Word: fossils
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Like many of the most dramatic dinosaur finds of the past few years, the new specimens were unearthed in a geological formation in northeastern China's Liaoning province that has become one of the world's most renowned fossil beds. Since the late 1990s, digs in Liaoning have produced an astonishing array of exquisitely preserved plants, insects, primitive mammals, birds and, most famously, feathered and winged dinosaurs...
While the Pompeii layer preserved natural body postures, it was too coarse to take imprints of soft tissues and delicate structures, so there's no way of knowing whether Mei long had feathers. But other strata of the Liaoning fossil beds are much finer grained. That's where paleontologists found the feathered tyrannosaur, which Xu and Norell named Dilong paradoxus ("surprising emperor dragon"). It's one of the oldest known tyrannosaurs, and one of the emu-size specimens has unmistakable traces of primitive feathers on its tail and jaw. Those filaments, which are about three-quarters of an inch long...
...Yang isn't the only one made uncomfortable by his globetrotting. CNOOC's aggressive efforts to secure reliable supplies of oil and natural gas around the world reflect just how strong China's thirst for fossil fuels has become. Motorists bemoaning high prices at the pumps?oil rose to a record $55 a barrel on Oct. 15, up 65% this year?can with some justification point an accusatory finger toward the mainland. Its booming economy and burgeoning appetite for cars and other modern conveniences have caused energy demand to soar. China's oil imports doubled over the past five years...
...many ARS researchers, the future is all about waste, particularly as an alternative to petroleum. The feather project, for example, can replace some of the fossil fuels used in plastics. Likewise, a surplus of soybeans inspired researchers to develop SoyScreen as an alternative to petroleum-based sunscreens. At ARS's flagship facility in Beltsville, Md., biodiesel, derived from vegetable oil, powers fleets of tractors and lawn mowers for the farms and even heats some of the buildings. Indeed, petroleum is prohibited in the carpeting (which is instead held together by soy-based urethane). The only permissible hand soaps and cleaning...
Sharp served as a member of Congress from Indiana between the years of 1975 and 1995. While in Congress, Sharp focused primarily on energy and environmental policies and chaired the subcommittee on fossil and synthetic fuels. He said he was one of the key leaders in the passage of the last comprehensive energy bill, the Energy and Policy Act of 1992 and the Clean Air Act Amendments...