science

Physicists Nima Arkani-Hamed and Jaroslav Trnka recently published a significant advance in the study of Scattering Amplitudes. These are formulas that physicists use to calculate everything from the chance an unstable particle will decay to the probability of new discoveries at the Large Hadron Collider. The two reformulated scattering amplitudes within a popular framework called N=4 super Yang-Mills, treating them as properties of abstract geometrical objects. In doing so, Arkani-Hamed and Trnka hope to gain a deeper understanding of the nature of quantum field theory.

Diplodocids, the group of long-necked, four-legged, plant-eating dinosaurs that includes the apatosaurus (not a brontosaurus), have never been found in South America until a new species was discovered in Argentina last week. Leinkupal laticauda, whose name means "vanishing family" (heartbreaking!) and "broad tail" (uh, ok), has projections on the bones of its spine that set it apart from any other known species of dinosaur. But new species, never before found in South America, whatever, who cares—one of the most interesting things about this find is that diplodocids were all believed to have died out in the Jurassic Period (you know the one), but this fossil is dated from the Cretaceous, making it the most recent diplodocid ever found.

Here's some more information on these strange creatures:

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