The University of Missouri is facing a great injustice that has resulted in protests, boycotts on sports, and even a hunger strike. The students of color and their allies are looking for justice, as they will no longer tolerate racial slurs or discrimination while the school ignore them. This week marked one more altercation where students are referred to with unspeakable words, labeled terrorists or misgendered just because of the color of their skin, and now the students will not rest until Timothy M. Wolfe, University President, steps down from his position.
Why exactly is the school and part of its privileged community behaving like a bunch of Cro-Magnons? It seems Darwinism was an absolute failure in the family lines of the people involved, especially President Wolfe, who conducts an environment where spitting at one another is considered a solid form of communication and swastikas drawn with feces is no big deal and apparently neither is being called the n-word, being discriminated on for wearing a hijab or identifying with a different gender. While the privileged at the University of Missouri like to think of themselves higher, better than others, this behavior is primitive but it’s still supported by the school officials? This should prove that evolution is selective, surely only the best individuals carry the best characteristics of the human race, and it is clear that these instigators are excluded from this pool of people.
Professors at the University of Missouri claim that the students on strike, the University’s football team among them, are winning, but the University’s President refuses to acknowledge the calls to step down from his position. Jonathan Butler, who was the principal victim of racism and segregation, stands with his team, his fellow students and some of the school’s staff because change is needed.
Believe it or not, human limbs and snake penises have a lot more in common than you would think, at least according to a new study by University of Georgia scientists, the results of which are now published in the journal Developmental Cell. While its true that you may find snakes slithering limbless on the ground today, they actually develop their penises using a DNA sequence related to limb development found in other creatures.
WHAT DO SNAKE PENISES HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
Initial observations of the snake genome revealed something interesting: snakes seemed to retain a similar limb-building “enhancer,” called Tbx4, that is present in mammals today. But what purpose does this genetic element serve to a creature that that has neither arms nor legs? In order to come to an answer, scientists applied a snake and lizard version of the limb enhancer to function in mice.
Interestingly enough, the lizard version drove gene expression in the genitalia and in the legs of the mice, whereas the snake version had only retained the ability to drive expression in the genitalia. Thus, although Tbx4 is commonly referred to as a “limb enhancer,” based on the results of this study, scientists argue it should be reclassified as an “appendage enhancer.”
WHAT DOES THE STUDY DATA REVEAL ABOUT HISTORY AND EVOLUTION?
For this particular study, researchers utilized the genomes of three snake species: the boa constrictor, Burmese python and king cobra. The findings help to reveal a commonality in genetic origin. The evolution of the phallus, in particular, has been a difficult area to study, as external genitalia do not mineralize in the fossil record, according to Mirror.co.uk.
The very idea of ancestral commonality between humans and reptiles is also provocative in nature, especially since snakes first appear in the fossil record around 98 million years ago. By contrast, modern humans materialize around 150,000 years ago. The notion of a “human reptilian” connection, however, is not new and has its roots in ancient history. ‘Lizard people,’ for example, make an appearance in various religions and early texts.
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The complete history of human evolution is a long-standing mystery scientists have yet to fully figure out. The topic typically focuses on the evolutionary trajectory of primates, which over the course of millions of years, has lead to the appearance of anatomically modern humans. As you can imagine, piecing together ancient history involves the combined prowess of many scientific disciplines, and once in a while, a curveball may confuse even the most methodical anthropologists. Other times, a rare “ah-ha!” moment is encountered, which can satisfactorily shed light on the complex timeline of Homo Sapiens.
HUMAN EVOLUTION UNRAVELING…SLOWLY
Take, for example, the recent discovery of fossil shoulder blades belonging to two early human Australopithecus species, which researchers believe provide us with further evidence that humans and apes do indeed share an ape-like ancestor.
But wait. Hasn’t that already been established? Well…yes and no. It’s true that humans are most closely related to the great apes of Africa, as the Washington Post points out. However, after splitting from our closest African ape relative six to seven million years ago, humans seemed to have veered off in a separate direction during the course of human evolution.
Nathan Young, the researcher behind a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, highlights this fact in a news release. “We have features that clearly link us with African apes, but we also have features that appear more primitive, leading to uncertainty about what our common ancestor looked like.”
Based on this assertion, some scientists have suggested that our common ancestor may have actually been more similar to a monkey.
The new study sets the record straight and “suggests that the simplest explanation, that the ancestor looked a lot like a chimp or gorilla, is the right one, at least in the shoulder.”
WHAT FOSSIL SHOULDER BLADES TELL US ABOUT…WELL, US
At a superficial glance, human shoulder blades are more physically similar to those found in monkeys. However, an analysis of 3-D shoulder blade scans, comparing the fossils of African apes, orangutan, gibbons, monkeys and early and modern humans, revealed that human shoulders do have enough similarities to the shoulder blades of apes to give credence to the ape model.
The trajectory, as the Washington Post points out, wasn’t exact linear, but it is logical. Human shoulders essentially “worked backwards,” moving from the ape’s structure back to an enhanced version of what monkeys have today. The transition parallels the changes characteristic of early human behavior, such as the reduced practice of climbing to the increased use of tools, according to Science World Report.
The results of the study are slowly helping researchers learn more about the enigma that is human evolution.
HUMAN EVOLUTION IS WONDERFULLY COMPLEX. RECORDING HISTORY IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE:
A breakthrough study published on Friday in the journal Science uses life history theory to explain why tropical songbirds typically raise fewer chicks than temperate songbirds.
WHAT’S LIFE HISTORY THEORY?
Life history theory seeks to explain the ways in which natural selection works to determine a given organism’s anatomy and behaviors. Life history theory suggests that reproductive tendencies, or “life history strategies,” are part of a complex system of species traits, or “life history characteristics.” Parent organisms display reproductive strategies that essentially represent calculated trade-offs based on the anatomical, environmental, and ecological characteristics of their species. (For example, some parents elect not to have another kid because of the first’s socio-economic load).
WE KNEW THEY WERE DIFFERENT, WE JUST DIDN’T KNOW WHY
Ornithologists first documented a geographical variation in songbird clutch size (the number of eggs a bird produces per breeding effort) as early as 1944, when British scientist Reginald Moreau noticed that the good songbirds of England were laying almost twice as many eggs on average (4-6 in a clutch) as the birds he observed during his years working in Africa (2-3 eggs per clutch). Various explanations abound from Moreau’s initial discovery onward as to what exactly accounts for the variation, but none so far have held water with the scientific community for very long.
In this most recent study, evolutionary ecologist Thomas Martin documented life history characteristics of both tropical and temperate songbirds, focusing on closely related species across the latitudinal divide. His team determined that in comparison to the temperate birds, the tropical songbirds grow longer wings, grow them more quickly, and appropriate more resources per egg to nurture their nesting offspring. Tropical songbirds also historically experience greater threats of nest predation than do temperate songbirds.
Martin’s study theorizes that among tropical populations, parent birds produce smaller clutches in order to provide each egg in the clutch with more resources. The increased provision of resources accounts for the differing wing growth patterns, which better equip the tropical songbirds to evade predators and ultimately increase survival rates.
It appears these birds aren’t anti-conformists, after all.
HAND IT TO THE MAN
Others in the field are calling Martin’s study transformative. It represents a large collection of field data that both answers old questions and offers better ways to approach the new ones. Martin uses life history theory to study not just growth in the nesting stage, but also growth and survival tactics throughout fledging and adulthood.
In the years that the Malapa Cave has been producing archaeological finds for the scientific community, it has once again provided another fossil for scientists to ponder. News about the earliest baboon specimen that was found in Malapa Cave came to light on the 19th of August.
WHAT LIES IN THE MALAPA CAVE?
The press release on this discovery discusses that the fossil specimen was the earliest baboon species found to date. The earliest baboon specimen dated as far back as around two million years ago.
Previous finds within the Malapa Cave include the Australopithecus sediba which marked a new species of human ancestry. Although this new earliest baboon specimen does not contribute to what is known about the human ancestry and evolution, it marks another find in the cave’s book.
THE EARLIEST BABOON SPECIES
The earliest baboon fossil specimen was a partial cranium that was described in the paper released in the PLOS journal as the only non-hominin fossil to be recovered in the Malapa Cave location as of yet. But the finding of this fossil in a cave where only hominin fossils had been found previously is not much of a surprise to researchers of the study. One researcher noted that baboons and hominin species have co-existed at various points in history and are evident in several fossil finds in Africa.
This little interesting nugget contributes greatly to the overall baboon evolution in South Africa and helps science gauge when the modern baboon began to mark its appearance with a better timeline. Researchers also mentioned that the divergent of the baboons of the bygone era began to the modern baboons of today began around 1.8 to 2.2 million years ago, around the same time the new fossil was estimated to be.
Also, the paper also mentions that the earliest baboon specimen had some indications of similarities in the anatomy to the modern baboon. The find is also exceedingly fortunate as previous finds were brittle or heavily fragmented, preventing intense study on the fossils.
It is the hope of the researchers that future fossils of the earliest baboon specimen will be found.
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It’s hard to believe in 2015 that there are parts of the world yet to be explored, but a new species of monkey discovered in Peru demonstrates just how much of planet earth we still haven’t seen. This discovery sheds light on not only what exists untouched in the most remote parts of the World, but also what we may lose without ever knowing thanks to human development. This entire species and others like it have the potential to disappear forever without ever being discovered if conservation efforts are not enhanced.
WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE TITI MONKEY?
This is a very special little primate, because it has eluded taxonomy for all of its existence as a species. The titi Monkeys have been described as far back as 1914 as a potential new species, but were never actually considered a new species until now. Due to the similarities between species of monkeys it has always been difficult to separate what is a seemingly homogeneous population of primates, relying on photographs taken over the years by travelers, and countless expeditions in the forest in search of the monkeys. Jan Vermeer, the project’s chief researcher, was finally able to identify this new species of Titi Monkey. The photographs provided by tourists proved to be a critical part of the research effort according to Vermeer, “For this study we received help from people all over the world who provided their photographs for comparison.”
HOW DID RESEARCHERS STUMBLE UPON THIS NEW SPECIES?
At first it seemed as though they might discover this new species by sheer coincidence. A rare stuffed monkey stowed away in the American Natural History Museum in New York City can be cited as one of the initial causes for the expedition to begin. A researcher found the preserved specimen to be unique and believed that it could offer insight into the taxonomy of a new species of primate. It turns out that he was correct in his initial assumptions, because his intuition led to the discovery of this new species of titi monkey. Vermeer suggests that studying specimens such as the one found in the American Natural History Museum could be the key to discovering additional species still unidentified, “Titi monkeys are often difficult to identify in the forest, especially the darker species, and more museum specimens would help us with understanding the diversity of this genus.”
NOW THAT THEY ARE FOUND, WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE TITI MONKEYS?
Vermeer wants to continue exploring this part of Peru, and believes that the area is rich in discoveries which have yet to be made. Although there is still a lot of work to be done, new methods of research, e.g., the ability to instantaneously share photos, will lead to the discovery of more fascinating species in the future. All these things may someday improve conservation of efforts for those species as of yet unidentified.
Spanish researchers in East Africa have found a nearly 2 million year old fossil that they consider to be the oldest “modern” hand bone ever discovered.
The remains, which were found in Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge, are a phalanx in the left hand pinky finger of a human’s evolutionary ancestor. The ancestor was probably about six feet tall, according to researchers, who have named it “OH 86.”
LARGER THAN CONTEMPORARIES
“Our discovery not only shows that a creature with a modern-looking hand bone
existed 1.85 million years ago, it also shows that OH 86 was bigger sized than any other prior and contemporary hominin,” said the study’s lead scientist, Manual Dominguez-Rodrigo.
The first biped hominids existed 6 million years ago. Like modern monkeys, they often climbed trees during their first four million years of existence, but walked upright as humans do today. The use of both methods of traveling is called “double locomotion”. However OH 86’s hand bone indicates that he traveled differently.
EVOLUTION AND THE ANCESTOR’S HAND BONE
“This bone belongs to somebody who’s not spending any time in the trees at all,” Dominguez Rodrigo in a statement to the New Scientist. He is a scholar at the Africa Evolution Institute in Madrid.
Could our hand bones really be considered primitive?
“Our hand evolved to make possible a vast variety of grips and enough pressing force to allow the broadest range of manipulations” Dominguez Rodrigo said. Stone tools were first used by human ancestors 2.6 million years ago, about seven after OH 86 is thought to have lived.
According to Dominguez Rodrigo, these hand bone changes occurred to increase the bipeds’ ability with manipulating objects. “It is precisely this ability to manipulate which interacted with the brain in the development of our intelligence through the invention and use of tools,” the scientist said.
MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED
Though the fact that “several key aspects of modern human body morphology emerged very early in human evolution” is indicated by the discovery, the scientists acknowledged that a corresponding skull would be necessary to match with the ancestor’s pinky.
Currently, the team is searching for more of the specimen’s bones to confirm theoretical speculation that the hand bone has inspired, the Press Examiner reported.
It isn’t every day that a new species of venomous pre-mammal is found, but scientists at The Field Museum have come across an ancient animal from Zambia that they have named Ichibengops, which literally translates to Scarface.
”Scarface” is a New Species of Pre-Mammal Ancient Relative
According to a press release from the The Field Museum in Chicago, the public can now say hello to our little friend: Scarface, a new species of a prehistoric mammal relative.
The researchers discovered the new animal species by a unique groove on the upper jaw. In a nod to the animal’s origins in Zambia, they named the animal Ichibengops, which is a combination of the Bemba word ichibenga (which means scar) and the Greek suffix ops (which, if you guessed correctly, means face).
While the researchers and media have dubbed the fossil by its informal name of Scarface, the connotations to the Al Pacino movie from the 80s doesn’t just end with the moniker. Both the movie and the prehistoric animal have a history of violence and drug use, albeit the latter for the animal was seen mostly in its venomous bite.
New Species Of Venomous Mammals Survived Largest Mass Extinction
The researchers believe Scarface may have had a deadly bite. Due to grooves above its teeth, the scientists concluded it could have been one of the few pre-mammal species that could transmit venom when they take a nibble of an animal.
Venomousness is so rare in ancient mammals and even modern mammals that only a few now still produce venom. One of these is the odd-looking platypus, but also a few species of shrews carry a toxic set of chompers.
Though a venomous bite may sound scary, the now-extinct animal is believed to be the size of a modern-day dachshund, AKA weiner dogs. So, though the name implies a hardcore gangster and the bite could very possibly kill its prey, the creature needed all the weapons at its disposal thanks to its relatively tiny size.
Scientists from the University of Washington and the Burke Museum, as well as the University of Utah assisted the Field Museum scientists in publishing their findings and the species description in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Paleontologists Say New Species “Scarface” Can Teach Us About Evolution and Extinction
The Ichibengops was a part of the suborder Therocephalia, a large group of mammal-like relatives that lived about 255 million years ago. They made a good evolutionary run, being one of the lucky few species that survived the Permian-Triassic extinction, otherwise known as the biggest mass extinction event in the history of the world. However, competition with reptiles and climate change may have done them in somewhere between 247 to 237 million years ago.
The discovery of the new animal is exciting for the field of paleomammalogy as it can provide a better picture in the evolutionary puzzle of our pre-mammal ancestors.
Kenneth Angielczyk, the Field Museum’s associate curator of paleomammalogy, believes that researching these ancient relatives of mammals will lead us to apply the lessons to the latest mass extinction event.
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In the age of discrimination, there is at least one event we can all expect to have the same treatment from, albeit that event is mass extinction. A new study reveals that mass extinction may be an equal threat to all species, widespread or local, as opposed to previous studies that suggested more widespread species were safer.
No Species is Safe During Mass Extinction Events Says New Study
A new study published in the journal Nature Communications reports that all species are at the same risk for being wiped out during mass extinction events. This new theory contradicts previous studies that indicated a species that was more widespread would have better chances for survival.
Scientists have tended to believe that wider geographic locations of a species would generally encourage that species existence in the case of local catastrophes. For example, a major volcanic eruption may decimate a species in one specific area, but the animals of the same species that lived in other areas in the world would continue the bloodline.
However, this tended to not be the case in the global mass extinction event that occurred near the Triassic and Jurassic periods. According to Dr. Alex Dunhill, from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds, and Professor Matthew Wills from the University of Bath’s Milner Centre for Evolution, the fossil records indicated that having a wider presence around the globe did not necessarily allow a species to survive.
Volcanic Eruptions, Rapid Climate Change in Mass Extinction Affects Species Equally
Though only five mass extinction events have occurred that had a global impact, the researchers analyzing the fossils from the Triassic-Jurassic period believe that during this particular event, the insurance of having concurred many geographical ranges did not provide benefits to the species.
The researchers’ study was the first of its kind to measure the relationship between extinct species and geographic range.
Dunhill and Wills used maps to show the geographical distribution of species and how that distribution was altered during the Triassic to Jurassic periods. Using the same maps, they compared distribution changes in geographic range to the species’ extinction rates.
The fossil records revealed similar results between the extinction of land animals and aquatic animals.
Mass Extinction Events May Destroy Entire Species, But Also Allows Other Species to Flourish
The researchers attest that their conclusions are important in understanding a mass extinction event and the likelihood of specific groups dying out, in particular regards to whether a widespread species is more apt at survival.
The research proved that during the fourth mass extinction event around 200 million years ago certain species that were widespread and well-represented around the globe didn’t make the cut, though others that were more rare seemed to survive and even thrive.
Near the Triassic period’s end, massive volcanic eruptions combined with dramatic climate changes killed off nearly 70 to 75 percent of all the world’s species. Luckily, during the following Jurassic era, the dinosaurs who were once rare and not as widespread ended up flourishing since their main competition, the ancient and terrifying crocodiles, had been obliterated.
Though mass extinctions can seem devastating for many species, for others it can be a good thing. For example, during the Triassic extinction when the crocodile ancestors died away, the dinosaurs could rise to fame. Then when the dinosaurs died off in the fifth extinction, fish diversity exploded.
In other words, mass extinction isn’t bad for everyone and everything. Some species will survive and others won’t. The main takeaway from this study is that the next mass extinction event will be an equal-opportunity force in the evolutionary timeline.
Six new species of dinosaurs have been found after researchers from the University of Alberta analyzed theropod teeth from eight regions in Spain.
A Study On Teeth Revealed Six New Dinosaurs of the Theropod Species
University of Alberta researchers have quadrupled the number of known dinosaur species in Spain from only two species to eight new dinosaurs species. The research was conducted using 142 isolated theropod teeth from a part of the South Pyrenean Basin dated around the Late Cretaceous epoch.
The teeth analyzed in the study were from eight different localities in Spain, including Treviño County, Huesca, Lerida, and Laño. Though two species of theropod were already known, the researchers happened across six additional species during their research on dinosaur evolution at the final stages of the Cretaceous period.
The new species of theropod would have been present during the timeframe that spanned the Campanian age, which lasted about 83.6 million to 72.1 million years ago, and the Maastrichtian age, from 72.1 million to 66 million years ago.
More Teeth Means More Theropods For Researchers in Spain
Though the research was not initially to investigate the number of theropod species in the area, the sample of 142 isolated teeth revealed more species than researchers could have imagined.
Through analysis, the study concluded that a total of six toothed theropod species had lived in the area, five of which had been small, while the last one was large in comparison.
Angelica Torices, lead author of the study from the University of Alberta, believes the importance of the discovery may help lead paleontologists to better understand how the dinosaurs lived and what caused their extinction.
As no complete theropod skeletons have been revealed in Spain and the surrounding countries, paleontologists must rely on the smallest element available to know the timeline of dinosaur evolution: theropod teeth.
Though teeth may seem to be rather small, Torices and the other researchers say the teeth are the key to reconstructing the dinosaurs lives, especially in Europe during the Late Cretaceous ages.
Diversity of Carnivorous Dinosaurs in Cretaceous Europe
Theropods are a species of carnivorous dinosaurs who frequently lost and subsequently replaced their teeth. A massive number of teeth would be produced by one dinosaur during its lifetime.
These dental fixtures would fall out when the time was ready, only to be found millions of years later by scientists eager to learn more about the lives of theropods.
Though nothing else of the dinosaurs remained, the teeth showed their value in this study as their armed researchers with the knowledge that even the tiniest bit of extra information can help fill in the gaps in the evolutionary timeline of theropods.
The study researchers believe their findings have highlighted the diversity of carnivorous dinosaurs in Europe, but will also highlight how these dinosaurs and other large animals responded to climate change.
The fossil record may be incomplete for now, but at least the six new dinosaur species have been found thanks to a few forgotten teeth.
MAYHAPS YOU SHOULD AWAKE BEFORE TEETH ARE ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU
A number of things have been attributed to the red planet in contemporary times, much of it research-based, some cartoon-based. One’s childhood could have been filled with various science fiction novels about humanity colonizing the red planet or watching Bugs Bunny outsmart the Martian and his dog.
Regardless of how you know the red planet, it does not change what is known about the red planet and what secrets it continues to unveil to us. Recently, our present understanding of Mars has been complemented with the organization of Mars imagery, which can be seen on NASA’s webpage. There, you can actually take a tour of the planet.
NEW INFORMATION ABOUT MARS’ ANCIENT LAKES
Space news is always exciting to keep up with because there’s always something new to read in studies published with ever-more cosmic insights.
Although the study was published back at the end of June, the furor of the rocket launches and the impending arrival of the New Horizons and its information about Pluto overshadowed a new study about an ancient Martian Lake. But the study is now making headway; achieving its due attention.
In a press release published yesterday, the new information about Mars’ lake tells us that although the lake is now a dry-bed, it was once a sustainable place for life. It seems the lake evaporated much more quickly because the ancient body possessed a mere eight percent of the salt content as the ocean waters here on Earth.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
This means that the lake, since its formation 3.6 billion years ago, would have been able to sustain life. But there were other factors that were evaluated in the duration of the study that may or may not affect that finding.
One researcher commented that this lake would have been one of the last huge lakes on Mars and certainly had a long life before it dried out. Additional studies will have to be conducted to learn more about Mars’ lake, and the conditions surrounding its life and demise.
WATCH BELOW TO PREP YOUR KIDS FOR THEIR MISSION TO MARS
Suffice to say, there are a great many animals in this world that are endlessly fascinating and new to science. We learn more about them everyday, just as we continue learning about ourselves in this harried adventure called life.
Which is why there is a whole field of study that brings science closer to the animals. Today, scientific research has revealed some interesting new findings regarding the animal kingdom.
Have you ever wondered what constraints influence an animal in order to make a friend or foe? Or at least wondered how differentiate the two groups more quickly?
SOME INTERESTING RESEARCH
In a study that was published just yesterday in the Science Advances, new research brings to the public a way of determining predator from prey, by way of an animal’s eye shape.
After all there is a noticeable difference between the eye of an crocodile and a sheep’s eye. Each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
Especially in the sheep’s case who can see what’s behind them but suffer from bad depth perception. To contrast, crocodiles can see very well underwater with the protective membrane.
INSIGHT INTO EYE SHAPE
According to an article in the New York Times, the study gathered its information from a pool of around 214 animals. In the study, the eye shape of the animals was shown to determine the habits and advantages of each animal.
Such findings include that the horizontal eye seen in horses, sheep, and cows may help to let more light in from the left to right side and see predators from different directions better. This allows the eye to stay parallel to the ground regardless of the head’s inclination.
Whereas the vertical slits we see in cats may help in surprising prey when pouncing. But that hypothesis loses legitimacy when considering tigers or lions (who have circular eye shapes).
But it may be due to the difference in height with regard to other predators with vertical eye shapes that may explain why some larger predators lack the vertical slit. One thing can be said about this study; as one scientist commented, it’s a wonder that no one noticed this earlier and studied the differences in eye shape vs. hunting or living habits.
REGARDLESS OF EYE SHAPE, BLUE LIGHT THERAPY WILL PLEASE
As much as most space enthusiasts are reluctant to do so, it may be time for us to look not to the extrasolar planets, not to dwarf planets, not to black holes or quasar punches or solar storms–but to comets. Comet 67P, specifically, which the European Space Agency’s Philae lander has been investigating since November of last year, has just identified compounds that are also the necessary building blocks of life.
A SIGNIFICANT FIND ON COMET 67P
This was thought to be the case for quite some time, as there was simply no other way to explain how life on Earth got started. For years, scientists have thought that comets acted as seeds to an early Earth, bringing in basic materials with which Earth was later able to furnish life, and a thriving ecosystem.
HOLES IN THE THEORY
However, precisely how life originated on Earth is a mystery still annoying scientists to this day. So far, the general consensus is that we understand the few essential ingredients involved. Water and a few chemical building blocks had to be present, but they certainly weren’t always. Perhaps these things were delivered to the Earth over three billion years ago.
HOW DO COMETS GET HERE?
Most comets persist in places like the Kuiper Belt, far beyond the reach of most studying probes (save, perhaps for New Horizons), but every once in a while, a stray comet is moved out of its wide orbit. Comets’ trademark tails are formed by the increased heat they experience as they approach the sun, as has been observed for several centuries. The cool thing this tells us about comets today is that they carry large quantities of water.
But before the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft left for comet 67p in 2004, no one really knew if there was anything in the realm of necessary building blocks in comets. Was it just water and rocks?
BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE ON COMET 67P
The answer is a resounding yes. Published in the journal Science, Philae found 16 organic compounds, and four of them–methyl isocyanate, acetone, propionaldehyde, and acetamide–were not known to even exist on comets. Of more interesting note, it also found benzene, which is a cyclic hydrocarbon, and plenty of C02.
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It may be difficult for you to float on water. You may be the kind of person that believes walking on water is possible, but surely we can all agree that jumping on water–this–this is surely a feat of supernatural fitness, one would think. Even for a robot. Especially for a robot. The fact is that insects have been doing this for a long, long time, and we’ve just learned how to mimic this evolutionary marvel with mechanical verve.
NATURE MEETS ROBOT
In order for any object to literally jump from water, it has to apply a relatively large force into a surface that seems designed to give way in fractions of a second. The surface tension of water is so low that as soon as you even begin to push, the damn breaks. How is something so intuitively impossible accomplished?
The answer has been carved by a robot whose existence has been explained in detail in a study published in Science on Thursday. The researchers involved designed the robot so that it applies exactly the amount of force required to lift it into the air, without the excessive force that leaves us flat-footed bipedals treading through it.
INSECT INSPIRES ROBOT
The robot under question is designed to mimic the motion of water striders, a family of insects capable of skimming the surface of water like ice. Needless to say, this requires very delicate attention to motion and the layout of total vector forces. In order to provide these subtle shifts at the precise moments, high-speed cameras and computer models are employed to cease the all downward forces as they are just about to cross the threshold of breaking water’s surface.
GRACEFUL CIRCLES
The relevant researchers have also found that these jumping insects gracefully sweep their legs inward as they jump forward, demonstrating an intuitive understanding of what’s needed to maximize the available force generated when they push off of the water. Martial artists use similar motions for comparable reasons. This is why insects are able to jump just as high off of water as they can off of land, and it’s now a feature of our jumping robots, too.
WHY DO WE NEED JUMPING ROBOTS
To be honest, this invention seems to have only one conceivable purpose, so far: to study and further our understanding of the very insects the machines’ design is based upon. As stated above, the extremely delicate mechanisms required for such maneuvering are supremely fascinating, and humans are a little too big to try it.
However, the general idea of designing robots capable of jumping higher, jumping with more efficiency, interacting with water in ways humans can only dream of doing; this is something that sounds like the design of some futuristic clandestine water war. And that actually sounds pretty cool.
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The area of the Arago Cave is probably most well-known for the finding of the Tautavel Man fossil. The fossil was one of the oldest fossils found to date. Until this past week.
The cave was thought to be occupied around 700,000 to 35,000 years ago, as the findings have resulted in a variety animal, human bones, and tools. All a different age that suggests the cave was occupied at various points in the past.
It would make sense, as the cave is overlooking a valley which can make for a bird’s eye view below, and make watching the local game a lot easier. Also interesting in the finds is that the species of humans that lived here were capable of speaking as revealed by various skulls. Later experts agreed that the characteristics found were of a pre-Neanderthal Homo erectus, one group before the emergence of Neanderthals as we know it.
The finding of the 560,000-year-old tooth
Which is why the finding of the 560,000-year-old tooth was so significant. The tooth that was found completely isolated from any other fossil with no nearby skull it belonged to was dated to be 100,000 years older than the Tautavel Man.
This was found this past Thursday, when two young French archaeologists began working on the area. There, the 560,000-year-old tooth was found and revealed to be a worn down incisor.
Finding this ancient tooth was truly a great find and very fortuitous as most fossils that date from 500,000 to 800,000 are a rare commodity in Europe, especially since no burials were done then. The 560,000-year-old tooth helps to fill in the blanks for the archaeology community about that point in time. It can also tell a lot about the lifestyle existing during that time. The person that was supervising the excavation site was Amélie Vialet, a paleoanthropologist.
The site of the Arago Cave has been a point of interest for scientists and have turned up many interesting finds about that lost prehistoric era. At the moment–although it is highly doubtful–the team is hoping to find the body the 560,000-year-old tooth belonged to in order to get more information on the people who lived before the Neanderthals.
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Lately, scientists have remarked that despite polar bears’ uncanny ability to survive and thrive in freezing cold water, this unfortunately doesn’t help them in other environmental challenges. When the food supply for polar bears decreases, they appear to be incapable of slowing down their metabolism to adapt to this changing environment. Merav Ben David, a co-author of the study and part of a team of University of Wyoming researchers whose field in the Arctic was headquarters for the new report, explicated that many of his colleagues thought it impossible to complete the study, until it was finally proven that it could be done.
WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THE BEARS
Put simply, the study was intended to reinforce or eviscerate the notion that polar bears may be capable of resisting the malheurs of food displacement or reduction throughout the summer months by some innate physiological mechanism.
One of the bears under study swam for nine consecutive days, continuously, spanning a distance of almost 400 miles. This is the greatest distance a polar bear has ever been documented swimming.
WHY WOULD A BEAR EXPEND SO MUCH ENERGY?
A polar bear’s fasting period can last for up to eight months, sometimes done in a sort of hibernation-walk. But swimming is another level of energy output altogether. Increasing human activity in the Arctic is warming its waters, forcing the polar bears to expend much more energy than usual throughout the ice-free period, and this leaves no time for hibernation. These are the thoughts of a senior wildlife specialist with the World Wildlife Fund named Sybille Klenzendorf.
DETAILS OF THE STUDY
In order to complete this maximally complex research, researchers regularly checked up on the body temperatures and movements of 26 polar bears in and around the Beaufort Sea during the summers of both 2008 and 2009. Collars installed on the bears were used in conjunction with implanted tracking devices.
FINDINGS
What they found is that when there is no sea ice flowing over the waters favored by seals, polar bears’ main prey, polar bears are deprived of their food and become dangerously malnourished. When the bears were recaptured seven weeks after study’s end, one bear had lost 22% of her body mass, in addition to her little cub.
So this isn’t just science. It’s also really sad, guys.
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We all know screams really well from horror films in a variety of ways, some iconic, some not. Perhaps film lovers may think of Psycho, Scream, and similar films. It is one of the easiest ways to tell if someone is in danger to other characters in the film, more often than not it is the stereotype of the female lead being in danger that alerts others to the threat or danger.
The signaling of danger holds true in real life as well, but also showing distress or if your baby needs to be fed or is being fussy, needs a diaper change. Nevertheless, in the different contexts if informs you of the situation.
The point is, scream tell a lot about ourselves and our way of communication. The trick is to puzzle out what the scream is telling us. A question researchers have undertaken.
The Study about scream Current Biology featured an article today that was sent in to the journal back in March. The team of five researchers then focused their studies on the acoustics of scream and the signals it raises, the behavior it induces, and how the pitch affects our behavior and how we react.
Origins of the study
The study came about when one of the authors of the study’s postdoctoral students had new additions to their families. What initially was a round of sympathetic shoulders to cry and lament on about the work load of being a new parent turned into a science inquiry about the nature of communication in screams.
They then began analyzing various clips of screams from film, real life, etc. to find that the scream live in a rugged terrain in the sound world. In turn, while monitoring brain activity while people listened to brain activity, the sounds stimulated the amygdala in which the most terror inducing scream came from the roughest one.
The uniqueness of the study was not lost on David Poeppel, professor of the postdoc students, when he was asked about the study and commented on the fact that the range in which screams occur is something that is done purposefully biological for the purpose of using it only when we need to—which is why screams are integral to survival and trigger a fight or flight response.
When you think of fierce underwater creatures, the tiny shrimp may not come to mind among the water giants such as killer whales, the great white shark, manta rays, and others. But yet, when you are eating that scrumptious thing, don’t you find that shell a bit troublesome?
Well, whereas you may find that part annoying and just a hassle to deal with when cooking, other people, such as researchers that published a recent study, may have taken a liking to it. It was nearly a month ago that news barely broached out from researchers about possibly using the Mantis Shrimp exoskeleton (key feature to all arthropods’ livelihood and survival) to design a new body armor.
The Science behind shrimp exoskeleton research
According the information available from last month and lately, the shrimp exoskeleton is unique because of its ability to basically body slam its prey using a technique the researchers called “shear waves”. This part of the body it uses for this task is also unique in its design as it is as hard as other crustacean’s shells but shaped differently, a spring or spiral appearance.
What this does is help the ‘hammer’ survive the impact it throws on the prey by helping to cushion the impact on the body part much like spring in action. But still being lethal to the target.
The research on the shrimp exoskeleton has been published two separate times by researchers Tao Qu, Devendra Verma, Milad Alucozai, Vikas Tomar. Recently another paper was made available online on the 2nd of July. It will be available in print later in the journal Acta Biomaterialia.
The reason behind the study of the exoskeleton
It is interesting to see how this shrimp exoskeleton inspired such an interesting research. The researchers commented on the reason for the study was to help understand how evolution affects materials, especially in the exoskeletons of these shrimps that sustains no damage from the lethal sledgehammer attack it inflicts to feeds itself everyday.
When and if the understanding of how the material behavior works in the skype exoskeleton comes, then it may help to design better body armor capable of withstanding such high levels of impact that it can dish out. So good longevity of the material and good tolerance is key in such a concept.
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New research published in Cell Reports, an online journal, says that scientist are getting closer to cloning mammoths — or at least mammoth-like clones. Scientists studied the DNA of prehistoric woolly mammoths to see how they were able to survive under below freezing temperatures. The biological change in mammoths was necessary for them to adapt to such extreme cold. Then, scientist compared the genome sequence of woolly mammoths and Asian elephants. They predicted genetic variants’ functions of genomes found in only mammoths and then tried to prove the functions in their gene by recreating it. Comparing the two animals and figuring out how mammoths were able to sustain themselves for so long, will help scientist inch closer to cloning the extinct woolly mammoth.
Mammoths are cool clones, but what if we could clone humans? What if you, yourself, was a clone? Here are four benefits of being a clone:
1. You CAN be at Two Places at Once
You know that saying, you can’t be in two places at once, you can now that you’re a clone. Let’s assume that you and your clones have a telepathic connection and can share knowledge and emotional experiences with one another, you can accomplish so much. Instead of double majoring in college, you can quadruple major in college. You can run errands and clean up the house. You can even go on multiple dates at the same time. You will never say that there are not enough hours in the day.
2. Closer Than Siblings
People say blood is thicker than water. But DNA definitely triumphs over blood. Your connection to your clones would be stronger than any relationship with your brothers or sisters.
3. Get Away With Murder
Murder may be a little extreme but you could definitely get away with a crime. Your DNA is all over the crime scene, who cares? You are not the only one with that exact genetic sequence. They have you on video camera, that’s okay. You are not the only one with that face. Getting away with a crime just got a little easier.
4. Test New Looks
You want to try out a new haircut or style but afraid of what it might look like. Test it out on your clone. It turns out that maybe blonde isn’t your color, good thing you had your clone there before you made a horrible mistake.
Being a clone ranks over seeing a cloned mammoth. What would you do if you were a clone?
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Plants are living, “breathing” creatures, just as we are. They need a certain atmosphere, vitamins, and nutrients just as we do. We know if we don’t receive our recommended daily amounts, we have supplements available to us. But plants must fight for the nutrients they need, and so must strive to attain them any way they can through adaptation. A species of pitcher plants in Germany is said to have sonar-reflecting leaves that are attracting local area bats, making the plant easier for the bats to find.
Poop is Power
A study done by Michael Schoner, a scientist at Germany’s Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University found that these sonar-reflecting plants rely on the bats for a few reasons, but mainly for their poop, which is especially rich in the nutrients that are good for the plants. The plant has trouble getting what it needs from its surroundings, so it takes nutrients from its next available source. The sonar-reflecting plants are able to stand out in their environment due to their leaves, and thus are more appealing to the flying creatures. The feces from the bats fertilize the plant, and in return the bat gets roosting spots and possibly food.
Mutualism in Ecology
These sonar-reflecting plants and their bat buddies are far from the only mutually exclusive relationship we’ve seen in nature. Various species in our ecosystem depend on each other, a relationship also known as mutualism, in which both organisms benefit from the connection. For example, we wash our hands and take medicine to rid ourselves of bacteria. However, we live in harmony with some bacteria. We have bacteria in our intestines that work in tandem with our digestive system to keep us healthy. We can actually become sick if that bacterium gets affected by medication or medical procedures, as happens on occasion.
The Evolution Behind the Poop
These sonar-reflecting plants have adapted to their environment and have figured out a way to survive in an area where they were fighting to survive. Various plant and animal species do this, as we’ve seen over time, and it is a vicious cycle of competition between the species and their rivals. “Carnivorous plants in general have already solved the problem of nutrient deficiency in a very unusual way, by reversing the ‘normal system’ of animals feeding on plants,” Schoner said. “It is even more astonishing that in the case of N. hemsleyana [the pitcher plant] the system is taking a new turn.”
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