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December 12, 2016

Nearly 20% of Americans Use Psychiatric Drugs Every Year

Psychiatric drug use is on the rise, study reports.

When Kanye West was hospitalized for a psychiatric medical breakdown, mental illness was placed in the forefront as millions of Americans watched, via social media, the mental breakdown of of the biggest entertainers of 2016. And while we will not know what really happened to one of music’s biggest recording artists until the new season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, prescription drug use is currently being used now more than ever.

According to a new research study, 1 in 6 Americans use psychiatric drugs. That number has increased in comparison to a 2011 SAMHSA study which found 11.5% of Americans taking psychiatric drugs.

In fact, the research study found Caucasians, women and older patients were more likely to be taking psychiatric drugs. In fact, 21% of whites reported taking psychiatric drugs that is nearly twice as many black adults (9.7%), and 4 times as many Asian adults (4.8%).

The psychiatric drug use study also found women were also more likely to say they were taking psychiatric prescription drugs as 21% of women and 12% of men reported taking psychiatric drugs. Psychiatric drug use also increases as Americans get olders.

The lead researchers also discovered Americans who start taking psychotic prescription medications end up taking the medication for a long period of time. In fact, 84.3% American psychiatric drug users had at least 10 prescriptions for psychiatric drugs.

The study, which was published in “JAMA Internal Medicine” and studied by Thomas Moore, AB and Donald Mattison, MD, analyzed over 300,000 prescription records from over 37,000 adults ages 18 to 85 years old. The details of the study found that antidepressants were the most prescribed medication, followed by sedatives, and antipsychotics. In addition, Zoloft, Celexa and Xanax were the three most prescribed psychiatric drugs.

Mattison and Moore ultimately explained, “Safe use of psychiatric drugs could be improved by increasing emphasis on prescribing these agents at the lowest effective dose and systematically reassessing the need for continued use.”

Instagram Live is Finally Here

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 12, 2016

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Following in the social media giant’s parent company Facebook, Instagram launches Instagram Live to the world on Monday.

As companies compete for millennials’ attention, more and more social media apps are turning to Live video features in order to embrace the moment and time users spend on the app. Snapchat is currently working on releasing a Live video feature, Twitter already has live video capabilities and Facebook is currently spending millions to teach and attract users to try out their Facebook Live feature. Now, on Instagram’s Live feature is available to US users.

Last November, Instagram announced a brand new feature available to all Instagram users. The new feature will allow users show their followers exactly what they are doing. In addition, Instagram released a feature the mirrors Twitter’s Periscope app, which allows for users to see what other people are doing Live. However, the biggest difference in Periscope and Instagram is Instagram’s algorithm will pick and choose what videos a particular user sees.

But what’s the difference between Instagram’s live video feature and Facebook’s Live? It will have to be Instagram’s “Top Live” section for users. The “Top Live” feature will allow for users to see a curated listed of the best content shared on the Instagram app. In addition, Live videos are not stored onto your Instagram account, therefore followers can only see what you are doing while you’re broadcasting.

Facebook is investing heavily in video sharing. A report by Mashable showed the social media giant is investing millions of dollars showcasing, teaching, and informing people how to use the Facebook Live feature. So much money has been spent that reports show the Facebook Live ad has been seen over a billion times.

However, the biggest problem facing Facebook and Instagram is the “intimidation factor” in which Facebook users are scared to go live and broadcast the details of their lives without, editing and filtering out what they want their friends to see.

The new Instagram features will soon become available to US users in the next few weeks.

Bill Gates Announces $1B Clean Energy Fund, Days Before Trump’s Tech Summit

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 12, 2016

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Bill Gates Announces $1B Clean Energy Fund, Days Before Trump’s Tech Summit

Multi-Billionaire and Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates has gathered a group of his fellow billionaire friends to create a new generation of clean energy technology.

On Sunday night, Bill Gates announced he is launching the Breakthrough Energy Ventures Fund, which will invest up to $1 billion in clean energy technology.

“Our goal is to build companies that will help deliver the next generation of reliable, affordable, and emissions-free energy to the world,” Gates said.

The mission of the Breakthrough Energy Fund is to invest in different sector in order to provide cleaner energy technological innovations. The money will be divided up and invested in cleaner electricity generation, agriculture and transportation. Gates told reporters that he is open-minded to anything that provides clean energy.

Like a meeting with the world’s top .5 percent, Gates teamed up with a group of investors who are worth upwards of $170 billion. The team includes Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Alibaba CEO Jack Ma.

The coalition of Silicon Valley’s richest innovators and investors, illustrates how the tech industry is committed to clean energy and the environment. This news comes as President-elect Donald Trump, who recently said that nobody really knows if climate change is real, is set to meet with the tech industry’s biggest movers and shakers.

Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Google’s Larry Page are among the top tech names meeting with Trump’s transition team on Wednesday, which could be extremely interesting considering Trump’s election comments on Silicon Valley.

More specifically, in 2013 Trump called out Sandberg on Twitter for her ’60 Minutes’ interview saying the Facebook Chief Operating Officer should focus more on getting Facebook’s stock price up instead of focusing on her ego. Or, the fact that Trump called his Republican primary opponent Marco Rubio Facebook’s “personal senator”, after the Rubio supported a bill that would allow for an increase in H1-B visas.

Then there was last December when Donald Trump called out Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos ownership ties to the Washington Post to avoid paying taxes taxes, saying :

The @washingtonpost, which loses a fortune, is owned by @JeffBezos for purposes of keeping taxes down at his no profit company, @amazon.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2015

The @washingtonpost loses money (a deduction) and gives owner @JeffBezos power to screw public on low taxation of @Amazon! Big tax shelter
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2015

If @amazon ever had to pay fair taxes, its stock would crash and it would crumble like a paper bag. The @washingtonpost scam is saving it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2015

Donald Trump also targeted Apple. After getting asked about the discussion between Apple and the FBI over the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, Donald Trump called for people to boycott Apple products until the company revealed the San Bernardino shooter’s security number.

How Donald Trump will respond to the billion dollar investment in clean energy via Silicon Valley’s biggest investors and the upcoming meeting with tech titans remains to be seen.

Conflict of Interest Questions May Lead to Shake Up at Facebook

Business

Reginald Edward

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December 12, 2016

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Conflict of Interest Questions May Lead to Shake Up at Facebook

As executives at Facebook will attest to, not all news is good news. The company has been pinned as public enemy number one due to its role in disseminating fake news and on Monday, the U.K. newspaper The Guardian ran a story entitled ‘2016: the year Facebook became the bad guy.’ The story looks at examples of ‘unprecedented power’ and ‘digital colonialism’ as it asks questions about Facebook’s growing influence.

However, stories like the Guardian report have push another more damaging report from the headlines. It is a story of conflict of interest by Facebook’s shareholders in connection with Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s selling most of his shares in the company. The sale included the establishment of a new share class which allowed Mr. Zuckerberg to maintain control in Facebook even though he currently owns very little stock in the company.

Facebook Conflict — Stock Photo:
23 March 2015 – Istanbul, TURKEY: Facebook user login screen. The number of active mobile users Facebook has reached 1 billion people (endermasali / Shutterstock.com)

Non-owner CEOs are not uncommon. In fact, most of CEO of S&P 500 companies are not the majority owners of their companies. However, the allegation that some of Facebook’s early shareholders colluded to ensure Mr. Zuckerberg maintained control of the Board has raised some eyebrows.

The matter is currently being deliberated in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware after several shareholders questioned whether this breached the company’s bylaws and Delaware law – the state where Facebook is incorporated.

Another part of the question is whether Mr. Zuckerberg personally used his accumulated voting rights to rig any decision on maintaining control of the company in his favor. While this is unclear, Mr. Zuckerberg currently holds voting control of the shares of a number of large Facebook shareholders.

Stock Photo: DEAUVILLE, FRANCE – MAY 26, 2011 : Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Press conference at the summit G8/G20 about new technologies – Deauville, France on May 26 2011 (Frederic Legrand – COMEO / Shutterstock.com)

However, the challenge might be the role of an ‘independent’ committee which was established in 2015 to review the terms of this proposal. This committee included three shareholders who, in theory, were independent from Mr. Zuckerberg and included Susan Desmond-Hellmann, Marc Andreessen, and Erskine Bowles. Mr. Andreessen’s presence on the board is controversial as his venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz, was an early investor in Facebook.

Furthermore, documents acquired by the plaintiffs appear to indicate that Messrs. Andreessen and Zuckerberg may have discussed the details of the plan prior to the committee deciding its opinion on the share restructure.

One potential red flag is the appearance that Mr. Andreessen used his position to gain prior knowledge of the questions which board members would pose to Mr. Zuckerberg about the transaction. If this is true, then it would appear that Mr. Andreessen was not representing the best interest of shareholders but rather his own shares and possibly his relationship with Mr. Zuckerberg.

Mark Zuckerberg Facebook Government — Stock Photo: DEAUVILLE, FRANCE – MAY 26, 2011 : Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Press conference at the summit G8/G20 about new technologies – Deauville, France on May 26 2011 (Frederic Legrand – COMEO / Shutterstock.com)

Another red flag was the live texting by which Mr. Andreessen revealed details of the Board’s discussion on the matter with Mr. Zuckerberg.

The matter is still pending the resolution could have a major impact on the makeup of Facebook’s Board as several directors could be shuffled and the company may potentially become a target for activist investors who will fight for transparency. Another potential outcome could be the Court’s decision to void restructure the share deal. While this probably won’t impact Mr. Zuckerberg’s executive role at the company, it may lead to further dilution of his voting rights.

Fans May Soon Be Able to Bring Guns to Stadiums

Business

Reginald Edward

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December 11, 2016

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Fans May Soon Be Able to Bring Guns to Stadiums

Washington state lawmakers are considering passing a bill that will allow sports fans to bring guns to a stadium.

On average, there are around 91 different people killed by guns, according to a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now, an amendment to the Washington state code would make stadium officials unable to stop someone with a concealed gun license from entering the stadium while armed. If passed the law would directly affect Seattle Seahawks’ CenturyLink Field and Seattle Mariners’ Safeco field.

Stock Photo: SEATTLE – SEPTEMBER 15: Safeco Field, home of the Mariners on September 15, 2007 in Seattle, WA. Opened in 1999 at a cost of $517.6 million, it has a roof that closes in 10 minutes and seats 47,116. (Ffooter / Shutterstock.com)

There are major concerns surrounding the idea of mixing alcohol, high energy events and concealed weapons. The NFL responded to the possible amendment by releasing a statement to the Washington Post saying, “We haven’t seen the proposed legislation but we have a policy forbidding carrying a weapon into NFL stadiums.”

Stock Photo:
SEATTLE – AUGUST 21: Seattle Seahawks play the NFL Champion Green Bay Packers at Century Link Field formerly known as Qwest Field during a Football Game August 21, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. (Mat Hayward / Shutterstock.com)

The second amendment is a hot button topic in the United States and research shows public safety laws help reduce gun violence and help save lives. An Everytown Research reports that in the past ten years, over 1,000 people were murdered with guns and an additional 4,449 people died from a firearm suicide or accident. But, the biggest difference between the law Washington lawmakers are considering to enact and what research shows is that a majority of police officers killed by a firearm were by people who were prohibited from possessing a firearm. And the new amendment will only allow for authorized gun owners to enter the stadium armed.

Gun Show — Stock Photo: Winneconne, WI – 17 April 2016: Image of hand guns on a table at a gun show. (Keith Homan / Shutterstock.com)

But, that statistic is marred by the fact that at gun trafficking from 2006 to 2013 increased by 50 percent. In addition, 33 percent of all guns sold in the last two years were recovered at a crime scene. Not to mention the fact that research shows an estimated 40 percent of gun sales take place between unlicensed parties such as gun shows or anonymous online transaction, allowing for certain groups to purchase a firearm without a background check.

At the end of the day, the firearm industry is booming in Washington with four times as many gun dealers than there are McDonald’s.

Cadillac Casting Director Says Alt-Right Casting Call Was “Altered”

Business

Reginald Edward

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December 11, 2016

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Cadillac Casting Director Says Alt-Right Casting Call Was “Altered”

Cadillac started this weekend off in the middle of a PR crisis after a casting call went viral on social media looking for “Alt-right” Neo Nazis.

According to a casting call, the notice said the casting company The Cast Station was looking for “any and all real alt-right thinkers/believers.” The casting call says they are looking to film a commercial encompassing all types of people found in America.

The casting company, The Cast Station, took to Facebook to address the controversy by saying the casting call was a mistake and created by an employee was immediately fired. The casting company went on to say that a 3rd party altered the casting call without their knowledge and posted it on social medial.

“A casting notice for an “alt-right” role in a Cadillac commercial was issued by mistake on Friday, Dec 9th. The notice was drafted by an employee, who was immediately terminated for her actions,” the casting company said on Facebook. “Additionally an outside third party further altered the breakdown without our knowledge and posted it on social media. Cadillac unequivocally did not authorize this notice or anything like it, and we apologize to Cadillac for the ex-employee’s actions.”

Cadillac tried to handle the backlash on Twitter and on Facebook. “Cadillac did not authorize or approve a casting notice for an ‘alt-right (neo-nazi)’ role in a commercial. We unequivocally condemn the notice and are seeking immediate answers from our creative agency, production company and any casting companies involved.”

The alt-right, alternative right, is a Conservative extremist group that support white nationalism. The movement has been associated with white supremacy, homophobia and anti feminism. The movement, which is popular on anonymous message forums such as 4chan, generally support President-elect Donald Trump and Donald Trump’s attitude regarding immigration and political correctness.

Trump Calls Russia Hack ‘Ridiculous’

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 11, 2016

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In an extensive interview with Fox News, President-elect Donald Trump called the CIA report, which claim Russian hackers rigged the election, “ridiculous”.

Hacking is becoming more and more commonplace. HPE’s Business of Hacking report found hackers are becoming more organized and functioning like a legitimate business with their goal to earn as much money as possible by disrupting businesses. But, how does hacking impact U.S. politics? According to Donald Trump, the Russian hack is “just another excuse”.

Trump explains that he does not believe Russian hackers played any influence in the election. “I don’t believe it. Every week it’s another excuse. We had a massive landslide victory, as you know, in the Electoral College,” Trump added.

Donald Trump Signs — Stock Photo:
Manheim, PA – October 1, 2016: People enthusiastically wave Make America Great Again Signs at a Donald Trump campaign rally. (George Sheldon / Shutterstock.com)

Trump also really debated the credibility of the report saying that “hacking is very interesting. “Once they hack, if you don’t catch them in the act you’re not going to catch them. They have no idea if it’s Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place,” Trump argued.

Other than debating the merits of the CIA report, Donald Trump used the time to indirectly shed light on the future of America and how he plans to manage the country. One of the highlights of the interview was Trump’s decision to make daily intelligence briefings weekly instead of daily.

Central intelligence Agency — Stock Photo: LISBON, PORTUGAL – February 24, 2015, 2014: Photo of the cia central intelligence agency page on a monitor screen (Gil C / Shutterstock.com)

“These are very good people that are giving me the briefings. And I say, ‘If something should change from this point, immediately call me. I’m available on one-minute’s notice.’ I don’t have to be told—you know, I’m, like, a smart person. I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years. I don’t need that.”

Donald Trump’s interview and questions surrounding hacking and daily intelligence briefings follows a week of reports surrounding Russian and hackers. Last week, President Obama called for a report investigating whether or not hackers intervened in the 2016 election. In addition, multiple reports claim that Russia hacked political parties in order to assist Donald Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton.

President Obama — Stock Photo:
CHARLOTTE, NC, USA – JULY 5, 2016: President Barack Obama delivering a speech at the Charlotte Convention Center. (Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com)

The Washington Post published a report that suggests “the CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency.”

In addition, the report argues that Russia hacked the Republican National Committee along with the Democratic National Committee but did not leak information on Republicans in order to assist Donald Trump’s Presidential Campaign. If true, it remains to be seen if those e-mails could be leaked out to the public once, Donald Trump becomes president.

Russia Hack Vladimir Putin — Stock Photo: Moscow, Russia – November 24, 2015: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian President) (Timofeev Sergey / Shutterstock.com)

Donald Trump’s response to these new reports and accusations? “Democrats are putting it out because they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country.”

But, a bipartisan group of senators are not taking the Russia hack lying down. In a joint statement from Charles Schumer, John McCain, Jack Reed, and Lindsey Graham, the senators argued “more must be done.”

The senators continued by saying, “While protecting classified material, we have an obligation to inform the public about recent cyberattacks that have cut to the heart of our free society. Democrats and Republicans must work together, and across the jurisdictional lines of the Congress, to examine these recent incidents thoroughly and devise comprehensive solutions to deter and defend against further cyberattacks.”

Does Amazon Go Point to A Jobless Future?

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 11, 2016

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Does Amazon Go Point to A Jobless Future?

While the announcement of a retail concept without a checkout counter set the tech world abuzz; others were asking how this development would impact the labor market in the future. According to author and technologist, Martin Ford, Amazon Go ‘as not about reducing labor costs’. In fact, the concept could prove disruptive.

Stock Photo: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON/USA – NOVEMBER 2015: Amazon opens its first real life brick and mortar bookstore called Amazon Books in Seattle’s University Village

Amazon Go, which intends to test at a Seattle location has no registers and most of the stocking and replenishment would be conducted by robots and not people. While the concept is a godsend for people who hate standing in line, economists are asking deeper questions on what this means for the future of work.

A report released by the Council of Economic Advisers earlier this year found that nearly 83% of all workers making less than $20 per hour will see their jobs replaced by technology. Those making upwards of $40 per hour are somewhat safer, but the Council estimates that 31% of those making between $20 and $40 per hour will face disruption. The percentage falls to 4% for those making more than $40 per hour, but the report does not address a potential cutback in hours worked across the board.

These figures have signaled alarm bells as most economists and policy makers lack the tools to adequately measure how technology is disrupting the labor market. Some experts believe this was one reason for the popular anger which impacted this year’s election.

Amazon echo — Stock Photo: ORLANDO, FL – December 4, 2016: Amazon Echo, the voice recognition streaming device from Amazon. Currently available in two colors, black and white for a list price of $179.99. (George W. Bailey / Shutterstock.com)

With regards to Amazon Go, the company has only announced plans for a test store and it is unclear how ambitious plans are to expand. But Mr. Ford, who authored “Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future”, believes the utilization of technology to increase productivity, and profits is part of capitalism. He points to data from the Government, which show that manufacturing jobs are disappearing and that service sector jobs may be next on the chopping block.

In an effort to protect jobs, an IDC report predicted that robot-specific regulations will begin to be implemented by 2019 or sooner. But it is unlikely that this technology will slow developments in the underlying technology which is disrupting the current job market.

Amazon has said little publicly on what their retail store mean for job disruption and in fairness to the retail concept is still very much in the planning stage. However, the crux of the problem is this: does building a retail network without jobs, help support the customer base which is needed to keep the retail network functioning? It is unclear how this will work out and as companies like Amazon increasingly support disruptive technologies they will have to answer these questions.

Monkeys Have the Vocal Cords to Talk, Lack the Brain Power

Business

Megan Diane

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December 10, 2016

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Monkeys Have the Vocal Cords to Talk, Lack the Brain Power

Monkeys have the physiology to talk but lack the brain to do it, according to a new study. Researchers examined how monkeys moved their their vocal chords with X-rays, to understand how monkeys communicate. Scientists compared those results to what it would sound like if monkeys could talk and say “Will You Marry Me”. The results of the study revealed that monkeys have the physiology to talk like humans but, like the brain power to do so.

Researchers have long believed that monkeys were unable to talk like humans because they lacked the anatomy to do so. But, a new study published in the journal “Science Advances” suggest that the macaque monkey does have the anatomy to communicate like a human. However, their limitations are marked by their decreased brain power.

Monkeys Can Talk — Stock Photo: Bukit Merah, Malaysia – 23 Jun 2015 : Tourist taking picture of baby Orang Utan at Orang Utan Conservation Island in Bukit Merah, Perak. (Abd. Halim Hadi / Shutterstock.com)

University of Vienna cognitive biologist and researcher in the talking money study, Tecumseh Fitch, argues that anatomical physiological limitations are just a myth. “My colleagues and I all get very tired of seeing this. But you see it in all the textbooks. Lots of popular books, and also scholarly books about the evolution of language, assume that in order to evolve speech we had to have massive changes in our vocal tract. ”

Fitch and his team of researchers analyzed a macaque monkey named Emiliano and discovered the monkey was able to make five different vowel sounds, which are the most common vowels in human languages from around the world. Ultimately, Fitch asserts a monkey’s inability to hold full-long conversations comes from monkey’s brain circulatory system.

Fitch argues that a monkey’s brain does not have direct connections from the brain to the parts that control communication such as the vocal chords. The lack of a complete and direct connection system, which makes it difficult for monkeys to reiterate what humans are saying.

“As soon as you had a brain that was ready to control the vocal tract,” Fitch says, “the vocal tract of a monkey or nonhuman primate would be perfectly fine for producing lots and lots of words.”

Scientists Discover a 255-Million Year Old Tumor

Business

Megan Diane

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December 10, 2016

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Scientists Discover a 255-Million Year Old Tumor

On Thursday, University of Washington researchers discovered the earliest known evidence of a tumor. More specifically, a 255-million year old compound odontoma, a type of tumor found in growing in the gums, inside of a prehistoric mammal.

The tumor was discovered in the lower-jaw of a gorgonopsid, a predecessor to modern day mammal. The study was published this week in the Journal of the American medical Association Oncology.

Program director at the National Science Foundation’s Division of Earth Sciences, Judy Skog announced in a news release the results of the study. “Until now, the earliest known occurrence of this tumor was about one million years ago, in fossil mammals,” Judy Skog confirmed. “The discovery suggests that the suspected cause of an odontoma isn’t tied solely to traits in modern species, as had been thought.”

Gorgonopsians existed 255 million years ago and are considered a type of synapsid, a mixture between reptiles and mammals and contain physical features of both animals.

The lead author in the study, Megan Whitney, explained “To understand when and how our mammalian features evolved, we have to study fossils of synapsids like the gorgonopsians.”

Odontoma’s are a type of tumor that results in regular dental tissue developing abnormally. Typically, dental tissue will start growing in the jaw causing damage and pain to the jawline. A compound odontoma is the formation of dental tissue but, without actual denticles, individual teeth. Teenagers are the ones to get diagnosed with Odontoma.

This discovery coincides with a recent study published in the journal of “Current Biology” that dinosaurs may have evolved more slowly than previously thought.

Dinosaur Fossils — Stock Photo: LONDON, UK – DECEMBER 11: Visitor looking at pliosaur fossilised skeleton at the Natural History Museum. December 11, 2014 in London. (Nando Machado / Shutterstock.com)

Fossil remains of 230-million-year old dinosaur were discovered in Brazil suggesting two different dinosaurs and dinosaur precursors – early evolved species- lived alongside each other for millions of years. Suggesting evolution was a gradual progression.

Max Langer at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil released a statement regarding the findings, “We now know for sure that dinosaurs and dinosaur precursors lived alongside one another and that the rise of dinosaurs was more gradual, not a fast overtaking of other animals of the time. The fossils also show that the first dinosaurs likely fed on “all kinds of small animals, but most probably not plants,” Langer said in a journal news release.

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