Every once in a while, scientists embark on a study to test some weird and wacky hypothesis that makes you wonder why.
diplodocid tails were"stiffer than previously thought, with an important role played by the tendons and musculature to avoid disarticulation of the vertebrae once the tail is set in motion."
frameborder="0″ allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen> But the simulated tail didn't break the sound barrier due to friction of the tail muscles and vertebrae, and aerodynamic drag. And if it had, it would have snapped. At its tip, the tail moved at speeds of around 30 meters per second or 100 kilometers per hour, 10 times slower than the speed of sound and not fast enough to create a supersonic boom.
A thin, whip-like tail couldn't withstand the stress of moving at the speed of sound without the tail breaking, regardless of whether it consisted of braided keratin filaments, like"Even if the hip would greatly increase the movement of the tail, our estimate of soft tissue resistance would not support the supersonic movement of dinosaur tails," Conti and colleagues
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Scientists Discover Black Hole That's Creating Stars Instead of Devouring ThemThe Hubble Space Telescope found a star formation in a dwarf starburst galaxy. The black hole in the center may have actually created the star formation.
Read more »
These Exercises Get You The Same Results in Less Time, Scientists SayWhen it comes to exercise, an approach that's able to achieve the same results with less effort sounds too good to be true – but that's what researchers have discovered in an analysis of exercise techniques and subsequent changes in muscle strength...
Read more »
Scientists Say There May Be a Mirror Universe in Which Time Runs BackwardsBe very glad you don't live in what scientists are calling the 'anti-universe,' a hypothetical mirror to ours where time runs backwards.
Read more »
Totally Unexpected: Scientists Discover “An Entirely New Way of Designing a Nervous System”Octopuses are not like humans - they are invertebrates with eight arms and are more closely related to clams and snails. Despite this, they have evolved complex nervous systems with as many neurons as in the brains of dogs, allowing them to exhibit a wide range of complex behaviors. This makes th
Read more »
Scientists are finally peering inside the sun's middle coronaSharmila is a Seattle-based science journalist. She found her love for astronomy in Carl Sagan's The Pale Blue Dot and has been hooked ever since. She holds an MA in Journalism from Northeastern University and has been a contributing writer for Astronomy Magazine since 2017. Follow her on Twitter at Sharmilakg.
Read more »
Scientists Have Finally Solved a Crystal Shape ConundrumRice theorists have developed a method that can accurately predict the shapes of crystals that do not have symmetry. The shape of a crystal is determined by its inherent chemistry, which ultimately determines its final form from the most basic of details. However, the lack of symmetry in some cryst
Read more »