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sciencesoup: Prehistoric shark could eat “Jaws” for breakfast In 1899, Soviet geologist Alexander Karpinsky first described the prehistoric shark Helicoprion (Greek for “spiral saw”) based on an incomplete specimen found in the Ural region of Russia. The specimen is a “tooth whorl”: a tight, deadly coil of 180 triangular teeth, and as far as paleontologists could tell, it was attached as an overhang to the shark’s jaw. Initially they thought it was used to grind the shells of mollusks, but as more fossils were found, the absence of broken teeth suggest that the whorl was used to eat animals without shells, such as squid and fish—perhaps by unfurling like a whip and spearing them. On most specimens the whorl is about the size of a dinner plate in diameter, suggesting the Helicoprion was about 4.5 m long, but one specimen has a diameter of 60 cm—making its accompanying shark up to 10 m long. The species swam the seas in the Permian era 290 million years ago, and its fossils are found all over the world, from Russia to North America to Australia. Because the only specimens found so far are of the Helicoprion’s bizarre dentitions, little more is known about this fascinating (and terrifying) creature—except that it wouldn’t be pleasant to meet in a dark alley.
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sciencesoup:

Prehistoric shark could eat “Jaws” for breakfast

In 1899, Soviet geologist Alexander Karpinsky first described the prehistoric shark Helicoprion (Greek for “spiral saw”) based on an incomplete specimen found in the Ural region of Russia. The specimen is a “tooth whorl”: a tight, deadly coil of 180 triangular teeth, and as far as paleontologists could tell, it was attached as an overhang to the shark’s jaw. Initially they thought it was used to grind the shells of mollusks, but as more fossils were found, the absence of broken teeth suggest that the whorl was used to eat animals without shells, such as squid and fish—perhaps by unfurling like a whip and spearing them. On most specimens the whorl is about the size of a dinner plate in diameter, suggesting the Helicoprion was about 4.5 m long, but one specimen has a diameter of 60 cm—making its accompanying shark up to 10 m long. The species swam the seas in the Permian era 290 million years ago, and its fossils are found all over the world, from Russia to North America to Australia. Because the only specimens found so far are of the Helicoprion’s bizarre dentitions, little more is known about this fascinating (and terrifying) creature—except that it wouldn’t be pleasant to meet in a dark alley.

sciencesoup: Bioluminescent bacteria Taking cues from the firefly, a Dutch electronics company has created a product called “Bio-light”—an eco-friendly lighting system that uses glowing, bioluminescent bacteria. They’re not powered by electricity or sunlight, but by methane generated by the company’s Microbial Home bio-digester that processes anything from vegetable scraps to human waste. The living bacteria are fed through silicon tubes, and as long as they’re nutritionally-fulfilled, they can indefinitely generate a soft, heat-free green glow using the enzyme luciferase and its substrate, luciferin. They’re kept in hand-blown glass bulbs clustered together into lamps, but you can’t light up your house with them yet—the glow isn’t nearly bright enough to replace conventional artificial lights. They do, however, get people to think about untapped household energy sources and how to make use of them. The company, Phillips, also envisions the use of these Bio-lights outside the home—for nighttime road markings, signs in theatres and clubs, and even biosensors for monitoring diabetes.
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sciencesoup: Bioluminescent bacteria Taking cues from the firefly, a Dutch electronics company has created a product called “Bio-light”—an eco-friendly lighting system that uses glowing, bioluminescent bacteria. They’re not powered by electricity or sunlight, but by methane generated by the company’s Microbial Home bio-digester that processes anything from vegetable scraps to human waste. The living bacteria are fed through silicon tubes, and as long as they’re nutritionally-fulfilled, they can indefinitely generate a soft, heat-free green glow using the enzyme luciferase and its substrate, luciferin. They’re kept in hand-blown glass bulbs clustered together into lamps, but you can’t light up your house with them yet—the glow isn’t nearly bright enough to replace conventional artificial lights. They do, however, get people to think about untapped household energy sources and how to make use of them. The company, Phillips, also envisions the use of these Bio-lights outside the home—for nighttime road markings, signs in theatres and clubs, and even biosensors for monitoring diabetes.
Zoom

sciencesoup:

Bioluminescent bacteria

Taking cues from the firefly, a Dutch electronics company has created a product called “Bio-light”—an eco-friendly lighting system that uses glowing, bioluminescent bacteria. They’re not powered by electricity or sunlight, but by methane generated by the company’s Microbial Home bio-digester that processes anything from vegetable scraps to human waste. The living bacteria are fed through silicon tubes, and as long as they’re nutritionally-fulfilled, they can indefinitely generate a soft, heat-free green glow using the enzyme luciferase and its substrate, luciferin. They’re kept in hand-blown glass bulbs clustered together into lamps, but you can’t light up your house with them yet—the glow isn’t nearly bright enough to replace conventional artificial lights. They do, however, get people to think about untapped household energy sources and how to make use of them. The company, Phillips, also envisions the use of these Bio-lights outside the home—for nighttime road markings, signs in theatres and clubs, and even biosensors for monitoring diabetes.

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