Connect with us

International

Jurassic Journeys: Mary Anning’s impact on evolutionary science

Mary Anning made some of the most significant geological discoveries in history, but her life and work have largely gone unnoticed due to the gender discrimination prevailing in 19th-century England. She meticulously explored the beaches of Dorset on the southwest coast of England, uncovering evidence of marine reptiles that shook the existing scientific knowledge.

Anning’s fossils are believed to have greatly influenced Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. However, being a poor and uneducated woman, she was never taken seriously by English society. The area where Mary conducted her research is now known as the Jurassic Coast, a stretch of about 152 kilometers in Dorset and Devon counties, recognized by UNESCO for its exceptional rocks, fossils, and geographical features.

Her Great Discoveries

Venturing along the cliffs of Lyme Regis, Mary observed every detail of the rocks, patiently searching through the strata. In 1811, she was informed by Joseph about a peculiar fossilized skull he had found. Mary meticulously excavated the skeleton for months, revealing a 5.2-meter-long creature.

Locals speculated that the boys had found a monster, while the scientific community thought it might be a crocodile. This discovery coincided with Georges Cuvier formulating his “Essay on the Theory of the Earth,” challenging religious principles by proposing catastrophic events in Earth’s history causing extinctions.

Advertisement
20251220_limites_newscentral_728x90
previous arrow
next arrow

The mysterious specimen found by the Annings was eventually called Ichthyosaur, or “fish lizard,” a marine reptile that lived about 200 million years ago. Mary’s controversial and exceptional discoveries continued, including the first complete skeleton of a plesiosaur in 1823, challenging skeptics who initially thought it was fake.

Mary also found the first pterosaur outside Germany, and she is credited as a pioneer in the study of coprolites, fossilized feces. Despite her exceptional achievements, Mary faced systematic discrimination due to her gender, excluded from academic institutions. She persevered, self-educated, and established connections with scientists who recognized her worth.

Mary Anning was never formally admitted to the Geological Society of London due to her gender. The institution acknowledged her talent and contributions many years after her death from breast cancer in 1847 at the age of 47. Mary undoubtedly pioneered in a male-dominated world, paving the way for future generations of female scientists.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
20251220_limites_newscentral_300x250

International

Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority

President Donald Trump issued an executive order this Monday for the immediate construction of two new warships that will bear his name. These vessels will be the pioneers of what he described as the “Golden Fleet,” a future generation of “Trump-class” battleships that he claimed would be “100 times more powerful” than those currently in service.

The announcement took place at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The President indicated that following the initial two ships, the administration aims to commission up to 25 additional vessels. He is scheduled to meet with Florida-based contractors next week to expedite production, criticizing existing defense firms for failing to deliver results efficiently.

This naval expansion is a cornerstone of Trump’s goal to revitalized the American shipbuilding industry and address the strategic gap between the U.S. and competitors like China.

The move comes amid heightened geopolitical tension. Just last week, Trump ordered the seizure of all sanctioned tankers involved with Venezuela’s “ghost fleet” to cripple the country’s crude oil industry. Since December 10, the U.S. military—deployed in the Caribbean under the guise of counter-narcotics operations—has already detained two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil transport.

Continue Reading

International

U.S. Judge Blocks ICE from Re-detaining Salvadoran Erroneously Deported Under Trump Administration

A U.S. federal judge ruled this Monday, December 22, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is prohibited from re-detaining Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García, who was erroneously deported to El Salvador earlier this year during the administration of President Donald Trump.

During a hearing in Maryland, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Ábrego García must remain free on bail through the Christmas holidays, concluding that his initial detention lacked a legal basis. The ruling follows a request from his legal team for a temporary restraining order to prevent ICE from carrying out a new arrest.

Earlier this month, on December 11, Judge Xinis ordered his release from a Pennsylvania migrant detention center after determining that the government had detained him without a formal deportation order. In 2019, an immigration judge had already ruled that Ábrego could not be returned to El Salvador because his life was in danger.

Despite that protection, Ábrego García was deported in March 2025 following a raid by the Trump administration. Officials argued at the time that he was a gang member, and he was sent directly to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) in El Salvador. In June, he was returned to the United States to face a new trial for alleged human smuggling—a charge he denies.

On Monday, Judge Xinis also temporarily invalidated a new deportation order issued by an immigration judge following Ábrego’s recent release, granting him legal protection through the coming weeks. His trial is scheduled to begin in Tennessee in January 2026.

Advertisement

20251220_limites_newscentral_728x90

previous arrow
next arrow

Continue Reading

International

Fire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco

The U.S. city of San Francisco was plunged into darkness Saturday night after a power outage left about 130,000 customers without electricity, although the utility company said service was restored to most users within hours.

Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) said in a statement posted on X that nearly 90,000 homes had their power restored by 9:00 p.m. local time (05:00 GMT on Sunday), while the remaining 40,000 customers were expected to have service restored overnight.

Large areas of the city, a major technology hub with a population of around 800,000, were affected by the blackout, which disrupted public transportation and left traffic lights out of service during the busy weekend before Christmas, a crucial period for retail businesses.

“I know it’s been a difficult day,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video posted on social media from the city’s emergency operations center. “There has been progress, but for those still without power, we want to make sure they are safe and checking in on their neighbors,” he added.

Lurie said police officers and firefighters advised residents to stay home as much as possible. He also noted that officers and traffic inspectors were deployed to manage intersections where traffic lights were not functioning.

Advertisement

20251220_limites_newscentral_728x90

previous arrow
next arrow

The mayor confirmed that the outage was caused by a fire at an electrical substation. Parts of the city were also covered in fog, further complicating conditions during the incident.

As a result of the blackout, many businesses were forced to close despite it being the weekend before Christmas. The sudden drop in shopper traffic ahead of the holiday is “devastating” for retailers, the manager of home goods store Black & Gold told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Continue Reading

Trending

Central News