Technologies

Stunningly well-preserved dinosaur embryo found inside fossilized egg

One researcher calls the embryo «one of the most beautiful fossils I have ever seen.»

An illustration shows a small animal in a tight tuck, legs pulled up, back curved and beaked head bent toward its tail. This is Baby Yingliang, a nickname given to a remarkable fossilized dinosaur embryo found inside an ancient egg and tucked into a position much like that of a modern bird just before it hatches.

The Baby Yingliang fossil dates to the late Cretaceous, putting it at between 72 million and 66 million years old. It was found in southern China and is the remains of a theropod dinosaur called a oviraptorosaur. The embryo’s state of preservation and its position inside the egg make the fossil a remarkable find.

«Previously unrecognized in dinosaurs, this posture is similar to that of modern bird embryos,» says a Tuesday statement from the University of Birmingham. Researchers from that institution and from Beijing’s China University of Geosciences led a study of the fossil, which was published in the journal iScience this week.

The scientists estimate the dinosaur would be about 10.6 inches (27 centimeters) long. The egg is 6.7 inches (17 centimeters) long, which gives you an idea of how much the creature was folded over.

«It is interesting to see this dinosaur embryo and a chicken embryo pose in a similar way inside the egg, which possibly indicates similar prehatching behaviors,» said joint first author Fion Waisum Ma, a paleontologist at the University of Birmingham. The researchers would like to study more well-preserved dinosaur embryos to test the idea that the tucking posture is something that first developed in theropods. The posture helps ensure modern birds hatch successfully.

Study co-author Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh described the find as «one of the most beautiful fossils I have ever seen,» saying it represents «yet more evidence that many features characteristic of today’s birds first evolved in their dinosaur ancestors.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, July 18

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 18.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Kudos to today’s Mini Crossword for being both complex and clever. There are layers upon layers in the clues. It took me a few minutes to sort it all out. Need a helping hand with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Appropriate word that can precede 7-/8-Across and 3-/10-Down
Answer: HALF

5A clue: Remy’s brother in «Ratatouille»
Answer: EMILE

7A clue: Missouri’s postal abbreviation
Answer: MO

8A clue: Light switch position
Answer: ON

9A clue: Done for laughs
Answer: INFUN

11A clue: Richard of «Pretty Woman»
Answer: GERE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Prefix that means 1-Across
Answer: HEMI

2D clue: In the midst of
Answer: AMONG

3D clue: Super Bowl that featured a 28-3 comeback win by the Patriots
Answer: LI

4D clue: Baker’s powder
Answer: FLOUR

6D clue: Dated feminine suffix
Answer: ENNE

10D clue: Iron, on the periodic table
Answer: FE

Technologies

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 18, #298

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 18, No. 298.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

The purple group for today’s Connections: Sports Edition might be a tough one. If you like baseball, have been paying attention to big games and know some famous sports names, then you’ll do just fine with the rest of the puzzle. Read on for more hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Check the score.

Green group hint: Defeated.

Blue group hint: A memorable name.

Purple group hint: Not DC, but the other one.