Hi there, and thanks for coming to The Cipher.
-Lauren |
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Creature Drops: A New “Walrus” From The North Atlantic |
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Well well well. It’s another Walrus Wednesday! Or rather, it’s the first of what could become a Walrus Wednesday, series provided scientists are able to track down some more species of ancient walrus. This particular walrus, Ontocetus posti, is not technically a walrus but an odobenine—a group of marine pinnipeds that include the modern walrus. Ontocetus posti thusly should be referred to as a “walrus-like creature,” but let’s be realistic here. Look at that big buddy! That’s a walrus. We’re going to call them a walrus.
The researchers discovered fossils of this walrus in Norwich, England and Antwerp, Belgium, according to a recent paper in PeerJ. So it seems O. posti was a rather cosmopolitan walrus, roaming the North Atlantic during its lifetime around 5.3 million years ago. O. posti lived in much warmer seas than modern walruses, and the researchers suspect the creature went extinct during the cooling period around 1.7 million years ago, which killed off a number of mollusk species the walrus may have depended on. This cooling period likely winnowed down the walruses to leave behind only ones that could handle the cold.
But these surviving walruses would become the ancestors of today’s walruses. Modern walruses have developed a very handy method of suction-feeding, in which they use their tongue like a piston to suck out the meat of clams and other bivalves. Despite appearances, walruses do not actually chew their food with their tusks. Instead, the animals use their tusks to climb on ice, fend off predators, and fight each other. Isn’t that beautiful! The scientists who described O. posti say that the shape of the animal’s big canine teeth likely meant the species occupied a similar ecological niche to the modern walrus—not beating the walrus allegations here! It’s time to cut the crap and call a walrus a walrus.
-Sabrina Imbler
Photo: Jaime Bran |
Lauren's '90s Film Corner |
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Twister was a real fun time, partially because of the thrills but primarily because of Helen Hunt. I'd never really seen her in a movie before, but she stole my heart with an effortlessly cool performance. Think Jodie Foster if she never went to Yale. Bill Paxton, by contrast, is frankly a little boring, though I warmed up to him at the end, and Jami Gertz has a totally thankless role as the spurned fiancee. But with Hunt at the warm center, the thrilling destruction of the action sequences make this a movie that goes down pretty easy. 4 out of 5 VHS tapes.
Speaking of amazing everywoman heroines, I loved watching Speed. It's a bit of overkill at the very end, but otherwise the structure of the movie is extremely exciting, with a sort of Bond-esque self-contained adventure at the start leading into the extended time on the moving bus. Keanu is magnetic, of course, and supporting players like Jeff Daniels and Alan Ruck make good use of their time. But Bullock brings the heart to this silly premise, and she's totally believable as a normal person rising to the occasion. I think it's something I've been missing from a lot of the biggest action movies, where everyone who saves the day either possesses top-secret special training or literal superpowers. I want to root for people I feel like I actually know. 4.5 out of 5 VHS tapes.
-Lauren
Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images |
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