What Scientific Discoveries were Made in 2020?

If it wasn’t for online gambling keeping us entertained and distracted, 2020 might have gone down as the worst year in history – although 2021 is proving to be a rival.  Whilst the world was dealing with a pandemic for the first time in over a century, science was making wonderous discoveries!

If you keep tabs on the enlightening articles we share here, you might remember one that pertained to a plastic-eating bacteria.  Yep, 2020 led to the discovery of a bacterium that can break down polyurethane – a plastic that is extremely difficulty to destroy or recycle.

3 Additional Interesting Scientific Discoveries Made in 2020

That wasn’t the only good thing that came out of 2020 though…  Along with brand new casino games to sustain your online gambling sessions, there were other, equally impressive and interesting scientific discoveries being made!  Although there were many more, here are three scientific discoveries that were truly fascinating:

Zeptosecond – The Smallest Unit of Time Successfully Measured

We’re all familiar with seconds, milliseconds, and even nanoseconds – one thousand-millionth of a second – as short measurements of time.  Prepare to have your mind blown, as the 2020 discovery now officially marks the zeptosecond as the shortest time to have ever been successfully measured!

What is a Zeptosecond?

In short, pun intended, a zeptosecond is ‘one trillionth of a billionth of a second’.  Say what?  Yep, that is a lot – or a little – to wrap your head around!  To put it into perspective – a zeptosecond is ‘a decimal point, followed by twenty zeroes and a one’, i.e. 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 001.

Now, some would argue that a Planck time is the smallest is the smallest measurement – but this pertains more to length.  As for a yoctosecond (a septillionth of a second), it relates to light pulses and to really explain this, one would need a PhD in femtochemistry!

All you need to know is that at Springbok Casino we give you all the time in the world to enjoy your online gambling sessions – no time limits apply!  We’re also open 24/7 for fun around the conventional clock.

How was the Zeptosecond Discovered?

The zeptosecond was theoretically observed a few years ago already – but it was only in 2020 that it was accurately measured for the first time.  This happened when “scientists at Germany's Goethe University were recording the time taken by a photon to cross a hydrogen molecule”.  How long – or short – did it take?  247 zeptoseconds!

How Do You Measure a Zeptosecond?

Put your stopwatch away – it won’t do.  To measure a zeptosecond you would need to use a Cold Target Recoil Ion Momentum Spectroscopy microscope.  That is a mouthful, so for short, a COLTRIMS microscope.  Would us average folk ever have the means to measure a zeptosecond at home?  We’re doubtful.

As neat as it is to know that zeptoseconds exist, knowing that we have enough hours in the day to enjoy online gambling, work and spend time with family and friends, is all the time we need to concern ourselves with!  As for scientists?  They are hoping that this discovery will be helpful in quantum computing and superconductivity.

The World’s Oldest Known Bug Discovered in Scotland

Although earlier animals are believed to have existed, such as the Dickinsonia, the only physical evidence that point to their existence is indirect evidence – being from the tracks, or “death masks”, they left behind.  Well, in May of 2020, remains of an actual millipede-like creature, Kampecaris obanensis, were unearthed by palaeontologists on the island of Kerrera, Scotland.

The extinct millipede-like arthropod measured about 2.5 cm in length (1 inch) and had three discernible sections: an oval head, a cylindrical trunk with ten limb-bearing segments, and a tail section.  It had a thick exoskeleton that was composed of two layers.

How Old is the Kampecaris Obanensis?

The Kampecaris is thought to have existed during the Silurian and early Devonian periods.  Using a dating method known as molecular clock dating, which relies on the mutation rate of DNA, the specimen is believed to be 425 million years old.

Do you Like KFC? Give Thanks to the “Wonderchicken”!

In 2000, Maarten van Dinther – an amateur fossil hunter and lab technician – found a nondescript block of rock “the size of a pack of cards” in a quarry in Sint-Pietersberg, between the Netherlands and Belgium.  His keen eye knew that there was something to his find, and he donated it to the Natural History Museum of Maastricht in the Netherlands.

Fast-forward 20 years, and scientist finally uncovered what is hidden within the rock – a 66.7-million-year-old chicken!  Ok, more fittingly, an early relative of modern birds like chickens, geese and other poultry.

How did they Unveil the Wonderchicken?

To discover what was inside the rock without disturbing it, a research team led by Dr Daniel Field from the Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge University used high-resolution X-ray CT scans.  The images revealed a nearly complete skull preserved just 1 mm beneath the surface of the rock.

The tiny skull is believed to have belonged to a chicken-like bird that weighed just under 400 g.  The team was extremely excited about the find, with the scientific name Asteriornis maastrichtensis, although they all prefer the name “Wonderchicken” – and so do we.

What Does the Wonderchicken Discovery Mean for Science?

About the discovery, Dr Daniel Field excitedly said “The Wonderchicken is going to rank as a truly important fossil for helping clarify the factors that actually gave rise to modern birds.”

He further stated, “Birds are such a conspicuous and important group of living animals, being able to say something new about how modern birds actually arose is really a significant thing for palaeontologists and evolutionary biologists.”

What we find impressive is that the Wonderchicken survived the asteroid that resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs to give way to modern birds.  How exactly is anyone’s guess at this point.  All we can say is that this little ‘chicken’ walked with the dinosaurs during the Mesozoic Era!

How Old is Springbok Casino?

If Kampecaris existed during the Silurian period, and the Wonderchicken during the Mesozoic Era, that places us in the almost brand-spanking-new era!  Springbok Casino launched in 2012 and we’ve been providing top-notch online gambling for almost two decades.  Our history is a blip on the radar when compared to those significant finds!

How has Springbok Casino Evolved Over the Years?

Ever fluid, changing and evolving with the times, we’ve has gone from providing online gambling on PCs, to being a multi-faceted gambling platform that can be accessed on smart phones, tablets and computers.  As with our user interface, our casino games are always becoming better and bolder!

If you’re looking for a casino that provides online gambling that will never go extinct, or even out of fashion, sign up at Springbok Casino today!