A Sense of Doubt blog post #4107 - A new Species Offers a Clue to the Boom of GIANT Dinosaurs

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4107 - A new Species Offers a Clue to the Boom of GIANT Dinosaurs

PICTURE ABOVE: The recent discovery of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, shown in this illustration, in Thailand adds support to the idea that warm, open, and relatively dry habitats created ideal conditions for the evolution of giant sauropods. DinoThaiThai


This article prompted me to make a dinosaurs category.

This is an astounding discovery of a true behemoth, a gigantic dinosaur.

Thanks for tuning in!!

A new species offers a clue to the boom of giant dinosaurs

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/species-offers-clue-boom-giant-090000731.html

Riley Black

Thu, May 14, 2026 at 2:00 AM PDT

Titans once towered over Thailand.

A research team led by National Geographic Explorer Sita Manitkoon has discovered a new long-necked dinosaur they estimate was over 88 feet long and weighed nearly 30 tons.

“Initial measurements of the bones excavated suggested that this could be the largest dinosaur ever found in Southeast Asia,” says Manitkoon, a paleontologist at Mahasarakham University in Thailand.

The telltale bones were uncovered in 2016 by a local man named Thanom Luangnan in Chaiyaphum Province, northeastern Thailand.

“He observed what he described as strange-looking rocks on the banks of a public pond,” says Manitkoon. Luangnan reported the findings to the country’s Department of Mineral Resources. The strange rocks, it turned out, were dinosaur bones, and when Manitkoon came upon them, he knew the creature must have been enormous.

(How to bring a 75-foot-long dinosaur back to life)

The researchers named the new species Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis after where it was found, and the giant serpent-like Naga of Southeast Asian folklore. The discovery, which was announced Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, provides insight into how changes in ancient climate and vegetation opened the doors for gigantic dinosaurs to develop.

“This is the most complete sauropod specimen discovered from the Khok Kruat Formation,” says Pedro Mocho, a paleontologist at the Universidade de Lisboa in Portugal, who was not involved in the study. Until now, Mocho says, the big dinosaurs in Thailand were known only from bits and pieces of skeletons. The new find is substantially more complete, revealing a titanic dinosaur never seen in the country before.

Sita Manitkoon oversaw the recovery of Nagatitan, the largest dinosaur ever discovered in Thailand. Tanintorn Ketburana

Colossal Cretaceous sauropods

Nagatitan left behind a smattering of vertebrae, ribs, hip bones, and limb bones entombed in 113-million-year-old rock. Its right forelimb is longer than that of other, recently uncovered giant sauropods such as Patagotitan and Dreadnoughtus, though the dinosaur itself likely was not as big as those heavy hitters, which weighed an estimated 60 and 50 tons respectively.

The largest dinosaurs of all time were not each other’s closest relatives. Sauropod dinosaurs evolved their giant body sizes more than 30 times over the course of more than a hundred million years on at least six landmasses. Nagatitan became a giant independently of other huge dinosaurs from other periods and places, but its relationships and habitat suggest it lived at the beginning of a time conducive to enormous dinosaurs.

Nagatitan belonged to a group called the somphospondyli. These dinosaurs tend to have long forelimbs compared to other sauropods, as well as a wide stance, says Paul Upchurch, a paleontologist at the University College London and a coauthor of the study. The other differences would have been difficult to spot on the living animal, but these subtle cues identify the Nagatitans as a group of immense dinosaurs that spread far and wide some 110 to 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous.

Sita Manitkoon and the Thai Paleontology Youth Network recovered a dorsal rib (about six feet long) from the site and moved it to the Sirindhorn Dinosaur Museum. Tanintorn Ketburana

How titans thrived

Environmental conditions in Cretaceous Thailand might explain why Nagatitan was so large.

During the time the dinosaur lived, Thailand was closer to the equator than it is today. Clues found in the same formation in which Nagatitan was buried indicate that the region was covered by relatively open, slightly dry shrublands. Earth was in a hothouse state, and recent research has suggested that big sauropod dinosaurs thrived under such conditions. Humongous herbivores could easily and efficiently travel through the woodlands, browsing on trees and nibbling plants like horsetails and ferns down low. Their feeding and trampling of the soils also kept such habitats more open and savanna-like rather than thickly forested.

The fossils were prepared and cleaned using specialized tools at the Sirindhorn Dinosaur Museum lab in Kalasin Province. Tanintorn Ketburana

Two local women from the Sirindhorn Dinosaur Museum area helped prepare the fossils, which involved using specialized pens, air compressors, scalpels, brushes, and glue to release them from the rock Tanintorn Ketburana

Nagatitan represents the beginning of this size boom. When the researchers looked at other giant sauropods from Asia for comparison, they found that the dinosaurs got even bigger during the warm Cretaceous years following the time of Nagatitan.

“Sauropods such as Ruyangosaurus, nearly 60 tons, are among the largest from Asia during the Cretaceous,” Manitkoon says. They add support to the idea that warm, open, and relatively dry habitats created ideal conditions for sauropods to evolve to giant sizes.

The overall picture is complex, says Mocho. Sauropod dinosaurs both expanded and shrank in size at different times and places.

(Scientists find a new titanosaur dinosaur species in Patagonia)

“Savannah-like ecosystems are known to favor the development of megaherbivore faunas, and it would not be surprising if environmental factors were related to sauropod gigantism,” he says.

The interplay between large herbivores like elephants and their habitats today could help researchers better perceive similar patterns in the fossil record.

“It seems a little odd that sauropods were able to cope with higher temperature conditions,” says Upchurch, as large bodies are harder to cool down and retain heat more readily.

But sauropod anatomy likely allowed the dinosaurs to work against expectations.

Sita Manitkoon is pictured standing next to the complete replica of Nagatitan's left femur. The specimen is the largest dinosaur limb ever found in Southeast Asia. Tanintorn Ketburana

The long necks of the dinosaurs, Upchurch says, increased the surface area from which they could shed heat. Their complex air sac system would also have helped them dump body heat as they exhaled. When habitats shifted to warm woodlands, full of vegetation at browsing height, the evolutionary gifts that sauropod dinosaurs already had allowed them to balloon in size, as they were well equipped to handle the heat.

“The discovery of Nagatitan and its giant relatives in Asia indicates that these dinosaurs had evolved to such enormous sizes since the early Cretaceous, a successful survival mechanism,” Manitkoon says.

The fossil record shows that from the time of Nagatian until the asteroid strike, dinosaur titans repeatedly evolved and grew large when conditions were just right.

The nonprofit National Geographic Society, committed to illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world, funded Explorer Sita Manitkoon's work. Learn more about the Society’s support of Explorers.

Riley Black is a freelance science writer based in the U.S. She regularly reports on science, paleontology, and natural history for National Geographic and is also the author of The Last Days of the Dinosaurs.

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2605.16 - 10:10

- Days ago: MOM = 3971 days ago & DAD = 625 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3824 - REVENGE - To Have It Or Not?

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3824 - REVENGE - To Have It Or Not?


“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” ~ Confucius


Recently, a situation occurred in my life for which I feel I have been betrayed by people I considered friends. The details do not matter. What matters is that I was very hurt by what happened, and so I contemplated striking back at those who hurt me. I fantasized about the various means at my disposal to serve retribution, hurting those who hurt me.

But I stopped myself from following through on any of those fantasies.

Vengeful. That's not who I am.

In fact, vengeance seems to be what was visited upon me, though those culpable surely don't see it that way. They think they are doing the right thing, the "moral" thing. They are largely and mostly full of absolute shit.

After all, I strongly believe in treating others how I want to be treated. I try not to hurt people, definitely not on purpose.

Practice kindness.

That's what I strive for.

So, taking a road that seems higher than theirs. Not returning evil for their evil.

This choice feels healthy and right.

When I contemplate getting revenge on those who have wronged me, I am always reminded of the words from the closing of the church services through some of my childhood, teen, and early adult years:

DO NOT RETURN EVIL FOR EVIL

Since my main guiding principle is kindness and THE GOLDEN RULE (treating others as I would like to be treated), as satisfying as it may feel in the short term, seeking revenge violates my main belief system. It's not who I am.

And usually, if I am thinking of ways to hurt those who have hurt me, in taking action that would hurt them, I am stooping to their level. I am doing the very thing that I feel is wrong, the thing that they did that I would not have done to them.

I am better than that.


It's funny (like a weird coincidence "funny") that when I conceived of this post, I receive this email from SLATE, proclaiming that it's "Revenge Week."

Who knew?

Following are some shares though not the one from VOX because of a pay wall.

Thanks for tuning in.

Explore Slate's stories of revenge

AS TOLD TO CHRISTINA CAUTERUCCI A Mother’s Revenge When a man posted a nude of my daughter online, I didn’t just get him back—I brought the entire revenge porn industry to its knees.

ADVICE BY EMILY YOFFE AND DANNY M. LAVERY Help! I Pretended to Be My Ex in an Email. It Ruined His Life. Some of our favorite Dear Prudence letters about revenge.

LUKE WINKIE First the Orcas Did It. Then the Elephants. Then an Octopus. What Are These Animals Up To? Humans can’t be the only species that gets revenge … can they?

ALISON GREEN The Petty, Unbelievable Ways People Are Exacting Revenge at Work I’ve written a work advice column for almost 20 years. These are the best revenge stories I’ve heard.

HOW TO! Dog Haters Are Ruining My Dog Park. How Can I Unleash My Revenge? A recipe for revenge with one key ingredient: a Google calendar.

ISABELLE KOHN I Tried to Get Revenge On a Cruel Ex-Friend. I Found Something So Much More Satisfying. Do you have what it takes to settle the score? I don't. And it's kind of amazing.

JAMES KIMMEL JR. The World’s Deadliest Addiction is Popping Up on Brain Scans. And It’s Not Even a Drug. Your brain on revenge looks a lot like your brain on drugs—and there’s only one twisted way to get your fix.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/overcoming-destructive-anger/202311/seeking-revenge-its-causes-impact-and-challenge

Seeking Revenge: Its Causes, Impact, and Challenge

Seeking revenge may be an initial reaction, but it only creates further pain.

Posted November 25, 2023 |  Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano

Key points

• Seeking revenge may lead to a cycle of seeking revenge.
• Revengeful thoughts and behavior are a temporary distraction from underlying suffering.
• There are many factors that challenge letting go of revenge, including certain cultural influences.
• Moving past revenge frees up energy to direct attention to personal goals and aspirations.

“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” ~ Confucius

Carla was referred to my anger-management class after being involved in a physical altercation with Regina, a driver who rear-ended her car during rush hour traffic. Although not injured, Carla was startled and immediately jumped out of the car to see the damage to her car. Regina simultaneously left her car. Carla’s car experienced major damage to the bumper as well as a huge dent to the rear of the trunk.

As their tempers soared, the two women yelled at each other and. Regina slapped Carla, who in turn, became more infuriated. Without restraint, Carla punched Regina to the ground and then kicked her in the stomach and head. Carla was subsequently arrested for aggravated assault. “I wasn’t going to let her get away with what she did to me, especially in front of that crowd!”

The cycle of revenge

Revenge is personal, powerfully driven by emotion. The motivation for revenge might be initially fueled by anger, but it is ultimately powered by anticipated satisfaction or enjoyment. A powerful driving force for revenge is the belief that acting out the desire for revenge will provide an emotional release, that it will help us feel better.

However, studies have found that while there may be initial satisfaction, revenge actually perpetuates the pain of the original offense (Price, 2009). Additionally, it often creates a cycle of retaliation, with the victim citing the most recent offense as yet another justification for further revenge. In effect, revengeful feelings and behaviors only train the brain to become more vulnerable to seek revenge.

This cycle was already a part of Carla’s past, influencing her quickness to be emotionally overwhelmed and to seek revenge. Prior to her recent altercation, she had endured many wounds about which she carried much resentment and hostility. Not having sufficiently mourned and grieved these wounds, Carla was left more vulnerable to impulsively react rather than respond to a grievance. In effect, the encounter with Regina was a “last straw” triggering event that catapulted her into her emotionally driven reaction, lacking the restraint of rational judgment.

Carla’s outrage fueled her initial behavior, but it was in fact motivated by a need to feel powerful vs powerless, adequate vs inadequate, and secure vs vulnerable. The fact that a small crowd had assembled further influenced Carla’s need to inflate her ego, boosting her self-perception in the eyes of the onlookers.

The motivation for revenge

Seeking revenge is often an initial human response to wounds incurred at the hands of others. When focusing on revenge, we may be driven by a sense of rectifying whatever has caused pain.

However, focusing on revenge is a distraction from fully experiencing the pain resulting from the offense. Ruminating about or acting on revenge involves a temporary orientation of our attention outward that competes with and overshadows our turning inward. Yet, it is only when we turn inward that we encounter the intense suffering regarding what has happened.

The comparative suffering hypothesis holds that victims of an offense receive satisfaction when they experience the offender as suffering. The understanding hypothesis states that revenge can only be satisfactory when the offender understands it as a response to his behavior. One study found that the understanding hypothesis was more often the driving force regarding victim satisfaction (Gollwitzer, Meder, Schmitt, 2010). Some observe that the primary satisfaction of revenge occurs when the offender shows an expression of pain (Eder, Mitschke, Gollwitzer, 2020).

Carla could have focused her attention on seeking punishment rather than revenge. While revenge might be viewed as the same as punishment, punishment is often an objective consequence for a behavior, sometimes assigned by a third party. For example, insurance companies might assess the collision and assign responsibility to one of the drivers. The courts might be involved in order to determine responsibility for the accident as well as to determine consequences for any physical altercation.

Holding onto thoughts of revenge is often a derivative of holding onto anger. I’ve found this to be true with almost all of my clients who experience trait anger—an ongoing disposition toward anger and hostility. Additionally, some victims of a transgression are more likely to be vengeful when they are highly anxious or depressed (Barcaccia, Salvati, Pallini, et. al., 2022).

Challenges to letting go of revenge

There are certainly contrasting opinions about the justification for revenge. We could follow phrases such as “an eye for an eye”. We could cite the many historical examples of individuals acting out their revenge, even when it resulted in greater suffering for them in the long term. This is another aspect of attention to revenge: It can blind us to the long-term impact on ourselves. In effect, taking revenge may not ultimately be in our best interest overall.

The problem is that revenge provides only a short-lived satisfaction. It does not really make up for the suffering we may experience and in fact only prolongs the enduring suffering of the original offense.

We live in a culture in which many individuals are currently focused on anger and revenge, a culture that emphasizes action rather than reflection, being impulsive rather than thoughtful, and quick to globally blame others for all of their suffering. This is further endorsed by political movements that thrive on anger and revenge. In fact, vengeful tendencies have been linked with two social attitudes: right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance and the motivational values that underlie these attitudes (McKee and Feather, 2008). As McKee states, individuals with such attitudes "tend to be less forgiving, less benevolent, and less focused on universal-connectedness-type values."

Moving beyond revenge

Reducing a tendency for revenge may be extremely challenging. It entails consciously mourning and grieving our pain with the intention that we can move on in our lives even though we’ve experienced a wound.

Some of my clients have stated that they often ask themselves what a religious or spiritual leader would identify as a guideline for their thoughts and behavior. Others think of loved ones and how being fueled by thoughts and behaviors regarding revenge make them less able to be present with them. Some strive to become their best selves. Those who practice self-compassion may evoke their wisdom to help them decide how best to manage a given situation.

Letting go of the desire for revenge requires strengthening our rational brain to override our emotional brain, an ability to show restraint even while we may wish for revenge. It calls for strengthening our capacity for forgiveness—of ourselves and others. This requires ongoing self-monitoring and commitment to change and, by doing so, developing a new default reaction to experiencing wounds. Additionally, channeling our attention toward the satisfaction of our personal core goals and aspirations frees us from bearing the weight of revenge. It helps us to move on in our lives—in spite of our wounds.

References

Price, M. (2009). Revenge and the people who seek it. Monitor, Vol. 40, (6), 34

Gollwitzer, M., Meder, M., and Schmitt, M. (2010). What gives victims satisfaction when they seek revenge? European Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 41 (3), 364-374

Eder, A., Mitschke, V., and Gollwitzer, M. (2020). What stops revenge taking? Effects of observed emotional reactions on revenge seeking. Aggressive Behavior, Vol. 46 (4), 305-316

Barcaccia, B., Salvati, M., Pallini, S., et. al., (2022) The bitter taste of revenge: Negative affect, depression and anxiety. Current Psychology, Vol. 41 (4), 10.1007/s12144-020-00643-1

https://www.npr.org/2025/06/12/1254056479/what-seeking-revenge-does-to-our-brains

What Seeking Revenge Does To Our Brains

June 12, 20257:16 PM ET

When someone hurts us, we might feel wounded or sad. We might feel angry and defensive. But sometimes those feelings turn into something more dangerous: a desire for revenge.

Wanting to right a perceived wrong is normal. But neuroscientists are now finding that revenge-seeking behavior can be a form of addiction.

Why does hurting those who have hurt us make us feel good, at least in the moment? And why does getting back at someone often backfire?

https://www.ditchthelabel.org/7-reasons-revenge-is-a-bad-idea

When someone hurts or betrays you, you might feel the urge to cause them distress in return, but take it from us - that is never a good idea.

Here are 7 reasons why seeking revenge is a bad idea:

1. It won't make you feel better.

It was Shakespeare that said, "If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?" Revenge might seem like a logical - even inevitable reaction. You might be thinking that it will also provide great relief from the pain that you are feeling or some sort of satisfaction.

Sadly, evidence shows that people who seek revenge instead of forgiving or letting go, tend to feel worse in the long run. You are much better off channelling your energy into moving forward positively with your life.

2. In fact, it might make you feel worse.

I hate to break it to you, but if you consider yourself to be a decent human being, causing someone else distress or pain (whether you think they are deserving of it or not) might not put the smile on your face you were hoping for. In fact, it might make you feel worse; you might feel guilty, upset, regretful - and these kinds of feelings tend to linger and weigh heavy on your conscience.

While you might feel hurt or betrayed right now, eventually you will be able to put those feelings behind you, but if you burden your conscience with guilt, you are more likely to ruminate over your actions - this makes moving on much harder and only puts your life on hold.

3. It could backfire.

Gandhi once said, "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." Think about the repercussions of your actions - you might end up in trouble with a teacher or parent for seeking revenge. You might even put yourself in harm's way.

What can really be gained? It is far better to save yourself from the possibility of further trauma. Focus on the good things in your life and look at how you can move forward, putting the person who hurt you firmly in the past.

4. You are wasting precious time.

Not to sound cliche but life is short! Do you really want to waste your precious time on someone that doesn't deserve it? Think of all the fun things you could be doing instead of acting like Mr. Burns and plotting, planning and focusing your energy on the negative.

How can you make way for new, positive experiences if you are preoccupied with wreaking havoc?

5. Because, karma.

Whether you believe in it or not, karma makes a much better friend than a foe - make sure to keep on the right side of it:

6. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Fact. Seeking revenge isn't going to undo the actions of the person who has wronged you. So do the right thing, be the bigger person - you will be glad you did so in the long run.

7. You could get caught in an endless revenge loop.

So, you seek revenge on the person who hurt you. They then take revenge on your revenge...and the cycle continues. Make sure you don't get caught in a loop, it will only cause you further pain and hurt. Try and leave negativity and people who bring you down in the past. They are not worth your time and energy.

So, is revenge worth it? No. Never.

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2508.07 - 10:10

- Days ago: MOM = 3689 days ago & DAD = 343 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.