Tiny beetle trapped in 53-million-year-old amber is named after Twenty One Pilots

science & techPhys.orgc. 53 million years ago · Oise, France

Tiny beetle trapped in 53-million-year-old amber is named after Twenty One Pilots

from Phys.org

Preserved in amber for about 53 million years, a beetle has been described as a new species by researchers in Spain and France. Named Cnopus twentyonepilotorum, it is the first puppet beetle (family Aderidae) to be formally described from the Oise amber of northern France. The findings are published in the journal ZooKeys.

explained

The Aderidae, sometimes called ant-like leaf beetles, are a family of beetles that bear some resemblance to ants. The family consists of about 1,000 species in about 40 genera, of which most are tropical, although overall distribution is worldwide.

As with the Anthicidae, their heads constrict just in front of the pronotum, forming a neck, although the posterior end of the pronotum is not usually as narrow. The eyes are hairy with a granular appearance. The first two abdominal sternites are fused, and in only some groups is a suture even visible. Sizes are 1–4 millimetres (1⁄32–5⁄32 in).

As the name suggests, most adults are found on the undersides of the leaves of shrubs and trees, while larvae have been found in rotting wood, leaf litter, and nests of other insects. The ecology of aderids is poorly known. Of the larvae whose ecology is known, some are saproxylic, while at least some of those who inhabit insect nests are parasitic.

The higher level taxonomy of the family has long been unclear. As of 2002, the last publication of a world catalog of the family was that of Maurice Pic in 1910. Some classification attempts for the family were made by Corella in 1948 and 1962 and Werner in 1990, but these were mostly ignored by other entomologists. The first DNA study of the taxonomy of the family was done in 2016.

From Wikipedia: Aderidae (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗

how it works

Tree resin traps a small animal, then hardens and fossilizes over millions of years, sealing the body in three dimensions. Researchers study it under magnification, or with scans, and compare body features to known species to decide whether it is new.

so what

Amber is one of the best windows onto ancient insect life, and each new species adds to the picture of European forests during a hot, wet period of Earth's history. Naming species after musicians is a well-established tradition in taxonomy.

fun fact

Scientists have named species after many musicians, including a wasp for Bob Marley and a spider for Beyoncé's fans' favourite: the horsefly Scaptia beyonceae.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗