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Kuwait Times
6 days ago
- Science
- Kuwait Times
New T-Rex ancestor discovered in drawers of Mongolian institute
This handout artist's illustration shows the newly discovered dinosaur species Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, an ancestor of Tyrannosaurus Rex. - AFP PARIS: Misidentified bones that languished in the drawers of a Mongolian institute for 50 years belong to a new species of tyrannosaur that rewrites the family history of the mighty T-Rex, scientists said Wednesday. This slender ancestor of the massive Tyrannosaurus Rex was around four meters long and weighed three quarters of a ton, according to a new study in the journal Nature. 'It would have been the size of a very large horse,' study co-author Darla Zelenitsky of Canada's University of Calgary told AFP. The fossils were first dug up in southeastern Mongolia in the early 1970s but at the time were identified as belonging to a different tyrannosaur, Alectrosaurus. For half a century, the fossils sat in the drawers at the Institute of Paleontology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in the capital Ulaanbaatar. Then PhD student Jared Voris, who was on a trip to Mongolia, started looking through the drawers and noticed something was wrong, Zelenitsky said. It turned out the fossils were well-preserved, partial skeletons of two different individuals of a completely new species. 'It is quite possible that discoveries like this are sitting in other museums that just have not been recognized,' Zelenitsky added. They named the new species Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, which roughly means the dragon prince of Mongolia because it is smaller than the 'king' T-Rex. Zelenitsky said the discovery 'helped us clarify a lot about the family history of the tyrannosaur group because it was really messy previously'. The T-Rex represented the end of the family line. It was the apex predator in North America until 66 million years ago, when an asteroid bigger than Mount Everest slammed into the Gulf of Mexico. Three quarters of life on Earth was wiped out, including all the dinosaurs that did not evolve into birds. Around 20 million years earlier, Khankhuuluu - or another closely related family member - is now believed to have migrated from Asia to North America using the land bridge that once connected Siberia and Alaska. This led to tyrannosaurs evolving across North America. Then one of these species is thought to have crossed back over to Asia, where two tyrannosaur subgroups emerged. One was much smaller, weighing under a ton, and was nicknamed Pinocchio rex for its long snout. The other subgroup was huge and included behemoths like the Tarbosaurus, which was only a little smaller than the T-rex. One of the gigantic dinosaurs then left Asia again for North America, eventually giving rise to the T-Rex, which dominated for just two million years - until the asteroid struck.— AFP
The Star
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Man-in-demand Woodkid composes for Death Stranding sequel
Woodkid – who said playing video games was 'an escape' during his youth – said he jumped at the chance of working with legendary Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima. — AFP PARIS: French singer and director Woodkid has composed the music for the hotly awaited Death Stranding 2 video game, with the 42-year-old telling AFP that the songs unfold "almost like origami". The author of hit 2013 debut album The Golden Age , who has previously worked with Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey, has produced dozens of hours of music for the Japanese-made action-adventure title. "The main challenge is creating procedural music – music that evolves with the player, depending on their actions. And yet, still writing pop songs with vocals," Woodkid, whose real name is Yoann Lemoine, told AFP. "You have to unfold the songs almost like origami, turn them into versions that last several hours, which are then condensed and reprogrammed by developers," he explained. A longtime video game enthusiast, Lemoine calls it a "completely different approach" from scoring a film or writing a conventional album. An album of 16 tracks taken from the game is set to be released on Friday, titled Woodkid for Death Stranding 2 . They include a collaboration with American actress Elle Fanning, who appears in the game, and another with Bryce Dessner, guitarist of indie rock band The National. Impressionistic Woodkid – who said playing video games was "an escape" during his youth – said he jumped at the chance of working with legendary Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima. Kojima's work in the 1990s, particularly the original Metal Gear Solid , left a mark on Woodkid. The pair met in 2020 through a mutual friend. Kojima had already used one of Woodkid's tracks in the first Death Stranding , a celebrity-packed adventure game that sees players act as couriers in a post-apocalyptic world. The first one was set in the United States, while the second takes place in disaster-struck Mexico and Australia. As well as a debut from Fanning, the sequel again includes actors Norman Reedus ( The Walking Dead ) and Lea Seydoux ( No Time to Die ) who play the main characters. "We connected quickly, I think because we share common fantasies," Woodkid said of his collaboration with Kojima, which involved several months of immersion in Tokyo. "There's a darkness in us – dreamlike, fanciful, sometimes deeply melancholic – that bonds us." Man in demand Their work was "very impressionistic", Woodkid explained. "We start with fragments: percussion, beats, textures, vocal sketches I might try. He brings scenes and characters he describes to me, and we build everything together like a ping-pong exchange," he added. "Unlike a film, I didn't actually compose much to picture – it's more like thematic background music." His skills as a composer and director have seen him called on by Taylor Swift for her video for Back to December , Lana Del Rey for Blue Jeans and Born To Die , and Katy Perry for Teenage Dream . Woodkid also directed French classical musician Mylene Farmer's most recent album, L'Emprise (2022), co-writing seven tracks. For Death Stranding 2 , he worked with pianist Yvan Cassar, a long-time collaborator of the singer. "I like staying in the shadows. I'm not a star. I believe in the works more than the artists, so I prefer focusing on the things I create," he said. Asked whether he appears in Kojima's game himself, he lets the question hang, but can't help smiling. Death Stranding 2 will be available from June 26. – AFP
Straits Times
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Ruthless Jannik Sinner marches into French Open fourth round
Jannik Sinner delivered a dominant display of power-hitting as he beat his opponent 6-0, 6-1, 6-2. PHOTO: AFP PARIS – Top seed Jannik Sinner said that he is happy and focused, as he dismissed world No. 34 Jiri Lehecka in straight sets on May 31 at Roland Garros as the Italian booked his place in the fourth round. The world No. 1 delivered a dominant display of power-hitting as he beat his opponent 6-0, 6-1, 6-2. The 23-year-old will next meet 17th seed Andrey Rublev in the last 16, after the Russian was given a bye through the third round following Frenchman Arthur Fils' withdrawal due to injury. 'This morning I said to my team I'm feeling well and physically ready,' said Sinner. 'We had to go very hard in the beginning. Because I feel like the start of Slams are very important... which then gives you the confidence to keep going. 'I warmed up very well. I felt very good. After 25 minutes I was feeling great. Just a relaxed morning. Tried to go on court with a good focus. My team is good, they give me the right tactics. It's a combination of also being happy on court.' Sinner is yet to drop a set in the French Open this year as he continues his impressive return to action following a three-month doping suspension. He returned in time for the Italian Open earlier in May, eventually losing the final to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, after confidently navigating his way through the first five matches. The Italian has now racked up four sets without conceding a game since his comeback in Rome. And on May 31 he won the first 11 games in a row against Lehecka before the Czech got on the scoreboard to make it 5-1 in the second set. The three-time Grand Slam champion hammered 31 winners on his way to victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen and only faced one break point, which he saved. In the women's draw, Mirra Andreeva had her lucky charm on her bench for her clash against Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva, and left her opponent no chance in a 6-3, 6-1 victory. The sixth seed, who won the Indian Wells and Dubai top-tier tournaments this season, set up a meeting with Australia's Daria Kasatkina. 'I knew Yulia is a very tricky player, she has an interesting game and it's uncomfortable for me. She likes to cut the rhythm a lot, I knew it would be tough,' the 18-year-old said on Court Suzanne Lenglen as umbrellas popped open in the stands on a grey Parisian morning. 'I kind of knew what to expect, I knew I had to play at 100 per cent and fight for every ball and get those drop shots. I'm happy with the way I play today.' Mirra Andreeva left her opponent no chance in a 6-3, 6-1 victory. PHOTO: AFP Andreeva, who reached the semi-finals in 2024, attributed her win to a present she received. 'When I was walking on court a little girl put a drawing on my bench, I kept it. It's my lucky charm,' she said. 'Wherever that little girl is, I want to thank her because it is my lucky charm.' Despite an inconsistent serve with four double faults, the Russian bagged the opening set with a blistering forehand winner for her third break of serve. Putintseva tried to mix it up with drop shots but Andreeva's baseline power proved too much to handle and she broke for 2-1 after a brief rain interruption. It was game over effectively as she went on to win the remaining four games. American third seed Jessica Pegula also battled into the last 16 with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Czech Marketa Vondrousova. Pegula, the 2024 US Open runner-up, will play the winner of the all-French duel between Lois Boisson, ranked 361, and Elsa Jacquemot, 138th, for a place in the quarter-finals. AFP, REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Tennis' ‘Big Three' reign unlikely to be repeated: Carlos Moya
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the two biggest men's tennis players of the current era but it remains to be seen if they can emulate the greatness of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. AFP PARIS – Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic dominated tennis for the best part of two decades but it is debatable whether Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner can emulate that, Nadal's former coach Carlos Moya said. World No. 1 Sinner, 23, and the 22-year-old Alcaraz have won seven Grand Slam titles already between them. By comparison, the 'Big Three' of Nadal, Federer – both have retired – and Djokovic swept up 66 from 2003 to 2023. Alcaraz and Sinner are gearing up for the French Open with the former the defending champion. 'To achieve what these guys have been doing these last 15, 20 years, that's something that I don't know if we are going to see in the future,' said Moya, a former world No. 1 and 1998 French Open champion. 'I can tell that in the next couple of years, this rivalry is going to be there. 'Then maybe five years, seven, but so many things can happen. Injuries and family problems. Mental health issues, you don't know what's going to happen in three, four, five years' time.' Moya, who will return to Roland Garros on May 25 as organisers pay tribute to record 14-time French Open singles champion Nadal, said rivalry was key to the longevity of the sport's three most successful men's players of all time. 'They pushed each other to the limit,' said the 48-year-old Spaniard. 'Without the other guys, Rafa, maybe he would have retired four or five years ago with 16, 18 Grand Slams. 'With these guys, it's a different game. I mean, their ambition is unbelievable and how mentally stressful is that what they're doing? It's something that people are not aware of.' Moya and 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal's relationship goes back decades but the older Spaniard said his role when he joined the team in 2016 was to strike a balance between being a coach and a friend. 'I knew him so well,' said Moya. 'I knew him since he was 11 years old. I could know what was going through his mind, how he was feeling.' He added that there were the highs of 'eight Grand Slams' (following 2016) but also the 'difficult moments' of 'hard losses in Grand Slam finals' and injuries. 'When he's going through that, I mean, you have to be supporting him. You have to be his friend. You have to be the person he can talk to,' he said. Nadal hanging up his racket last November put Moya back on the market but he says he is not ready to return to the grind of the tour. 'To be on the tour, in my opinion, you have to be 100 per cent ready for that mentally,' he said. 'I didn't feel I had the energy and also after being with Rafa, it's hard to be back on the tour again with another player.' As for a story linking him with Sinner, Moya said it was 'fake news'. 'As soon as there is something new in my life, I will announce that myself.I will not wait for a random Russian website to decide what I'm going to do,' he added. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
