Random Science Blogging

Science is Awesome

Giant Rodent Mania!!

So scientists going through a Uruguayan museum's fossil collection have discovered the skull of a truly enormous rodent.

Eeek! Imagine a rodent that weighed a ton and was as big as a bull. Uruguayan scientists say they have uncovered fossil evidence of the biggest species of rodent ever found, one that scurried across wooded areas of South America about 4 million years ago, when the continent was not connected to North America.

A herbivore, the beast may have been a contemporary, and possibly prey, of saber-toothed cats — a prehistoric version of Tom and Jerry.

For those afraid of rodents, forget hopping on a chair. Its huge skull, more than 20 inches long, suggested a beast more than eight feet long and weighing between 1,700 and 3,000 pounds.

As I said to a friend: nothing that weighs a ton can really be said to 'scurry'. Stomp, sure. But scurry?

Source: Raw Story

Messenger Madness!
From the Wikipedia article on the MESSENGER probe that NASA has on route to Mercury, a picture of the previously never seen side of Mercury.

Science is so nifty.

Source: Wikipedia