When Issi saaneq roamed Greenland, millions of years ago, the continent-sized island was closer to the equator and the climate was warmer. As the supercontinent Pangaea broke apart through seismic activity that produced continental drift, a cleft in the supercontinent formed what became the Atlantic Ocean.
“At the time, the Earth was experiencing climate changes that enabled the first plant-eating dinosaurs to reach Europe and beyond,” said co-author Lars Clemmensen of the University of Copenhagen. Issi saaneq lived at latitudes over 40 degrees north.
“This is the third new vertebrate fossil species that our team [has] named for Greenland, which shows the scientific importance of that territory,” said co-author Octávio Mateus of NOVA University-Lisbon.
Edited by Siân Speakman and Kristen Butler
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VIDEO: Tanks For The Top-Up: Russian Bomber Refuels In High-Precision Midair Maneuver
By Peter Barker
While refueling a car is ho-hum affair, the same can’t be said for filling the fuel tanks of a fighter jet.
That fact was illustrated by video just released by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation of fighter-bombers practicing in-flight refuels at altitudes ranging between 2,000 and 6,000 feet (610 and 1,829 meters). The high-altitude refuel requires the two aircraft involved get as close as 66 feet apart to run a fuel line between them.
Though the ministry did not specify the speeds the jets ran at during the procedure, it clearly requires patience and skill. (The ministry did say the supersonic fighters involved can reach a maximum speed of 1,900 kilometers per hour (1,181 mph) and a cruising speed of 1,300 kilometers per hour (808 mph).)
The refueling exercises involved several Su-34 multifunctional fighter-bombers and a Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft performing training flights both during the day and at night over Russia’s Chelyabinsk region.
More than 10 aircraft and some 200 flight and engineering personnel from the Air Force and Air Defense Association of the Central Military District were involved in the training exercise.
The footage released by the ministry shows one of the Su-34 fighters flying at high speed at close proximity to an Il-78 tanker refueling aircraft. The refueling hose is released by the tanker and attaches to a nozzle on the fighter, which holds its course while its tanks are filled.
After successfully refueling, the Su-34 returns to its military base, where it is seen landing in snowy conditions.
While midair refueling is one of the most difficult and dangerous elements of flight training, the ministry said it’s necessary to increase the range of its combat units by reducing the number of times fighters need to return to base.
The Ilyushin Il-78 seen in the clip is a Soviet-era four-engine aerial refueling tanker that carries a fuel load of 85,720 kilograms (188,980 pounds) and transfers the fuel to other aircraft through what’s known as the probe-and-drogue refueling method.
The Sukhoi Su-34 — NATO codename “Fullback” — is a Soviet-era twin-engine, all-weather supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber. It’s armed with a 30 mm auto-cannon, along with a variety of laser-guided and satellite-guided bombs.
The Su-34 has played a central role in Russia’s ongoing military intervention that began in 2015 in the Syrian civil war. Su-34s carried out several bombing runs against rebel and Islamic State forces throughout Syria and against the leaders of the Al-Nusra Front, which is also known as al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch.
Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Kristen Butler
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VIDEO: Astroworld Tragedy Is Nothing New, Mass Concerts Have Massive Problems
By Julio Guzmán
MEXICO CITY — The death of eight people at Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert in Houston is a tragic reminder of the dangers mass concerts pose, especially when they have organization problems.
Mexico City commemorates a similar tragedy on Nov. 30.
The 2019 Knotfest, an international heavy metal festival, could have been an unforgettable event, but instead angry fans unleashed chaos and destruction. The result was a burned drum kit, severe damage to equipment, performance cancellations and assaults.
Challenges began before the performance of the American band Evanescence, at 9:10 p.m., on the Oceanía Sports Club’s main stage. Slipknot was to be the band closing the festival.
But thousands of attendees battered down one of the fences between the main and VIP sections and overcrowded the stage area. Security officers were unable to control the crowd.
Live Talent was the event organizer. Concerned about the lack of security, its employees requested attendees to step back from the fence. The company announced through social media that the remaining bands would play if the audience followed the safety protocols. However, most attendees could not understand the reasons for the delay because there was no cell signal.
Four and a half hours later, the impatient attendees began hurling insults. Some jumped over the fence surrounding the stage, dismantled Evanescense’s drum kit and threw some pieces to the public, along with production equipment.
Later, they burned chairs, the drum kit and several pieces of sound equipment. The members of the security team hired for the event ended up hiding, rather than confronting the agitators. Some attendees shouted profanity, others were assaulted, and still more took selfies with the flames in the background.
“It was a bittersweet experience. They [the bands] brought some of the best audio equipment in the world, and they were good bands. It’s not surprising because the organizers have had problems at all their events. Bands often cancel their presentations,” Francisco Acevedo, who was at the event, told Zenger.
Knotfest was not the first time that Live Talent has been involved in controversy.
The company canceled the performances of Rob Zombie, Testament and other star bands announced for the 2018 Force Fest festival.
Mass concerts have presented similar challenges for a long time. The Nov. 6 concert in Astroworld only proves the problem and the risks remain.
Translated by Gabriela Alejandra Olmos, Edited by Gabriela Alejandra Olmos and Fern Siegel
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David Benavidez Unfazed By Late-Replacement Opponent
The on-again/off-again fight between undefeated super middleweight (168 pounds) David Benavidez (24–0; 21 knockouts) and Jose Uzcategui (31–4; 26 knockouts) is officially off. Initially scheduled for Aug. 28, the bout was postponed when Benavidez tested positive for COVID. It was rescheduled for Nov. 13, but two weeks before that scheduled showdown, Uzcategui tested positive for the banned substance, rEPO.
But Benavidez will still get a bout on Saturday night. Stepping in to take Uzcategui’s place is Kyrone Davis (16–2–1; 6 knockouts). Davis’ most recent bout was a unanimous decision win over Martez McGregor in September.
Benavidez, the former two-time WBC champion, is seen as one of the most feared guys in the division, given his size, tremendous punch output and power. In his last outing, in March, Benavidez became the first man to stop the durable Ronald Ellis in the 11th round.
His bout with Davis can be seen live on Showtime this Saturday night, along with a co-main event featuring Benavidez’s brother, Jose (27–1–0; 18 knockouts), who will be up against Francisco Emanuel Torres (17–13–0; 5 knockouts).
David Benavidez opens up to Zenger about the opponent change, the importance of being able to adjust on the fly and more.
Percy Crawford interviewed David Benavidez for Zenger.
Zenger: How are you doing?
Benavidez: I am doing great, and yourself?
Zenger: I can’t complain, David. Thanks for asking. Given the fact that you had an opponent change, how was training camp?
Benavidez: Training camp was good, man. Everything has been pretty good. The only bad thing was Uzcategui coming out positive for steroids. He still gave me the motivation to work hard and work my butt off in the training camp. I feel like the work was already put in and done, and if the opponent changes two weeks prior to the fight, it really doesn’t matter.
I’m ready for anything. I got in hundreds of rounds of sparring, so it’s my job to adapt to whatever comes my way. This is exactly what I have to do. I feel like Kyrone Davis has way more work to do than me. I’ve been working very hard for almost three months. Whatever comes my way, I will adapt. Even if Uzcategui didn’t test positive for steroids, if he had gotten injured or something, like I said, it’s my job to adapt to whatever comes my way. I’m ready!
Zenger: Due to COVID, promoters have been doing a great job of having other fights in and around the weight class of the main event in the case of a positive COVID test, so it appears that they’re adjusting on the fly and adapting in the new wave anyway. It does suck that Uzcategui tested positive, though.
Benavidez: Yeah! You just gotta be ready, man. It’s not even about that really, if you train for something, and the opponent uses a completely different style than what you trained for, you have to adapt anyway. With me and my training, I spar with four rounds with three different sparring partners at a time. My mentality is already ready to change, and switch up, and adapt to a different style. I’m already ready for that.
Zenger: Given the fact that he tested positive so late into the game, were you afraid you would lose the date and be rescheduled again?
Benavidez: No, they already had a couple of replacements ready. That’s the thing about this, like you said, because of COVID, it could have been a possibility. So, they keep standbys. If I got COVID or if Uzcategui got COVID, the show had to go on. They had replacements on standby. Hats off to Kyrone Davis and his team. I know he’s a tough fighter. He fought Anthony Dirrell and gave Dirrell a hell of a fight. I know he’s going to be a live dog. I know he’s coming in very prepared for this fight. He will be ready, and I’m extremely ready as well.
Zenger: I have discussed you off record with his trainer, [Stephen] “Breadman” [Edwards], and I know he has a ton of respect for you. Given that, and letting his guy accept this fight on short notice, I’m sure you are expecting a very motivated Kyrone Davis.
Benavidez: Yeah, definitely! I have a lot of respect for Kyrone Davis, too. He is a great fighter, and he had probably been training for a while; that’s probably why he took the fight. He was probably in shape, probably ready. … Hats off to them. It’s going to be a good fight. At this level, there are no easy fights. You just gotta be ready for whatever comes your way.
Zenger: Were you familiar with Davis prior to him accepting this fight?
Benavidez: I watched him fight Anthony Dirrell. He gave Dirrell a great fight. I always watch film on my opponents. I feel that’s the best way to come prepared. He’s a combination puncher. He’s a boxer but not really; he stays in the pocket a little bit more. He doesn’t really use the ring that much, but I feel like with me, once they feel my power, they usually start using the ring. It will be my job to cut the ring off, find the jab and then find the body shots. Just like in my other fights, Ronald Ellis was a great fighter, too. I feel like I bring the best out of fighters. They have no choice but to bring their best, or they get stopped. I’m expecting the best Kyrone Davis possible.
Zenger: How important was it for you to nearly complete 11 rounds with Ronald Ellis in March, given the fact that 2020 was not the busiest year for any fighter?
Benavidez: It was really important. I did have a fight in August 2020, so it’s been really good getting these rounds in, especially if I get Canelo (Alvarez) in the future. I got 10-rounds in with [Roamer Alexis] Angulo, and then 11 with Ellis, and however long this fight goes with Kyrone Davis. I’m learning more in there. I’m gaining more confidence. I’m learning a lot about myself, too.
I think the good thing about that is I’ve come to realize I do great in the first half of the fight, but I do even better in the second half. I’m an all-around great fighter — especially if I get the opportunities against Canelo or whatever great fighter it may be, [Jermall] Charlo, Caleb Plant. I’m going to know exactly what to do and how to work each and every round.
Zenger: Does being on the same card as your brother, Jose, add anxiety or pressure, as he fights before you?
Benavidez: No, it doesn’t add any more pressure or anything. If anything, it makes me more into the card. I’m seeing my brother in there. The only thing is, I won’t be able to be out there when he’s fighting. I will be preparing in the dressing room while I watch him fight. It’s always been a dream come true; I haven’t fought on the same card with my brother in five or six years.
The last time we fought together was in the same arena, though it was then called US Airways Center. It’s definitely a treat. We’re doing exactly what we have to do. This boxing game is a wild ride. I’ve been a professional for eight years, and we’re still here. We’ve been working hard and we’re going to keep this train rolling.
Zenger: Now that you have reached main-event status, how have you adjusted to the media obligations and everything that comes with headlining?
Benavidez: You learn to get used to the lights and the media coverage, and everything that comes with it. Even the bad parts about having a little bit of fame, you have your haters, and things like that. You just get used to it. It’s part of the job. I have been doing this for a very long time. I’ve been boxing for 21 years, and professionally for eight years. I’m definitely at the spot I wanted to be at — the spot I always knew I would be at, and we’ll handle it very well.
Zenger: By no means am I overlooking Davis, but obviously you were an interested spectator for last Saturday night’s Canelo-Plant fight. Any preference on which one you’d most like to face?
Benavidez: It didn’t matter. I would love to fight both of them. I would fight Plant even though he lost, because they are both great fighters. I feel like once we have the opportunity to make the fight with either one of them, it’s going to be a great fight. Whether I fight Canelo or Caleb Plant, it’s going to make for a great fight. I’m still looking forward to fighting both of them in the near future.
Zenger: What can people expect when they watch David Benavidez on Saturday night?
Benavidez: It’s going to be a great fight. I put my heart and soul into this training camp. I have been away from my wife, and away from my son for about two and a half months. I was already training hard. And I was already training hard in my last camp before I caught COVID. I have been working extremely hard. You can expect a lot of hard punches being landed, a lot of body shots being landed, just an overall great performance. That’s the type of fighter I am. I have 24 fights with 21 knockouts and no losses. I’m definitely going to be coming to hurt Kyrone Davis. It’s going to be a great performance.
Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Stan Chrapowicki
The post David Benavidez Unfazed By Late-Replacement Opponent appeared first on Zenger News.
Zoe Saldaña Rules As A Warrior Princess In ‘Maya And The Three’
By Roberto Leal
The Netflix animated miniseries “Maya and the Three” is a colorful, action-packed adventure tale inspired by Mesoamerican mythology. Thanks to “Maya and the Three,” the myths of Mexico and Central America’s civilizations will take their place alongside those of Greece, Rome, Asia, and England.
The quest
Myth stories often involve the hero embarking on a quest for something that will bring change or resolution to a problem. It can be the Golden Fleece, the Holy Grail, or a sword embrued with magical powers. At the beginning of the journey, the hero must cross a threshold into a different world, which happens in “Maya and the Three.”
Maya, the Princess of Teca, balks at becoming a mere royal diplomat. She wants to be a warrior and seek out and destroy the evil god of the underworld, who threatens the existence of all humanity. To achieve it, she recruits three legendary, fearless fighters: Rico, Pichu, and Chimi. But they are flawed and bring their baggage to the journey. They fight not only the evil god of the underworld but also their demons.
Zoe Saldaña (“Avatar”) plays Maya. Avoiding falling into the temptation to turn Maya into a one-dimensional, strident character, Saldaña modulates her vocal performance and gives the protagonist subtle emotional notes, especially when she makes mistakes and wrestles with regrets and doubts.
Allen Maldonado (“Heels”) is the voice of Rico; Gabriel Iglesias, (“Fieldhand”) plays Pichu, and Stephanie Beatriz (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) is Chimi.
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The influences behind the series’ animation
Jorge R. Gutiérrez is the artistic and creative genius behind the visual landscape of “Maya and the Three.” His deft drawing hand has been responsible for the animation in “The Book of Life,” “El Tigre, The Adventures of Manny Rivera,” “Space Punch,” and many other Latino-themed animated shorts and TV series.
“I love those great Hong Kong martial arts movies,” he said. Gutiérrez points out that he was inspired by the choreography of martial arts fight sequences. So, every episode in the show “ends with a totally different fight sequence.”
The animation style in “Maya and the Three” is “very much a love letter to everything I love,” said Guitérrez. “I love Japanese animation. I love the classic American rubber hose animation of the 1930s. I also love super-flat, super-stylized European animation from the 1950s, and I love stop-motion. I also love imperfect folk art because it reflects the humanity of the artist.”
Mexico in the mist
Olmecs, Toltecs, Mayans, Aztecs, and other Mesoamerican civilizations are the inspiration and backdrop for the fantasy landscape of “Maya and the Three.” Every episode features temples and pyramids from Teotihuacan, Chichen-Itza, and Cholula.
Some names could be nods to Latin America’s pre-Hispanic past. Maya, the protagonist, may refer to the Mayan civilization, settled in southeast Mexico, Guatemala, Belice, and Honduras. Its people built enormous cities in the jungle, developed a lunar calendar, and used the mathematical concept of zero.
Maya is the Princess of Teca, which could be shorthand for Toltec [Tolteca in Spanish], a civilization settled in Central Mexico during the pre-Columbian era. One of Maya’s legendary fighters is named Pichu, probably referring to the Inca city of Machu Picchu.
The characters often speak words or phrases in Spanish. But this fantasy story is set in an era long before the Spanish Conquest. Gutiérrez could be just taking a poetic license to celebrate his cultural heritage.
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An all-star cast of voices
The list of actors who lent their voices to “Maya and the Three” reads like a who’s who of Latino Hollywood: Kate del Castillo, Cheech Marin, Rita Moreno, Rosie Pérez, Sandra Equihua, Diego Luna, Danny Trejo, Carlos Alazraqui, Joaquín Cosío, Gael García Bernal and Alfred Molina are on the cast. Even Queen Latifah gets in on the fun. Also participating are Dee Bradley Baker, Gray Griffin, Eric Bauza, Jeff Ranjo, Hailey Hermida, John DiMaggio, Isabela Merced, Carolina Ravassa, Chelsea Rendon, Wyclef Jean, Raphael Alejandro, Alanna Ubach, and Andy Santana.
“Maya and the Three” is currently airing on Netflix.
Zoe Saldana Rules as a Warrior Princess in ‘Maya and the Three’ is published in collaboration with LatinHeat Entertainment.
Edited by Gabriela Alejandra Olmos and Melanie Slone
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After 196 Years, College Grants Tenure to a Black Professor
High Gasoline Prices Not Impacting Consumer Demand
Higher retail prices for gasoline remain a top issue for the White House, though analysts told Zenger they have not seen much of an impact on demand yet.
Travel club AAA reported a national average retail price of $3.42 for a gallon of regular unleaded on Tuesday, up just a fraction from last week but $0.15 higher than this time last month.
Higher gasoline prices have been a pressing issue for President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who is wary of undermining momentum for the U.S. economy heading into a midterm election year. A decision last week from OPEC and its allies, a group dubbed OPEC+, to rebuff the White House and keep with an expected increase of 400,000 barrels per day for the market in December was met with frustration.
President Biden and White House staff have repeatedly called for OPEC and its allies to increase oil production. They have received criticism from environmental groups for those higher oil production pleas.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the government was “going to use every tool” at its disposal to address energy market issues, including the possibility of tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to cool the market.
Phil Flynn, a senior energy analyst at The Price Futures Group in Chicago, said tapping into strategic reserves would work, but not for very long.
“The administration’s plan to release oil from the strategic reserve may lower gasoline prices for a short period of time, but actually could hurt by creating more demand,” he said.
Consumers may have a buy-the-dip sense and travel more if gasoline prices decline. That increase in demand, however, could lead to even higher prices at the pump.
There is a perfect storm brewing for broader commodity prices. A big spike in natural gas prices has caused some segments of the energy sector to turn to coal or crude oil as a stop-gap measure to deal with energy-related inflation. That has helped push crude oil prices to multiyear highs, and it’s largely that price that influences factors at the pump.
Denton Cinquegrana, the chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service, said the alarm bells might only be ringing in the White House.
“Demand doesn’t seem to be backing off too much,” he said. “From what I hear from people downstream is that they have not seen much behavioral change.”
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported last week that the total amount of refined petroleum products supplied to the market, a loose proxy for demand, averaged 20.4 million barrels per day. That’s close to pre-pandemic levels and in line with recent trends, suggesting demand has yet to move lower as a direct result of high gasoline prices.
Patrick DeHaan, the senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, said there could be some frustration boiling to the surface, depending on political views, but demand still looked pretty good.
“Gasoline demand remains seasonally strong, while the EIA has lofty numbers suggesting consumers are guzzling 9.5 million barrels of gasoline per day, GasBuddy figures suggest the real number to be somewhere in the 9.2-9.4 million [barrels per day] range, still quite healthy amidst higher gasoline prices,” he said, referring to the Energy Information Administration.
The federal energy short-term market report for November said gasoline prices are expected to reach $3.32 per gallon on average and then dip to around $3.16 per gallon by December. Both of those forecasts, however, are higher than estimates from the October report.
Edited by Bryan Wilkes and Kristen Butler
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