- “Sometimes things like that just come together, like a piece of magic. I wrote that song in just five minutes”: Dickey Betts on dueling with Duane Allman, composing Allman Brothers’ biggest hit, and the oddball Les Paul/SG hybrid he “personally designed” Guitar Player
- Dickey Betts, Fiery Guitarist With Allman Brothers Band, Dies at 80 The New York Times
- “We all knew it was really good… The guitar playing is just amazing”: How Dickey Betts made “Ramblin’ Man”, triumphed over tragedy and led the Allman Brothers to their greatest success Guitar Player
- Dickey Betts: The Lost Allman Brother Rolling Stone
- Warren Haynes, Bill Kreutzmann, Devon Allman and More Share Tributes to Dickey Betts jambands.com
Tag Archives: hybrid
Yoshi-P floats ideas for Final Fantasy 17: a real-time, turn-based hybrid or a return to pixel art – Gamesradar
- Yoshi-P floats ideas for Final Fantasy 17: a real-time, turn-based hybrid or a return to pixel art Gamesradar
- Final Fantasy 16 Producer Naoki Yoshida Says It May Be Time for the Younger Generation to Handle Final Fantasy 17 IGN
- Final Fantasy 17 needs “a younger generation” of lead developers, suggests FF16 producer Rock Paper Shotgun
- Naoki Yoshida thinks Final Fantasy 17 should be directed by someone new Eurogamer.net
- Final Fantasy XVI’s Naoki Yoshida thinks franchise needs newer hands – Final Fantasy XVI’s Naoki Yoshida thinks franchise needs newer hands Game Developer
Estonia To Follow Finland In Closing Border With Russia Over “Hybrid Attacks”? Poland Offers Troops – CRUX
- Estonia To Follow Finland In Closing Border With Russia Over “Hybrid Attacks”? Poland Offers Troops CRUX
- Finland Closes Russian Border Over Migrant Influx, Estonia Could Follow | VOANews Voice of America
- Russia’s ‘cynical’ actions at border aim to sow discord, Finland says POLITICO Europe
- Russia “Weaponising Migrants” to Destabilise NATO Neighbour? | Vantage with Palki Sharma Firstpost
- “If they close the border, it will be unbearable.” What Russians think about the last open checkpoint The Independent Barents Observer
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Elon Musk dismissed hybrid vehicles as a ‘phase’ while Toyota doubled down on them. Now they’re a ‘smoking-hot market’ as EV demand chills – Fortune
- Elon Musk dismissed hybrid vehicles as a ‘phase’ while Toyota doubled down on them. Now they’re a ‘smoking-hot market’ as EV demand chills Fortune
- Tesla Vs. Toyota: Electric Dreams Clash With Hybrid Revival In Automotive Showdown – Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), Benzinga
- Toyota open to assembly line reformatting as Tesla’s ‘gigacasting’ threatens to upend car making The Indian Express
- Tesla vs. Toyota Is the New Hot Battle in Cars The Wall Street Journal
- Tesla vs. Toyota Is the New Hot Battle in Cars | Mint Mint
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Sundance Film Festival Unveils First Details On 2024 Hybrid Edition’s Slate, Venues & Timing As Fest Director Eugene Hernandez Addresses “Challenging Moment” For Artists – Deadline
- Sundance Film Festival Unveils First Details On 2024 Hybrid Edition’s Slate, Venues & Timing As Fest Director Eugene Hernandez Addresses “Challenging Moment” For Artists Deadline
- 2024 Sundance Film Festival In-Person, Hybrid Plans Announced IndieWire
- Sundance Film Festival Will Continue Hybrid Format in 2024 While Creating ‘Festive’ In-Person Event Variety
- Sundance Film Festival 2024 will screen more movies in person, fewer days online Salt Lake Tribune
- What to Know About the 2024 Sundance Film Festival – sundance.org Sundance Institute
- View Full Coverage on Google News
This Ancient Creature Is a Bizarre Hybrid of Dinosaur And Bird : ScienceAlert
We can confidently say that birds are dinosaur descendants, though paleontologists are still puzzled as to how this incredible evolutionary event occurred.
Now a complete fossilized skeleton of a bird that lived in what is today China around 120 million years ago might help clarify key steps in the transformation process, presenting with a more archaic, dinosaur-like head atop a body that has more in common with modern birds.
The transition from dinosaur to bird includes some of the most dramatic changes in shape, function, and environment, which ultimately led to the body plan that is typical of today’s birds.
Some of those shifting features can still be seen in the way modern birds develop. But the order in which these changes occurred, and the nature of the evolutionary pressures that gave rise to strictly avian characteristics, is still open for debate.
The fascinating, newly found fossil, named Cratonavis zhui, may provide important insights into the evolution of modern birds.
Researchers discovered the body print of Cratonavis, the bird with a dinosaur head, during excavations conducted in northern China.
Body prints of feathered dinosaurs and early birds, including Confuciusornis sanctus, have been discovered in this region, in sedimentary rocks formed about 120 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period.
Led by paleontologist Zhou Zhonghe from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the scientists began their investigation of the fossil skull with high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scanning.
Using the digital versions of the mineralized bones, the team reconstructed the shape and function of the skull as it was during the bird’s life.
The result shows that the shape of the Cratonavis skull is almost the same as that of dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex, and not like a bird’s.
“The primitive cranial features speak to the fact that most Cretaceous birds such as Cratonavis could not move their upper bill independently with respect to the braincase and lower jaw, a functional innovation widely distributed among living birds that contributes to their enormous ecological diversity,” says CAS paleontologist Zhiheng Li.
The unusual combination of a dinosaur’s akinetic skull with a bird’s skeleton adds to previous studies on the importance of evolutionary mosaicism in the early diversification of birds.
Among the avian branches of the dinosaur’s family tree, Cratonavis is between the long-tailed Archaeopteryx, which was more like a reptile, and the Ornithothoraces, which had already developed many of the traits of modern birds.
Also of interest is the fact the Cratonavis fossil has a surprisingly long scapula and first metatarsal (foot bone) – features which are rarely seen in the fossils of other dino-ancestors to birds, and altogether absent in modern birds.
Evolutionary trends show reduced length in the first metatarsal as birds developed.
The study authors propose that during the change from dinosaurs to birds, the first metatarsal went through a process of natural selection that made it shorter. Once it reached its optimal size, which was less than a quarter of the length of the second metatarsal, it lost its earlier functions.
The unique feature of an enlarged metatarsal in Cratonavis is more comparable to the Late Cretaceous Balaur, a member of a group of feathered carnivores known as dromaeosaurids.
The elongated scapula has been observed 2.0.CO;2″>previously in Cretaceous birds such as Yixianornis and Apsaravis.
The fact that Cratonavis had a very long scapula probably made up for the fact that it didn’t have a breastbone adapted to provide the meaty pectoral muscles a larger surface to attach to. This extinct species may have contributed to a biological experiment in flying behavior.
One of the lead authors, paleontologist Min Wang, explains “the elongate scapula could augment the mechanical advantage of muscle for humerus retraction/rotation, which compensates for the overall underdeveloped flight apparatus in this early bird, and these differences represent morphological experimentation in volant behavior early in bird diversification”.
The authors mention the abnomal morphologies of the scapula and metatarsals preserved in Cratonavis highlight the breadth of skeletal plasticity in early birds.
Cratonavis zhui‘s unique mix of anatomy is less a stepping stone between two majestic categories of animals, but a sign of how all living things represent increments of change, and the evolution of birds of all feather occurred simultaneously along a wide variety of divergent paths.
The research has been published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
Samsung unveils Flex Hybrid OLED screen that can fold and slide
Samsung, the pioneer of mobile OLED displays, has unveiled its latest creation: Flex Hybrid OLED. It is an OLED panel designed for futuristic devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops that can fold and slide. This panel can be folded from one side and expanded (by sliding) from the other, converting a compact device into a larger one.
The 10.5-inch Flex Hybrid OLED screen from Samsung Display has a 4:3 aspect ratio, and it can be slid open from one side to turn it into a 12.4-inch screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio. When it is completely open, it can be a great display to watch videos with inky blacks, almost perfect viewing angles, and high brightness. Samsung will showcase this OLED panel at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, USA.
Samsung Display will also showcase two more OLED panels that can be slid open. The Flex Slidable Solo is a 14-inch OLED panel that can turn into a 17.3-inch screen when it is slid open from one side. The Flex Slidable Duet is an OLED panel that extends from two sides to convert a 14-inch screen into a 17.3-inch one. These panels were teased in September 2022 at Intel Innovation 2022. Now, they are making their first public appearance at CES 2023.
These new OLED panels will make it possible to create advanced compact devices that can still pack large displays, turning mobile devices into proper professional ones when needed. We don’t expect devices using these displays to launch anytime soon. Samsung MX (Samsung’s mobile phone arm) is rumored to be developing a tablet that can fold twice.
2022 Lexus NX450h+ Is Great Plug-In Hybrid Before Going All EV
Plug-in hybrids are a great compromise for people that still want the convenience of a gas car but want to experience the benefits of electrification. Most PHEVs have enough electric driving range to cover commutes and around-town needs while the gas engine alleviates any range anxiety. After years of making excellent hybrids, Lexus is finally getting in the plug-in hybrid game with the NX450h+. It combines the luxury and functionality of the second-generation NX with usable electric power. But it comes at quite a price.
Disclaimer: Lexus offered me the NX450h+ and I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Filling up the tank only once a week is great.
What Is It?
The NX is Lexus’ second-smallest crossover, slotting above the UX and below the RX. While it rides on a modular platform that’s shared with everything from the Toyota Sienna minivan to the Lexus ES sedan, the NX is more mechanically related to the Toyota RAV4. This is an important point that I’ll get to later. And if you’ve always wondered what the hell NX stands for, a Lexus rep once told me it means “Nimble Crossover.” Alright.
Specs That Matter
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Power comes from the same 2.5-liter naturally aspirated I4 engine that powers the base NX250 and the NX350h hybrid, but the difference is in the electric setup. The 450h+ adds a pair of electric motors that drive the rear wheels, giving this SUV all-wheel drive. Add in an 18.1-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack powering those motors and the result is the most powerful and efficient NX you can buy. It makes 304 total system horsepower with 364 lb-ft of torque. It also gets 84 mpge – the mile-per-gallon equivalent of gasoline and electric driving – and can go 37 miles on electricity alone. Honestly, though, it’s actually pretty easy to beat the EPA’s estimated EV range. I frequently saw as much as 42 miles of electric range per charge.
How It Drives
Lexus likes to tout the NX450h+ low center of gravity, and indeed, this thing is surprisingly nimble. It’s also surprisingly quick, with plenty of acceleration power for highway merging. The perk of having a battery and electric motors at your disposal is that, in everyday driving, it’s like having a turbo that’s always ready to provide extra boost. Power comes on smoothly and quickly, and the transition between gasoline and electric driving is one of the smoothest I’ve ever experienced. Unfortunately, when you’re relying on the 2.5-liter engine for power, it sounds buzzy and unrefined.
What’s great about crossovers this size is how easy they are to maneuver. Parking and getting through tight spots is pretty easy. Parking the NX is made even better thanks to Lexus’ Advanced Park system, which is easier to operate than most other automated parking systems I’ve used. I also have to give Lexus props for placing a physical button on the dash to turn on the Advanced Park tech. There’s no having to line up in a specific spot for the system to self-engage. You simply find the spot you want, press start on the screen and let the car park itself. The system can pull forward, back in, or perform parallel parking maneuvers.
Driving in different powertrain modes is just as easy. A button on the center console allows drivers to choose between full-on EV mode, Hybrid or Charge setting, the latter of which uses the gas engine to recharge the battery while you’re driving. In EV mode, the NX450+ is predictably quiet. In Hybrid mode, the drivetrain operates as any other hybrid would, defaulting to electric power as often as possible with the gas engine kicking on as needed.
Charging at home is easy. The NX has an optional 6.6-kilowatt onboard charger ($800) that you simply plug into a standard home outlet. Charging this way, it takes about 4 to 5 hours to fully replenish the battery. It’s a cinch to do overnight. Unfortunately, public charging on a Level 2 outlet is a hit-or-miss affair, but that’s a product of the country’s problematic charging network, not Lexus.
A Few Notable Pros and Cons of the NX450h+
The NX has a lot of useful safety systems, but some of them are super sensitive. The pre-collision braking, for example, will sometimes activate when there’s no danger ahead of you. On the other hand, I like things like Safe Exit Assist, which will alert you to passing cars when you’re trying to exit from a parallel parking space. I just wish all of the systems were more cohesive in their integration.
The wireless charging pad doesn’t work well. It often doesn’t detect when a device is placed on top, and when it does work, the slippery surface means your phone moves around a lot when driving, which can cause it to stop charging.
The interior door handles are also unnecessarily complicated. The NX uses a dual electronic/standard door handle. At the forward end, you’ll find a braille-like surface that denotes where you should press to exit the car. Next to that, labeling shows how the handle operates manually, in case of power failure or an emergency. This is confusing and takes some getting used to, and seems like the answer to a question nobody asked.
Verdict
The NX450h+ is an impressive plug-in effort from a company known for its hybrid excellence. But it may end up being a tough sell to some. For starters, the NX450h+ isn’t cheap. While a regular NX250 starts at a rather reasonable $38,850, you’re looking at well-equipped RX money for the 450h Plus: $57,705. With nearly every option box checked, including a $1,075 destination charge, my orange NX450h Plus costs $62,090.
Now, remember when I said that the NX is mechanically related to the RAV4? The NX450h+ uses the same drivetrain setup as the Toyota RAV4 Prime, which is over $15,000 cheaper. Yes, the Lexus is a little nicer inside, but that’s a big jump in price for effectively the same experience.
None of this is to say that the NX450h Plus is bad. It’s actually very good. But having to drop nearly $60,000 on a compact crossover just for the ability to drive 40 miles on electricity alone is a hard sell, especially when the exact same setup can be had for less money.
2022 Lexus NX NX 450h+ Luxury AWD Specs
Engine type
Gas/Electric I-4
Transmission/Drive
CVT w/OD
Hybrid solar eclipse: What is it and how does it occur?
A hybrid solar eclipse is a very rare and strange astronomical event — and there’s one coming soon on April 20, 2023.
Talk to most eclipse-chasers and they’ll tell you that there are three types of solar eclipse. The first is a partial eclipse of the most common and the least impressive because the moon merely blocks out part of the sun sending a shadow — the penumbra — across a swathe of Earth.The second is an annular solar eclipse, where the moon blocks out the center of the sun, but leaves a circle of light from the sun visible from within a shadow called the antumbra. It’s often called a “ring of fire”. The third is a total solar eclipse where the entirety of the sun’s disc is blocked by the moon, revealing the spectacular sight of the solar corona, which can be viewed with the naked eye from within the moon’s dark shadow, the umbra.
However, there is an intriguing fourth type of solar eclipse — a hybrid solar eclipse — that occurs only a few times per century. It’s a combination of the other three types yet it’s also impossible to experience in all its glory. As luck would have it, the next solar eclipse to occur on Earth will be a hybrid solar eclipse. Here’s everything you need to know about the coming hybrid solar eclipse — the rarest, most intriguing, and arguably the most globally spectacular and interesting type of solar eclipse there is.
Related: Solar eclipses 2023: When, where & how to see them
Jamie Carter
WHAT IS A HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSE?
A hybrid solar eclipse combines an annular and a total solar eclipse where the former becomes the latter and then usually reverts back. Therefore, observers at different points in the eclipse path can experience different phenomena. For example, if you watch a hybrid solar eclipse at sunrise or at sunset you may see a brief “ring of fire”. If you watch it at midday — so at the mid-point of the eclipse’s path across the surface of Earth — you’ll experience totality. It’s therefore impossible to experience both an annular and a total solar eclipse during a hybrid event — you have to make a choice.
Remember, NEVER look at the sun without adequate protection. Our how to observe the sun safely guide tells you everything you need to know about safe solar observations. The guide also informs you on what solar targets you can look out for and the equipment needed to do so.
If you want to get all set up to view a solar eclipse, we have guides to the best cameras for astrophotography, and the best lenses for astrophotography. Our how to photograph a solar eclipse guide will also help you plan for your next solar-observing adventure.
WHY DO HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSES OCCUR?
Hybrid solar eclipses occur when the moon’s distance is near its limit for the umbral shadow to reach Earth and because Earth is curved (opens in new tab). The moon is just at the right distance from Earth for the apex of its cone-shaped shadow to be slightly above the Earth’s surface at the beginning and end of the eclipse path, causing the moon’s antumbral shadow to move across Earth causing an annular solar eclipse. However, in the middle of the eclipse path, the apex of the moon’s umbral shadow strikes Earth’s surface because that part of the planet is slightly closer to the moon.
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This diagram of a hybrid solar eclipse shows how the moon’s distance from the Earth determines the shadow projected onto the Earth’s surface, from the faint penumbra of a partial solar eclipse to the deep, dark umbra of totality and the antumbra — a kind of half-shadow — of annularity.
WHEN IS THE NEXT HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSE?
The next hybrid solar eclipse will occur on April 20, 2023 in the southern hemisphere. It will transition from annular to a total and back again at two specific points, but both are at remote locations at sea.
So for all intents and purposes, this will be exclusively experienced as a total solar eclipse from Exmouth Peninsula in Western Australia (up to 1 minute), Timor Leste (1 minute 14 seconds) and West Papua (1 minute 9 seconds). Just before and just after totality, a big display of Baily’s beads will be visible.
If you want to see the path of the eclipse, along with the eclipse timings for each location, check out this interactive eclipse map by Xavier Jubier (opens in new tab). It’s one of two solar eclipses in 2023.
WHAT ARE BAILY’S BEADS?
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Named after English astronomer Francis Baily, who observed them in the early 1800s, Baily’s beads are the last rays of sunlight that can be seen streaming through the valleys of the moon just before totality. They can also be seen as totality ends. During a hybrid solar eclipse, the displays of Baily’s beads are longer because the moon is almost precisely the same apparent size as the sun.
HOW OFTEN DOES A HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSE HAPPEN?
There are between two and five solar eclipses each year, though during the 21st century just 3.1% (opens in new tab) (7 out of 224) of solar eclipses are hybrid solar eclipses. Between 2000 BCE to 3000 CE just 4.8% (opens in new tab) of solar eclipses are hybrid events.
The last hybrid solar eclipse to occur was on November 3, 2013. It was visible as a total solar eclipse in central Africa, including northern Kenya and Uganda, Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cruise ships in the mid-Atlantic Ocean also experienced totality, for up to one minute.
WHAT IS ANOTHER NAME FOR A HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSE?
Hybrid solar eclipses are often called annular-total eclipses, “beaded” solar eclipses or “broken” annular eclipses, the latter two because they feature particularly long displays of Baily’s beads.
Because the moon appears to pass directly in front of the sun, hybrid solar eclipses are classified as “central” solar eclipses — as are total and annular solar eclipses — to differentiate them from partial solar eclipses.
Editor’s Note: If you snap an amazing solar eclipse photo and would like to share it with Space.com’s readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com
Jamie Carter is the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com (opens in new tab)
Join our Space Forums (opens in new tab) to keep talking about space on the latest missions, night sky, and more! And if you have a news tip, correction, or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Additional resources
Explore the different types of solar eclipses in more detail with this informative NASA article (opens in new tab). Texas State University (opens in new tab) has a useful list of several videos explaining the different types of eclipses.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bikos, K. (2022, November 13). What Is a Hybrid Solar Eclipse? Retrieved November 13, 2022, from https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/hybrid-solar-eclipse.html (opens in new tab)
Espenak, F. (2007, February 13). Five Millenium catalog of hybrid solar eclipses. Retrieved November 13, 2022, from https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SEhybrid5.html (opens in new tab)
Jubier, X. (2022, November 13). Five Millennium (-1999 to +3000) Canon of Solar Eclipses Database. Retrieved November 13, 2022, from http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/5MCSE/xSE_Five_Millennium_Canon.html (opens in new tab)
Nemiroff, R. and Bonnell, J. (November 3, 2013). Astronomy Picture of the Day. Retrieved November 13, 2022, from https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131103.html (opens in new tab)
Toyota shows new Prius hybrid with more power, range, style
TOKYO (AP) — The new Toyota gas-electric Prius hybrid not only comes with more power, acceleration and driving range. It’s also more stylish, scrapping the rather stodgy angular body for a sleekly futuristic look.
Simon Humphries, senior general manager of Global Toyota design who unveiled the car in Tokyo on Wednesday, stressed that the company was still defying the skeptics who keep asking how much longer the Japanese automaker will stick with hybrids in a rapidly electrifying industry.
“Simply because the Prius is an eco-car within everyone’s reach. In order to achieve carbon neutrality, everyone in the world must participate. We need ecological solutions within reach of the many. And it needs to start today, not tomorrow,” he told reporters.
The fifth-generation Prius hybrid models will go on sale this winter first in Japan then the U.S. A plug-in version will hit the market next year, according to Toyota Motor Corp. Prices were not announced.
The automaker swapped an older nickel-metal-hydride battery for a smaller, lighter lithium-ion battery. The result will be almost double the horsepower, quicker acceleration and 50% longer range.
The Prius, which first went on sale in 1997, switches back and forth between a gasoline engine and electric motor to deliver a cleaner drive than the models with regular combustion engines.
Electric cars are zero-emissions but need recharging. Some consumers are worried about running out of juice on the roads. A hybrid always has the gas engine as backup.
Toyota has cumulatively sold more than 20.3 million hybrid vehicles, including Prius cars, around the world so far. The Prius, which means “pioneer” or “first” in Latin, has defined Toyota as a brand as much as its Lexus luxury models.
Still, Toyota has sometimes been criticized by environmentalists as dragging its feet on electrification, although some analysts say that’s a bit unfair given that other automakers also have few electric cars in its lineup, and many others have developed various hybrid models.
“The sale of more hybrid vehicles, including the Prius, drags us further into the climate crisis,” said Daniel Read of Greenpeace East Asia, based in Tokyo.
Read said electric vehicles and fuel-cell models were better solutions against climate change than hybrids.
Humphries said the new Prius was styled to be more stable, with a lower center of gravity, with bigger tires, curvaceous lines for its overall design and a fancy interior.
He said it was more an expression of love than a commodity. Making hybrid cabs or offering them to to other manufacturers could also be steps to spread the technology, he added, both of which Toyota decided against.
“We really believed the next step for Prius was to become a ‘car without compromises’ in order to increase its appeal to the customer,” said Humphries, standing before a screen splashed with the words: “We chose love.”
The Prius, with its revamped styling and efficiency, will compete better not only with other hybrid models but also with the available generation of fully electric vehicles, said Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst for S&P Global Mobility.
The Prius models have always served as a kind of bridge to a time when there are more charging stations for EVs, said Brinley, who believes the new Prius stacks up better against hybrids and plug-ins from Hyundai, Kia, Ford and Jeep.
By adding 50% to the battery range, which translates to around 38 miles (61 kilometers), it can go far enough to cover the average U.S. driver’s commute and errands around town. The hybrid powertrain allows for road trips without worrying about a charging network that’s not yet complete, Brinley said.
“That really will make for more confident driving,” she said.
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Krisher reported from Detroit.
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Krisher is on Twitter https://twitter.com/tkrisher
Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama