YOUR WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE
- The discovery of two new species of dinosaur, which likely roamed the south of England 125 million years ago, has shed new light on the predators. Palaeontologists have described one of the carnivorous reptiles as a “hell heron”, comparing its hunting style to a fearsome version of the bird. The remains of the three-toed dinosaurs were found on an Isle of Wight beach. They belonged to the spinosaurid group and are thought to have been 9m (29ft) in length with 1m-long (3ft) skulls.
- The ivory-billed woodpecker is among 23 species declared extinct by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The service has proposed removing them from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which protects species under threat. In all, eleven birds, one bat, two fish, one plant and eight types of mussel have been declared extinct. The FWS said it had made the determination based on “rigorous reviews of the best available science for each of these species”.
- The vehicle was grounded while the US Federal Aviation Administration carried out an investigation into the mission that took the British entrepreneur above the atmosphere in July. Unity briefly stepped outside the airspace that had been reserved for it. The FAA says Virgin Galactic “has made the required changes” to its operations and can now return to flight. Unity is due to have one more outing this year, organised for the Italian Air Force, before going into an extended period of maintenance and upgrades.
- The UK government is to relax the regulation of gene-edited crops to enable commercial growing in England. The plants are to be tested and assessed in the same way as conventional new varieties. The changes are possible because the UK no longer has to follow European Union regulations, which are the strictest in the world. The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments will get to decide whether to adopt or opt out of the changes.
- Dozens of bone fragments were uncovered by a dry lake in 2016 by researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide. A new study says the skeletal remains were of the Archaehierax sylvestris, or ancient hawk of the forest. Scientists believe the ancient raptor species survived by swooping on prey, including birds, possums and koalas. They say the eagle had adapted to hunting and flying within forests, with short robust wings, long legs and a wide foot-span.
- The Atlas V, carrying Nasa’s Landsat-9 satellite, launched at about 20:00 BST on Monday. About two hours later it performed a reversing manoeuvre, releasing two glowing clouds of vapour. Clear skies made for an out-of-this-world view of the stellar spectacle, visible above large parts of UK. Education charity UK Astronomy said the light was the rocket’s deorbit burn, created as it fires its engines to commence its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere before burning up.
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