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Massospondylus is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in southern Africa during the Early Jurassic, between 201 and 184 million years ago. It was described by Richard Owen in 1854 and is one of the first dinosaurs to have been named. Although the original fossils were destroyed in London during a bombing raid in World War II, a plethora of specimens have since been assigned to the genus, making it one of the best-known sauropodomorphs from the Early Jurassic. The genus contains two valid species, M. carinatus and M. kaalae. It was 4 to 6 metres (13 to 20 ft) long, with a long neck and tail, a small head, and a slender body. It moved on two legs and was probably a plant-eater. Clutches of eggs have been found, some of which contained embryos. Individuals accelerated or slowed down their growth depending on environmental factors such as food availability. The oldest known specimen was around 20 years of age. (Full article...)

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In the news

Colombian Lockheed C-130

A Colombian Aerospace Force Lockheed C-130 crashes (aircraft pictured) during take-off in Puerto Leguízamo, killing 70 people.
In mathematics, Gerd Faltings is awarded the Abel Prize for his work in arithmetic geometry.
The World Baseball Classic concludes with Venezuela defeating the United States in the final.
In association football, the Confederation of African Football overturns the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final originally won by Senegal, declaring Morocco the winner of the tournament.

On this day

March 26: National Science Appreciation Day in various U.S. states

Saladin

1169 – Saladin (depicted on coin) was inaugurated as vizier of Egypt.
1896 – An explosion at the Brunner Mine in New Zealand killed 65 coal miners in the country's deadliest mining accident.
1974 – A group of peasant women in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, surrounded trees in order to prevent loggers from felling them, giving rise to the Chipko movement.
1991 – Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was hijacked by four Pakistani terrorists and diverted to Changi Airport.

Samuel Ward (d. 1776)
Constantin Fehrenbach (d. 1926)
Keira Knightley (b. 1985)
Diana Wynne Jones (d. 2011)

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Today's featured picture

Erica Jong (born March 26, 1942) is an American novelist, satirist and poet. She is known particularly for her 1973 novel Fear of Flying, which became controversial for its attitudes towards female sexuality and figured prominently in the development of second-wave feminism. This photograph of Jong, taken by Bernard Gotfryd in 1969, is part of a collection of photographs by Gotfryd in the Library of Congress.

Photograph credit: Bernard Gotfryd; restored by Blameless

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