GRB 050223: A dark GRB in a dusty starburst galaxy

Aims: We aim at detecting and determining the properties of the host galaxy of the dark GRB 050223. Methods: We use VLT optical/NIR images coupled to Swift X-ray positioning, and optical spectra of the host galaxy to measure its properties. Results: We find a single galaxy within the Swift error box of GRB 050223. It is located at z = 0.584 and its luminosity is L ~ 0.4 L*. Emission lines in the galaxy spectrum imply an intrinsic SFR > 7 Msun/yr, and a large extinction A_V > 2 mag within it. We also detect absorption lines, which reveal an underlying stellar population with an age between 40 Myr and 1.5 Gyr. Conclusions: The identification of a host galaxy with atypical properties using only the X-ray transient suggests that a bias may be present in the former sample of host galaxies. Dust obscuration together with intrinsic faintness are the most probable causes for the darkness of this burst.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Doing Research on Populism

Matthijs Rooduijn argues that the focus on populism has become a self-perpetuating process, with whole research groups, conferences and journals dedicated to the topic. To help the public get a better understanding of populism, Rooduijn and other colleagues collaborated with The Guardian to produce an investigative series of articles on populism, a project that also led to the creation of The PopuList, which, thanks to country experts, categorises European political parties as populist, far right, far left and/or Eurosceptic. Rooduijn then describes the latest developments in the field, the current trends, and the fruitful contaminations between populism research and other fields

Reviewing the iconography and the central role of ‘paleoart’. Four centuries of geo-palaeontological art

Between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the first naturalistic illustrations appeared in texts and treatises, marking the true and proper passage from simple literary works to real scientific contributions. Since that time, the geo-palaeontological literature and the world of scientific illustrations developed together. For a long time initially the scientist and artist coincided in the same person, until the emergence of the ‘paleoartist’, as a professional devoted to naturalistic representations. Here, we review the fundamental steps of ‘co-evolution’ between advances in scientific knowledge and their representation in ‘paleoart’. The study led to the identification of six principal ‘Genres’; in addition, a subdivision of the history and evolution of ‘paleoart’ into six periods or major ‘eras’ is proposed. The analysis is based on a dataset with a total of 605 authors, considering a time range between the first half of the 18th century up to 2020, with paleoartists from 42 different countries. The relationship between scientist and ‘paleoartist’ has been, and will be in the future, a constructive interaction of ‘reciprocal illumination’, where the questions asked by the artist represent a genuine propellant for the advancement of knowledge and the research itself

Resizing Lisowicia bojani. Volumetric body mass estimate and 3D reconstruction of the giant Late Triassic dicynodont

Body size is one of the most crucial biological properties, with a major influence on ecology, metabolism and several physiological aspects. Recently the exceptionally large dicynodont Lisowicia bojani from the Late Triassic of Poland has been described. Using a regression formula based on long bone circumferences, an impressive body mass of 9.33 tons was reconstructed in the original description for this new and largest member of dicynodonts. The taxon is characterized by particularly robust long bones with very massive and stout shafts, thus raising the theoretical possibility that the regression formulae may have led to a substantial overestimate of the body mass. Here we present a new body mass estimate for Lisowicia based on 3D digital volumetric models, aiming to provide a more reliable and conservative estimate. The new body mass ranges from 4.87 tons to 7.02 tons for the adult taxon, with an average body mass of 5.88 tons; thus, the original value of 9.33 tons overestimates the weight of about 60%. Our study confirms empirically that volumetric methods for body mass estimates should be preferred and implemented whenever possible. Synapsids still had to wait until the Eocene to reach the enormous body mass of 9 tons

The smallest of the largest. New volumetric body mass estimate and in-vivo restoration of the dwarf elephant Palaeoloxodon ex gr. P. falconeri from Spinagallo Cave (Sicily)

In the present paper we provide a new estimate of the body mass (BM) of the dwarf elephant Palaeoloxodon ex gr. P. falconeri from Spinagallo cave (Sicily) at three different ontogenetic stages. The new estimates are based on 3D in-vivo restorations, digitally sculpted on anatomically updated photogrammetric models of the skeletons mounted at the Museo Universitario di Scienze della Terra (MUST), University of Rome (Italy). The new method provided an average BM of 249.98 kg for the adult male, 150.47 kg for the adult female, 38.81 kg for the juvenile male and 7.83 kg for the new-born male. Assuming as reliable these estimates, the values previously obtained by applying the regression formulae based on pad circumferences, shoulder height and long bone circumferences substantially would underestimate or overestimate the Spinagallo elephant BM up to 103%. The results obtained indicate that the volumetric methods can be regarded as the most solid and reliable to estimate the BM in those extinct vertebrates for which accurate mounted skeletons are available. This new method is therefore of critical importance for inferring the BM of taxa characterised by peculiar osteological proportions, such as those shown by the insular dwarf elephant analysed in the present work