Meet 'Pharaoh's chicken from Hell'

+ Trump's chaotic courtroom behavior US Edition - Today's top story: A newly identified 'Hell chicken' species suggests dinosaurs weren't sliding toward extinction before the fateful asteroid hit [View in browser]( US Edition | 25 January 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Can a federal court really order the destruction of ChatGPT?]( - [How judges handle defendants that act like Trump in the courtroom]( - [Seeing your work as a calling can have unexpected downsides]( Lead story Were dinosaurs living their best lives until an asteroid struck and wiped them out 66 million years ago? Or were they already slumping toward extinction when that final disaster hit? Paleontologists have been debating this question for decades. A serendipitous discovery of a new species provides a clue. Oklahoma State University researchers Kyle Atkins-Weltman and Eric Snively and their colleagues were cross-sectioning fossils in order to count rings in the bone. Much like a tree’s rings, these lines can reveal the age of the animal when it died. It turns out that what they’d assumed was a juvenile of one species was actually a fully grown adult of a previously unknown smaller species – one they dubbed Eoneophron infernalis, or “Pharaoh’s chicken from Hell.” They explain why this [new discovery from a known fossil suggests]( that dinosaur diversity wasn’t on the decline on that fateful day. [ [Miss us on Sundays? Get a selection of our best and most popular stories (or try our other weekly emails).]([]]( Maggie Villiger Senior Science + Technology Editor Birdlike dinosaur Eoneophron infernalis was about the size of an adult human. Zubin Erik Dutta [A newly identified ‘Hell chicken’ species suggests dinosaurs weren’t sliding toward extinction before the fateful asteroid hit]( Kyle Atkins-Weltman, Oklahoma State University; Eric Snively, Oklahoma State University Rather than a juvenile of a known species, several fossilized bones represent a new species – and shed light on the question of whether dinosaurs were already in decline before disaster struck. Economy + Business - [Could a court really order the destruction of ChatGPT? The New York Times thinks so, and it may be right]( João Marinotti, Indiana University It may seem extreme, but there’s a reason the law allows it. Politics + Society - [‘Strife in the courtroom’ − a former federal judge discusses Trump’s second trial for defaming E. Jean Carroll]( John E. Jones III, Dickinson College A retired federal judge sheds light on what’s going on in Judge Lewis Kaplan’s courtroom during the latest trial involving former President Donald Trump. International - [A Western-imposed peace deal in Ukraine risks feeding Russia’s hunger for land – as it did with Serbia]( Elis Vllasi, University of Tennessee The fragility of peace settlements in the Balkans provides a cautionary tale. US and EU policymakers may inadvertently make matters worse by acceding to the aggressor’s territorial ambitions. Ethics + Religion - [Thinking about work as a calling can be meaningful, but there can be unexpected downsides as well]( Elaine Howard Ecklund, Rice University; Brenton Kalinowski, Rice University; Denise Daniels, Wheaton College (Illinois) Many workers who see their work as a spiritual calling wind up tolerating unfair treatment and poor work conditions. - [Nazi genocides of Jews and Roma were entangled from the start – and so are their efforts at Holocaust remembrance today]( Ari Joskowicz, Vanderbilt University Many young people today know little about the murder of European Jews during the Holocaust, and even less about the murder of Romani communities. Environment + Energy - [Humans are depleting groundwater worldwide, but there are ways to replenish it]( Scott Jasechko, University of California, Santa Barbara; Debra Perrone, University of California, Santa Barbara; Richard Taylor, UCL Rapid and accelerating groundwater level declines are widespread in dry climates where groundwater is used for irrigation. But some communities have found ways to turn things around. - [Ice storms, January downpours, heavy snow, no snow: Diagnosing ‘warming winter syndrome’]( Richard B. (Ricky) Rood, University of Michigan As the climate changes and weather warms, the freezing line is shifting, bringing rain and ice to regions not prepared for it. - [From New York to Jakarta, land in many coastal cities is sinking faster than sea levels are rising]( Pei-Chin Wu, University of Rhode Island; Meng (Matt) Wei, University of Rhode Island; Steven D’Hondt, University of Rhode Island Land subsidence is a factor as preparations are made for rising sea levels and strengthening storms. Human infrastructure, including buildings and groundwater extraction, increases vulnerabilities. Science + Technology - [How to protect your data privacy: A digital media expert provides steps you can take and explains why you can’t go it alone]( Nathan Schneider, University of Colorado Boulder Your data privacy is under threat from hackers, data brokers and big tech. Here’s what you can do about it. Step 1 is to get your colleagues, friends and family on board. Education - [Education has a huge role to play in peace and development: 5 essential reads]( Natasha Joseph, The Conversation Education can spur peace and development. Here are five essential reads on the topic. Podcast 🎙️ - [Why some descendants of Holocaust survivors choose to replicate a loved one’s Auschwitz tattoo]( Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Dale Berning Sawa, The Conversation Alice Bloch talks about her research with the descendants of Holocaust survivors who have replicated the Auschwitz tattoo. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast. Trending on site - [‘Collective mind’ bridges societal divides − psychology research explores how watching the same thing can bring people together]( - [Where do Israel and Hamas get their weapons?]( - [Fake Biden robocall to New Hampshire voters highlights how easy it is to make deepfakes − and how hard it is to defend against AI-generated disinformation]( Today's graphic 📈 [Worldwide, about a quarter of adults lack access to a bank account. Africa and the Middle East are particularly underserved.]( From the story, [‘No cash accepted’ signs are bad news for millions of unbanked Americans]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Trying out new social media? 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