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36-million-year-old whale fossil found

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  • A 36-Million-Year-Old Whale fossil was found in a Peruvian desert.
  • A complete skull of the Peruvian basilosaurus was discovered in the Ocucaje Desert.
  • The Ocucaje Desert is rich in fossils, providing scientists with 42 million years’ worth of evolutionary evidence.

LIMA: Paleontologists on Thursday unveiled the fossilized remains of an ancient whale that inhabited the seas 36 million years ago, found last year in a Peruvian desert.

“We have presented the new Peruvian basilosaurus, it is the complete skull of an archaic whale that lived 36 million years ago,” paleontologist Mario Urbina, head of the team that discovered the skeleton, told AFP.

Urbina said the basilosaurus was found at the end of 2021 in the Ocucaje Desert in the Ica department, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) south of Lima. The desolate landscape was a shallow sea millions of years ago, and its dunes have yielded large numbers of striking primitive sea mammal remains.

The “Ocucaje Predator,” as the researchers dubbed it, was about 17 meters (55 feet) long and used its massive, powerful teeth to feed on tuna, sharks and schools of sardines.

“This finding is very important because there are no other similar specimens discovered in the world,” said Urbina, a researcher at the National University of San Marcos, in Lima.

Team member Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi explained the basilosaurus differs from other known ancient whale species by its size and the development of its teeth, both of which indicate the animal was likely at the top of the food chain.

“This is an extraordinary find because of its great state of preservation,” he told AFP. “This animal was one of the largest predators of its time.”

“At that time the Peruvian sea was warm,” added Salas-Gismondi, who heads the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Natural History Museum in Lima. “Thanks to this type of fossil, we can reconstruct the history of the Peruvian sea.”

The first cetaceans, like the basilosaurus, evolved from land animals some 55 million years ago.

By the late Eocene period (between 56 million and 34 million years ago), cetaceans had fully adapted to marine life.

Whales had not yet evolved, and almost all cetaceans were marine macropredators, according to the research team.

The Ocucaje Desert is rich in fossils, the researchers said, providing scientists with 42 million years’ worth of evolutionary evidence.

Other fossils found there include four-legged dwarf whales, dolphins, sharks and other species from the Miocene period (between 23 million and five million years ago).

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Kahani Suno 3.0? Kaifi Khalil to drop new song soon

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Singer Kaifi Khalil, who took over the music industry by storm with Kahani Suno 2.0, has revealed that he will be releasing a continuation of the song very soon. 

The young singer also talked about the story behind Kahani Suno 2.0 during a Junaid Akram’s podcast released on Eid ul Fitr. 

He said that the new song wouldn’t be Kahani Suno 3.0 but it would be an explanation of his previous song. He also said he was trying to release it after the Eid. 

“Kahani Suno was an old song and I decided to rewrite it and do justice to that track. I wanted people to relate to the song as if they are listening to someone’s story,” he said while talking to the host.

He said that he completed writing the song within three days, adding that he was scared it was a love song as this feeling is not taken very seriously these days.  

When asked if his song is based on a real story, Khalil said he would answer this question in the next song that he is about to release as it would continue. 

Replying to a question if a female version of this song would come, the singer said that he has no idea about it. 

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Here are details of world’s second deepest blue hole

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Blue holes are believed to be the mysterious space underwater that go very deep and are abundant with plant and animal life. A similar blue hole has been identified by scientists at Chetumal Bay off the coast of Mexico.

The second deepest blue hole is named Taam Ja in Mayan, meaning “deep water”. It is estimated to be 900.2 feet (274.4 metres) deep.

The first deepest hole is located off the coast of China, with a depth of 987 feet (300.89 metres). It was discovered in 2016 and was named Dragon Hole or Longdong.

The observation and survey were carried out in 2021; however, the experts have revealed its existence in recent research published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

According to the team, based at Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), a research centre in Mexico: “The information gathered revealed a maximum recorded depth of 274.4 metres below sea level (mbsl). This makes the now-named ‘Taam ja Blue Hole (TJBH)’ the world’s second-known deepest blue hole. Origin and geological evolution of the TJBH deserve further investigation.”

The blue holes are similar to sinkholes on land. The only difference is they’re filled with water which makes it possible for boats and ships to pass over them.

The Mexican researchers said that knowledge provided by local fishermen prompted them to investigate this particular location. This was despite finding no references to blue holes at Chetumal Bay in the existing scientific literature.

With the help of echo-sounding, the team determined its dept whereas it sought scuba diving to measure upper depths.

The researchers said that “Taam ja has a nearly circular shape at its surface and steep sides with slopes of more than 80 degrees that form a large conic structure, adding that the walls of the blue hole are covered by a fine-grained layer and coated by brown algal biofilms — slippery communities of algae that bind together to survive.”

They also noted that the blue hole is close to the coasts of Mexico and Belize and its discovery could lead foreign and local visitors.

The researchers concluded in their paper that currently, the local population is not aware of the existence of the TJBH.

“[We] encourage the scientific community to explore, monitor, and broaden the research of the TJBH to settle an adequate basis for responsible social appropriation in the near future,” they maintained.  

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Naseem Shah reveals who responded to Urvashi Rautela

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Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah has finally revealed that it was not him, but his manager who responded to Indian model and actress Urvashi Rautela’s comment on Instagram, which has since become a hot topic for the rumour mills of both countries.

During a talk show on a private TV channel, the interviewer asked Naseem what the plans were regarding his upcoming tour to India for the ICC World Cup 2023. 

Before he could even complete the question, Naseem responded: “My only plan is to play cricket. I have no other plans.”

The interviewer then asked if he had no plans to see Rautela, Naseem said he had none.

The purported social media interaction between the young pacer and Rautela has been one of the most interesting topics lately as Pakistanis want to know if there is actually something cooking between the two.

Naseem and the ex-pageant winner have been associated with each other due to a fan-made video, posted by the model after a Pakistan-India match in Asia Cup 2022. Naseem was playing in the match and Rautela was among the spectators.

The video showed the model smiling and blushing, and coincidentally, Shah was also recorded smiling during the same match — giving her the opportunity to juxtapose herself in the video.

Ever since the video came to light, Naseem Shah and Rautela’s relationship has been the talk of the town and this made the fans hunt for any interaction between the two on social media.

Months after posting the video, the Indian model and actress Urvashi Rautela was at it again.

She wished the pacer a “happy birthday” on Instagram as the cricketer turned 20 this year.

The ex-pageant winner commented on an Instagram post shared by Naseem congratulating his fellow teammate Shadab Khan on his wedding.

“Congratulations mere Chotay bhai @shadab0800 […]may Allah bless you both on this day with a lifetime of shared love and joy,” the cricketer had written in his caption adding “Best Wishes Always” for his colleague’s married life.

Deep down in the comments section was a birthday wish by Rautela for the young pacer alongside a congratulatory message for being conferred with an honorary Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) rank by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police.

Naseem Shah reveals who responded to Urvashi Rautela

“Happy birthday @inaseemshah congratulations on being conferred with honorary DSP rank,” she wrote in her comment.

To everyone’s surprise, the young cricketer responded to the model with a humble “thank you” followed by an emoji gesturing gratitude with both hands joined together.

However, during the interview, Naseem finally broke the silence on the matter and shared that it was not he that replied to the comment — but his manager.

He said that he doesn’t see his Instagram account much so he had told his manager to respond if he received any birthday wishes.

“I didn’t know that he [manager] would write thank you to just anyone,” the young cricketer said smilingly.

When prompted to tell if he likes Rautela or not, Naseem said that he loves all the people.

“Everyone is a human, everyone is good and I like all humans, but I don’t take anything personally,” he said.

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