The Egyptian desert province of New Valley is a veritable treasure trove of Upper Cretaceous fossils, said a leading palaeontologist on the team that discovered the remains of 50 70-million-year-old freshwater turtles in the area.
The turtles all belong to the same previously undiscovered species, said Gebeily Aboul Kheir, assistant professor of palaeontology at New Valley University and director of its vertebrate palaeontology centre.
The species was named Khargachelys cairoensis, after the cities of Kharga, the largest in New Valley province, and Cairo, as the palaeontologists that made the discovery come from both cities.
Dr Aboul Kheir was part of the team that unearthed the fossils two years ago and recently shared their findings in a scientific journal. Since then, the team have been working on extracting the fossils from the outer layers of rock they are encased in.
The team, led by New Valley University president Dr Abdelaziz Tantawy, have hatched an ambitious plan to display the fossils in an open-air museum in Egypt’s Western Desert where they were discovered, but this requires state support and funding.
They have also discovered the fossilised remains of herbivorous dinosaurs as well as crocodiles in Egypt’s Western Desert, where intrepid palaeontologists roam for days at a time in search of prehistoric remains.
At 440,000 square kilometres, New Valley is the country’s largest province by land mass. It is unique in that it is made up of land formations dating back to the Cretaceous period that have remained the same for millions of years because of the area’s dry climate.
“The area is really unique because it was formed around 70 million years ago when the Tethys Ocean, the prehistoric version of the Mediterranean, due to tectonic shifts, washed down from what is now the north of Africa and reached all the way down to the south of Egypt,” Dr Aboul Kheir explained.
“Land formations, even mountains, are formed by bodies of water that wash over them at one point or another, repeatedly depositing sediments in their wake.”
The Tethys Ocean's saltwater mixed with the freshwater that flowed into Egypt through rivers whose sources were farther south in Africa.
“The river sediments we found predated the saltwater sediments by around 50 million years, which conclusively proves that the sea wasn’t here for a long time and then it washed into the continent later on,” Dr Aboul Kheir explained.
The rivers’ meetings with the sea in prehistoric New Valley created a kind of brackish water that provided optimal conditions for many forms of life to thrive.
This led to it becoming a popular haunt for the ancient turtles, the first of their kind to be discovered, Dr Aboul Kheir said.
“We found the 50 turtles all buried in one small area. We believe this used to be a lake,” he added.
“We found freshwater sediments which are typically red, but we also found green seawater sediment as well, which means that it was a lake made up of that brackish water the turtles would have liked to be in.”
In addition, the turtles were fossilised whole, a quality common among marine animal fossils but uncommon in fossilised remains of land animals, whose carcasses desiccate leaving only bones behind.
“We have never found fossilised remains of a land animal in its entirety. Typically we find fragments of bones, a whole leg if we’re lucky.
“But when these turtles died, their carcasses were left underwater for a while so they didn't dry up. That’s why we found them so well preserved.”
As radioactive dating is currently unavailable in Egypt, Dr Aboul Kheir and his colleagues use a less accurate method known as “relative dating” which involves taking rocks from a formation, washing them with specific chemicals and studying what kind of microorganisms are released.
Each microorganism can be dated back to an approximate period of Earth’s history.
Despite only opening three years ago, New Valley University and its vertebrate palaeontology centre have made a remarkable number of discoveries — a testament to how rich the area is with Upper Cretaceous relics, Dr Aboul Kheir said.
“Every time we find a new fossil, it is an indescribably good feeling. When we bring it back to the university, all the students and faculty cheer because it’s a win for them, too.”
Through the use of radar equipment, the team have found several other sites in the Western Desert that they believe could contain more fossilised remains. Dr Aboul Kheir said imaging has shown a great deal of reptile fossils.
“We have been trying to increase our co-operation with the state for more funds and we are making some strides. The municipal government just allocated the lands we’re working on for research purposes, which will make our lives a lot easier,” he said.
Still, the country’s palaeontology sector is seriously underfunded, which Dr Aboul Kheir called a shame, as there “are some very promising parts of Egypt that need to be further explored”, such as the agricultural province of Fayoum, where palaeontologists discovered prehistoric whale remains.
Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 366Nm
Price: Dh200,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
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Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
MATCH INFO
Pakistan 106-8 (20 ovs)
Iftikhar 45, Richardson 3-18
Australia 109-0 (11.5 ovs)
Warner 48 no, Finch 52 no
Australia win series 2-0
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
SPECS
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JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
