Scientists in Gabon and Congo discover that three species of Fruit Bat serve as animal reservoirs for the EbolaVirus . The virus probably first spread from animal to human in 1976 by local hunters eating the bats. (Nature)(LA Times)
The "Thermopolis" specimen, recently donated to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, Wyoming and described in the ''Science'' article "A well-preserved Archaeopteryx specimen with theropod features", shows that the Archaeopteryx lacked a reversed toe—a universal feature of birds—limiting its ability to perch in trees and implying a terrestrial lifestyle. This has been interpreted as evidence of Theropod ancestry. The specimen also has a hyperextendible second toe. "Until now, the feature was thought to belong only to the species' close relatives, the deinonychosaurs."
