When the Earth Was GreenRiley BlackSt. Martins Press, $29Imagine being a paleontologist exploring Utahs Jurassic-aged rocks. Imagine discovering the bones of a 20-meter-long, 20-ton herbivorous dinosaur. Then consider: How could any beast become so big? The answer, according to science writer and paleontologist Riley Black, lies in plants.Black narrates the story of this Jurassic saurian in a chapter of her latest book, When the Earth Was Green. The imagined Apatosaurus lumbers through lush cycads, ferns and conifers, vacuuming plant matter into her digestive system of enormous fermentation vats, which allows her to extract maximal nutrients. The abundance of verdant foliage available for the adult Apatosaurus to inhale drove its speciess gigantic size. Black even conjures the green pats of dung produced by the (probably) gassy animal as it farts along.With a focus firmly on plants, Black masterfully uses science to breathe life into ancient worlds in which some of our favorite prehistoric animals lived. Each chapter written as a vignette with its own appendix explaining the science behind Blacks story choices portrays a particular time and place.Take the first chapter, set in Arctic Canada 1.2 billion years ago. This is a world of no forests, no fish, no seashells. Bare rock studded with snowcapped mountains presided over sediment-filled oceans stocked with mats of cyanobacteria and other mostly unicellular organisms. Against this backdrop, Black describes something thats not quite plant. Its a multicellular, photosynthesizing red alga. Its only in this moment that what were once single cells are beginning to combine and coalesce into new and unexpected arrangements, she writes. We wouldnt be here without this evolutionary step.This red alga and its photosynthetic brethren are ancestors of the first plants that crept onto land, inadvertently luring critters out of the ocean. It was the plants, not fleshy-finned fish, that changed the world when they came ashore, Black writes.Paleontology is often framed as stories of colonization and conquest life colonized land, dinosaurs dominated the Mesozoic Era. Black rejects this framework, instead twining tales of communities into an evolutionary romance. She reminds us that we did not arrive here on our own, but as part of an ongoing relationship with the botanical. By itself, a dinosaur is just a dinosaur. Farting sauropods dining at the salad bars of Jurassic forests, warming the planet with their methane-rich malodors, is something else entirely.BuyWhen the Earth Was Green from Bookshop.org.Science Newsis a Bookshop.org affiliate and will earn a commission on purchases made from links in this article.

Nature, Published online: 04 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00297-8An immersive show in Paris leaves you humbled by the awesome power of quiet.

Nature, Published online: 04 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00352-4Guerilla rewilding undermines evidence-based conservation

Rat populations are growing in cities around the world because of climate change. A new study explains why this is happening now and what we can do about it.

Scientists are not sure how much metallic dust remained in the atmosphere after the most recent SpaceX rocket 'disassembly.'

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Check out this dynamic parkour gameplay from an upcoming anime-style action-adventure Project Feline, developed by @raymondafcripps.Wishlist: https://80.lv/articles/this-2000s-anime-style-3d-parkour-game-got-updates/#indiegames #indiedev #indiegamedev #videogames #gameindustry #gamenews #gamedev

Anton Pasichnyk shared a closer look at the wildlife VFX he created for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.Admire: https://80.lv/articles/closer-look-at-wildlife-vfx-in-s-t-a-l-k-e-r-2-heart-of-chornobyl/#stalker2heartofchornobyl #STALKER2 #animation #3danimation #VFX #games #gamenews #videogames #gamedev #gamedevelopment

3D Character Artist Marcos Emilio Cuesta demonstrated this animation made with ZBrush using a cel shader, which gives the character a cartoon-style look.According to the creator, adding the cel shader is an experiment. The base for utilizing this effect is one of the artists works showcased on Artstation, The Old SwordsMan sculpt, made with ZBrush and Marmoset Toolbag:The characters turntable:Take a closer look at the version with the cel shader:Check out some other stylized characters created by Marcos Emilio Cuesta:Also, check out this tutorial on making cel shader in Unreal Engine shared by Unreal Dev Hub:Comfee Mug, a 3D Artist specializing in anime-style art in Blender, showed how to make an anime metal cel shader with reflections that look completely hand-drawn in this tutorial:A custom cel shader tool for Maya was created by Martin Changs, its almost ready for its public release:Dont forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Check Out This Toon-Style Character Made with ZBrush Using Cel Shader appeared first on CG SHARES.

SideFXIf youre a teacher, you might find SideFXs new multi-lesson resource, Curriculum-in-a-Box, really useful. Targeted at secondary school and early university educators, this set of recorded videos guides you through teaching basic techniques to your students, making it easier and more effective to introduce them to Houdini.Curriculum-in-a-Box consists of lesson plans and resources to help you integrate Houdini into your curriculum. These materials include files and documents for classroom use, along with guidance on how to explain these concepts effectively to your students. For each lesson, you will get a lesson plan, lecture slides, hands-on activities, project files, reference PDFs, video explainers, homework suggestions, and quiz questions.You may download all of the lessons together or pick specific ones that suit your needs. Right now, Curriculum-in-a-Box offers five lessons, ranging from the basics of Houdini, like the UI and importing geometry, to creating your first simulation.Learn more about Curriculum-in-a-Box here and join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post SideFX Launched Houdini Multi-Lesson Teaching Resource appeared first on CG SHARES.