The tiny threads of the world’s oldest spider web have been found in a prehistoric piece of amber, a British scientist said last week.
Oxford University scientist Martin Brasier said the 140-million-year-old webbing proves that spiders have been catching their prey in webs since the dinosaur age. He also said the strands were linked to each other in the circular pattern familiar to gardeners the world over.
“You can match the details of the spider’s web with the spider’s web in my garden,” Brasier said.
PHOTO: AP
The web was found in a small piece of amber picked up by an amateur fossil-hunter on England’s south coast about two years ago, Brasier said. A microscope showed tiny threads about 1mm long amid bits of burnt sap and fossilized vegetable matter.
Although it’s not a perfect web, it seems to confirm that spiders were building webs 145.5 to 65.5 million years ago when dinosaurs and small mammals shared the earth, said Simon Braddy, a University of Bristol scientist.
Spider experts believe that webs were developed even earlier, but the threads rarely leave any trace.
(AP)
一位英國科學家上週表示,在一塊史前琥珀中,發現了全世界最古老蜘蛛網的細微網絲。
牛津大學科學家馬丁.布雷西爾說,這個有一億四千萬年歷史的蜘蛛網證明了蜘蛛從恐龍時代就已經靠織網捕捉獵物了。他也說,這張細絲交織而成的圓形蛛網,對全世界的園丁來說並不陌生。
布雷西爾說:「這張蛛網和我家花園裡的蛛網沒什麼兩樣。」
布雷西爾說,某個化石愛好者約兩年前在英格蘭南部沿海發現一小塊琥珀,這張蛛網就保存在其中。透過顯微鏡觀察,可以在高溫灼燒過的汁液和植物化石間,看到約一公釐長的極小蛛絲。
布里斯托大學的科學家賽門.布萊迪說,雖然這蜘蛛網並不完整,但似乎可以確認在一億四千五百五十萬到六千五百五十萬年前,地球仍被恐龍和小型哺乳類動物統治的時期,蜘蛛就開始織網了。
蜘蛛專家相信,蜘蛛甚至更早以前就開始織網,只是幾乎沒有留下任何可以追溯的蛛絲馬跡。
(美聯社�翻譯:袁星塵)
Tangbao are one of the most internationally renowned delicacies, that win the hearts of both locals and tourists. Their charm lies in the paper-thin flour wrapper that needs to be folded evenly almost 20 times. Folding a tangbao requires skill to deal with a bulging filling and a thin wrapper. Tangbao are served in a bamboo steamer in which they are steamed, not only adding to the visual appearance, but ensuring they do not get cold before reaching the table. The best way to enjoy a tangbao is to dip it in a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce with
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced a seismic change in direction on March 19, hiking interest rates for the first time in 17 years. The move represents an unwinding of an ultra-loose — and maverick -- policy aimed at putting Japan’s “lost decades” of stagnation and deflation behind it. The last time the BoJ raised interest rates was in 2007, but its war against deflation began in earnest in 2013 under then-prime minister Shinzo Abe. “Abenomics” combined generous government spending and central bank monetary easing. The BoJ spent vast amounts on bonds and other assets to pump liquidity into the
A: Wow, YouTuber Xander 73’s channel “73_Tricking” now has over 10 million subscribers, making him Taiwan’s first 10-million YTR. B: Cool! But what’s “tricking?” A: Basically, it’s a sport derived from extreme martial arts. B: Xander 73’s income is as high as NT$600,000 per month. What’s the secret of his success? A: He often uses English catchphrases in his videos to attract more viewers from around the world. This shows how important English is. A: 哇,YouTuber奇軒的「奇軒Tricking」頻道訂閱突破千萬人, 成為台灣首位千萬YTR! B: 好厲害,但什麼是tricking啊? A: 聽說是極限武術所衍生的運動。 B: 奇軒月入60萬,成功的秘訣是什麼呢? A: 他常使用英文標語,所以能吸引全球觀眾,可見英文多重要。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Have you ever wished for an extra hour to prepare for exams or finish homework? In some countries, people actually adjust their clocks to gain or lose an hour, all for the sake of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Specifically, clocks are set forward by an hour in March and then set back in November. One of the primary reasons for implementing DST is to make better use of natural daylight so that people can reduce energy consumption. The concept originated with Benjamin Franklin in 1784 and became widely adopted during World War I. Today, this system is in place