Study: Mammals Needed Muscles More than Brain in Post-Dinosaurs World

An artist's impression of the Cretaceous Period meat-eating dinosaur Llukalkan aliocranianus is seen in this handout photo obtained by Reuters on March 30, 2021. (Handout via Reuters)
An artist's impression of the Cretaceous Period meat-eating dinosaur Llukalkan aliocranianus is seen in this handout photo obtained by Reuters on March 30, 2021. (Handout via Reuters)
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Study: Mammals Needed Muscles More than Brain in Post-Dinosaurs World

An artist's impression of the Cretaceous Period meat-eating dinosaur Llukalkan aliocranianus is seen in this handout photo obtained by Reuters on March 30, 2021. (Handout via Reuters)
An artist's impression of the Cretaceous Period meat-eating dinosaur Llukalkan aliocranianus is seen in this handout photo obtained by Reuters on March 30, 2021. (Handout via Reuters)

While much is known about the evolution of the brains of modern-day mammals, it has been unclear until now how they developed in the first few million years following the mass extinction.

It had been widely thought that mammals' relative brain sizes generally increased over time in the wake of the wipeout. However, a study published April 2 in the journal Science, found that the size of mammals' brains, compared with their body weight, decreased following a catastrophic asteroid impact 66 million years ago that ended the reign of dinosaurs.

For the first 10 million years after dinosaurs died out, mammals prioritized boosting their body size to adapt to radical shifts in the make-up of Earth's animal kingdom.

A team from the University of Edinburgh has shed light on the mystery by performing CT scans on newly discovered fossils from the 10-million-year period after the extinction, called the Paleocene. Their findings reveal that the relative brain sizes of mammals at first decreased because their body size increased at a much faster rate.

Results of scans also suggest the animals relied heavily on their sense of smell, and that their vision and other senses were less well developed. This suggests it was initially more important to be big than highly intelligent in order to survive in the post-dinosaur era.

Around 10 million years later, early members of modern mammal groups such as primates began to develop larger brains and a more complex range of senses and motor skills. This would have improved their survival chances at a time when competition for resources was far greater, the team says.

The badlands of northwestern New Mexico are among the few places where scientists can find complete skulls and skeletons of the mammals that lived immediately after the mass extinction of dinosaurs.

Dr. Thomas Williamson, curator of paleontology at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, and co-author on the study, said: "Collecting and CT scanning many of the beautiful fossil skulls has led to this new understanding of what these bizarre animals were like and the evolution of the mammalian brain."



King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Launches Three Major Environmental Projects

The third project involves the construction of protective barriers, gates, and signboards in the Khafs and Noura meadows to better manage visitor traffic and preserve these areas - SPA
The third project involves the construction of protective barriers, gates, and signboards in the Khafs and Noura meadows to better manage visitor traffic and preserve these areas - SPA
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King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Launches Three Major Environmental Projects

The third project involves the construction of protective barriers, gates, and signboards in the Khafs and Noura meadows to better manage visitor traffic and preserve these areas - SPA
The third project involves the construction of protective barriers, gates, and signboards in the Khafs and Noura meadows to better manage visitor traffic and preserve these areas - SPA

The King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has announced the launch of three new environmental projects that mark a significant step in its conservation efforts.

These initiatives aim to protect natural resources, develop vegetation and wildlife, and create a sustainable environment for research and eco-tourism.

The first project involves a large-scale reforestation effort to rehabilitate over 2,000 hectares of the reserve. To date, 270,000 native trees and shrubs have been planted, with an additional 30,000 allocated to local associations, SPA reported.

The second project focuses on creating semi-natural oases in the Tanhat meadow. This initiative, covering 2,450 square meters, includes the creation of a pond and the planting of native trees to provide safe habitats for migratory birds and enhance local biodiversity.

The third project involves the construction of protective barriers, gates, and signboards in the Khafs and Noura meadows to better manage visitor traffic and preserve these areas.

These projects align with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative, reinforcing the reserve's role as a model for sustainable environmental development and a prominent tourist destination.


Osaka Says Plush Toy for US Open Final Would've Been Osaka Herself

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, walks on the court with a Labubu doll hanging from her bag before playing against Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Naomi Osaka, of Japan, walks on the court with a Labubu doll hanging from her bag before playing against Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
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Osaka Says Plush Toy for US Open Final Would've Been Osaka Herself

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, walks on the court with a Labubu doll hanging from her bag before playing against Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Naomi Osaka, of Japan, walks on the court with a Labubu doll hanging from her bag before playing against Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Naomi Osaka's last Labubu as the US Open was going to be Osaka herself.

For Osaka, that was the real bummer about losing one match short of the final.

“Oh, don’t make me cry, man,” the four-time Grand Slam champion said during her press conference early Friday morning after her 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3 semifinal loss to Amanda Anisimova. “Oh my God, the most devastating question.”

Osaka had been toting a different version of the popular plush toy attached to her racket bag to each of her matches in Flushing Meadows. She gave them catchy names like Billie Jean Bling (for Billie Jean King), Althea Glitterson,” (a tribute to Althea Gibson ) and Arthur Flashe (as in Arthur Ashe, for whom the main US Open stadium is named.)

Had she been playing in Saturday's final, Osaka said the Labubu would have been patterned after the green skirt she wore last year at the tournament she won in 2018 and 2020, which included a green bow over the white jacket she entered the court wearing.

“I would have had the bow, and I’m sick about it,” The Associated Press quoted Osaka as saying. “Oh, my God, that’s like the worst thing. Honestly, I’m fine losing, but don’t ask me about this Labubu, man. Yeah, it would have been me.”


New Recipes Help Pakistani Mothers Ward off Malnutrition

A doctor examines a child during a UNICEF nutrition program at Fateh Muhammad Soomro village in Sindh. Rizwan TABASSUM / AFP
A doctor examines a child during a UNICEF nutrition program at Fateh Muhammad Soomro village in Sindh. Rizwan TABASSUM / AFP
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New Recipes Help Pakistani Mothers Ward off Malnutrition

A doctor examines a child during a UNICEF nutrition program at Fateh Muhammad Soomro village in Sindh. Rizwan TABASSUM / AFP
A doctor examines a child during a UNICEF nutrition program at Fateh Muhammad Soomro village in Sindh. Rizwan TABASSUM / AFP

Clutching their hungry babies, a group of mothers mix a semolina dish under the guidance of a teacher, an attempt to curb malnutrition which affects nearly one in two children in Pakistan's south.

Despite Sindh province being home to the mega port city of Karachi, the financial center of the country that sprawls along the Arabian coastline, children in rural areas just a few hours away face stark levels of wasting and stunting, reported AFP.

In the arid village of Sujawal, lethargic children with prominent bones wilt in the searing heat as social workers educate mothers on nutrient-rich ingredients and dispel myths around food.

"Before, we only gave our children potatoes because they were always available at home," said Shahnaz, 25, who has radically changed the diet of her six children, weak and frequently sick, after a year of classes.

Now, convinced that children should eat a varied diet, she has introduced affordable ingredients such as lentils and semolina into her cooking, lifting her daughter out of malnutrition.

In impoverished rural Sindh province, 48 percent of children under five suffer from malnutrition and 20 percent from its most severe form, wasting, according to the latest national survey on the issue conducted in 2018.

In this class, Azma, a social worker, shows mothers how to cook with semolina -- easily available in the market.

"Semolina is cheap -- for 50 rupees it can last a week if you're feeding one to two spoonfuls daily to a six-month-old child," she explained to AFP.

In Sindh, a province of 55 million people where contraception remains taboo and large families are the norm, 3,500 mothers have benefited from cooking classes developed by UNICEF.

Like many mothers in the area, Kulsoom, 23 and pregnant with her sixth child, all born prematurely and underweight, once only fed her children pieces of fried flatbread.

"One of my children died, and my youngest is extremely weak, so I was advised to take these classes," said Kulsoom, who goes by only one name, like most women in her district.

No spices

Parents are recommended to feed babies solid foods from about six months old, but in rural Sindh this often means adult leftovers, too spicy for young stomachs.

"The main problem is the lack of dietary diversity," says Mazhar Iqbal, a nutritionist for UNICEF.

In Pakistan, 38 percent of children eat only two or fewer of the eight food categories recommended by UNICEF.

Meat is saved for special occasions, yet inexpensive protein alternatives exist such as chicken offal, boiled bones, lentils and beans.

As for fruit and vegetables, they are usually fried, losing their nutrients.

Bakhtawar Kareem joined the program after her child died of anemia.

"I have no money. Sometimes we eat, sometimes we don't," she lamented, scanning the swollen belly of her one-year-old daughter, who has only sparse clumps of hair.

Like 72 percent of children in the village, her daughter has stunting, well above the average rate in Pakistan of 42 percent -- one of the highest in the world.

Stunting is most closely associated with brain development and physical growth, and can have long-term physical and mental impacts.

Vulnerable to a lack of clean water and sanitation which contributes to malnutrition, children often also suffer from dengue fever or malaria, from vomiting, diarrhea, or difficulty urinating, and have abnormally swollen bellies.

Women eat leftovers

But the vicious cycle of malnutrition begins with the mothers.

"With early marriages and repeated pregnancies, more than 45 percent of women in Sindh are anemic," said the nutritionist.

"This increases the risk of having low birth weight babies, who are more likely to suffer from malnutrition."

In Sujawal, where only a quarter of the population can read and write, myths about food also deprive women of vital nutrients.

Farrah Naz, the head of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition in Pakistan, regularly has to repeat that eggs and dried fruits do not cause women to bleed more during their periods.

Cultural norms around women serving meals to men first and eating the leftovers -- despite the physical work they carry out in the fields -- also contributes to poor health.

"And when food runs out, it's their rations that are cut first."