New Dinosaurs Species Named After Moroccan Scientist

Supplied via AAWSAT AR
Supplied via AAWSAT AR
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New Dinosaurs Species Named After Moroccan Scientist

Supplied via AAWSAT AR
Supplied via AAWSAT AR

Scientists at the University of Portsmouth have discovered three new species of pterosaur that lived in Morocco in the past.

Pterosaurs are the less well-known cousins of dinosaurs. They had adept flying ability. Some were as large as a fighter jet and others as small as a model aeroplane.

Professor David Martill made the discovery with a team of researchers from Morocco and the US.

The new species belongs to a group of pterosaurs called tapejarids from the Cretaceous period. They are well known in Brazil and China, and specimens have also been discovered in Europe, but this is the first time the flying reptile has been found in Africa.

The study, published in the journal Cretaceous Research, has revealed that these species differ from the three recent ones discovered as this one had no teeth -- it was 'edentulous'.

Martill, from the University's School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, who led the study said: "The study of Moroccan material shows that we are still far from having found all the paleontological treasures of North Africa. Even fragmentary fossils, like the jaw piece of the new pterosaur, can give us important information about the biodiversity of the past."

Roy Smith, one of the co-authors, said: "I feel very privileged to be part of such an exciting discovery. Working in the Sahara was a life-changing experience, and discovering a new species of pterosaur is the icing on the cake."

The new pterosaur has been named Afrotapejara zouhrii to honor the Moroccan palaeontologist Professor Samir Zouhri, who has contributed to several discoveries of prehistoric reptiles in Morocco, including dinosaurs and pterosaurs.

For his part, Palaeontologist Dr. Nizar Ibrahim, said: "Samir Zouhri has played an important role in the development of Moroccan palaeontology, not only through his publications, but also because he organized scientific conferences in Morocco and edited an entire volume for the Geological Society of France on the subject of vertebrate palaeontology in Morocco."



China to Make All Hospitals Offer Epidurals to Incentivize Childbirth

People walk past stores in a shopping mall in Beijing on June 8, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)
People walk past stores in a shopping mall in Beijing on June 8, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)
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China to Make All Hospitals Offer Epidurals to Incentivize Childbirth

People walk past stores in a shopping mall in Beijing on June 8, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)
People walk past stores in a shopping mall in Beijing on June 8, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)

China said that by the end of this year all tertiary level hospitals must offer epidural anesthesia during childbirth, a move it said would help promote a "friendly childbearing environment" for women.

Tertiary hospitals - those with more than 500 beds, must provide epidural anesthesia services by 2025 while secondary hospitals - those containing more than 100 beds - must provide the services by 2027, China's National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement last week.

Authorities are struggling to boost birth rates in the world's second largest economy after China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024 with experts warning the downturn will worsen in the coming years.

Around 30% of pregnant women in China receive anesthesia to relieve pain during childbirth, compared with more than 70% in some developed countries, the official China Daily said.

The World Health Organization recommends epidurals for healthy pregnant women requesting pain relief and it is widely utilized in many countries around the world, including France, where around 82% of pregnant women opt to have one, and in the United States and Canada where more than 67% do.

The move will "improve the comfort level and security of medical services" and "further enhance people's sense of happiness and promote a friendly childbearing environment," the NHC said.

A growing number of provinces across China are also beginning to include childbirth anesthesia costs as part of their medical insurance schemes to encourage more women to have children, Reuters reported.

High childcare costs as well as job uncertainty and a slowing economy have discouraged many young Chinese from getting married and starting a family.

In June, health authorities in China's southwestern Sichuan province proposed to extend marriage leave up to 25 days and maternity leave up to 150 days, to help create a "fertility-friendly society."