At Sima de las Palomas del Cabezo Gordo (Murcia, Spain) remains of several Neanderthals have been excavated recently. From about 50,000 years ago articulated parts of 3 adult skeletons (including skulls with mandibles, vertebral column, rib cages, shoulder blades, hip bones, upper and lower limbs, hands and feet, often in anatomical connexion) were excavated from the lower part of a cemented accumulation of scree and large stones (éboulis) sloping downwards and inwards into the cavity, along with burnt bones of large mammals and Mousterian implements. The excavation of the skeletons is the subject of this paper (palaeoanthropological skeletal descriptions are soon to be published elsewhere). Behind the cemented scree there accumulated a layer of finer sediment containing burnt animal bones, followed by more fine sediment that filled the cavity up to the overhanging rock roof and contained isolated teeth and unburnt bone fragments of Neanderthals, including 3 mandibles, as well as Mousterian implements and faunal remains, all dating from before 40,000 years ago. Altogether, at least 9 Neanderthals are represented by finds from the site (including 3 unstratified mandibles), ranging from babies to adults. Dating methods include radiocarbon, uranium-series, and optical luminescence. Pollen analysis implies conditions less severe than those of the Heinrich 4 cold oscillation at 40,000 years ago.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The excavation of buried articulated Neanderthal skeletons at Sima de las Palomas (Murcia, SE Spain) (Walker et al)
Brain, Repair Thyself: Studies Highlight Brain's Resiliency to Damage
New research released today demonstrates the brain’s remarkable capacity to repair itself. The animal studies, which propose ways to prevent or limit damage after blood and oxygen deprivation and blood clots, were presented at Neuroscience 2011, the Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting and the world?s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
New model more accurately describes migratory animals’ extinction risk
Athens, Ga. - Predicting the risk of extinction is a complicated task, especially for species that migrate between breeding and wintering sites. Researchers at the University of Georgia and Tulane University have developed a mathematical model that may make such predictions more accurate. Their work appears in the early online edition of the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.
Environmental projects get more than half a billion dollars
For once, there is good news for the environment: a flurry of international conservation initiatives and environmental research projects were given the green light last week. They were backed with more than half a billion US dollars in grants from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in Washington DC, the world’s largest funder of environmental projects.
New fossils of oldest American primate
Johns Hopkins researchers have identified the first ankle and toe bone fossils from the earliest North American true primate, which they say suggests that our earliest forerunners may have dwelled or moved primarily in trees, like modern day lemurs and similar mammals.
Study shows left side of brain more active in immoral thinking
Because the brain is so complex, researchers are forced to devise all manner of different types of tests in trying to understand not just how it works, but which parts of it do what. To that end, a diverse group of scientists from several universities across the U.S. got together to work on the problem of which parts of the brain, if any specifically, are involved in analyzing and making moral judgments. To find out, or at least learn more, they devised three experiments meant to test the busyness of the brain, measured by blood flow, to certain regions, when presented with immoral situations. They have published the results of what they found in the journal Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience.
Social gene spotted in 20 seconds, say researchers
Researchers say people can spot whether a complete stranger has a certain “social gene” in just 20 seconds.
Two variants of the “oxytocin receptor gene” have been linked with social traits.
People judging the empathy of strangers - by studying the way they listened to people - predicted the genetic variant, a University of Toronto study showed.
The hormone oxytocin has a role in birth, production of milk and bonding between mother and baby.
Svante Pääbo: DNA clues to our inner neanderthal
Svante Pääbo and his team at the Max Planck institute are using the technique of genome mapping to determine the history of modern humans. This TED video covers some of the conclusions that the team has found to date.
To start, I want to briefly cover the technique, which is certainly new to me. By mapping the genome I mean cataloging the bases connecting the two strands of the double helix DNA (notated as ATCG). It’s known that mutations can occur when DNA is used, or RNA is synthesized using this base template. The number of mutations that can occur in the synthesis of RNA from DNA increases as a function of time (across history).
Svante Pääbo covers two differences found between genomes from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. First, that the genetic difference between two races show that no single mutation is found between the two groups, but rather many different mutations that determine the observed physical differences. These differences are only seen in physical areas of the body that directly relate to the external environment (such as skin colour, hair texture, and some components of the immune system.) Second, the number of differences between Africans and the other four continents increases as you move away from Africa. In a way this shows how modern humans spread from Africa to the other continents.
Now to ancient ancestors: Svante Pääbo used this same genome technique to map and compare as much of the Neanderthal’s genome as possible (~55% so far). They found Neanderthal traits in genomes of those only outside of Europe, and these traits have been around for ~100,000 years. The Neanderthals therefore lived around Europe and probably met modern humans as they came out of Africa around that time. The team applied the same technique to another discovered ancestor, the Denisovans, and found they have common sequences with Neanderthals that date around 640,000 years ago and with humans 804,000 years ago. These sequences were only found in people from New Guinea and some of the other surrounding islands, meaning the Denisovas probably lived around East Asia and the Pacific Islands.
I think the lesson is that we have always mixed, mixed with these earlier forms of humans wherever we met them, and we have mixed with each other ever since.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Reclaiming 'intelligent design' with stunning photos
The Art of Science contest at Princeton University has a simple goal: to show off the most beautiful and coolest of all images produced at the university in the course of scientific research.
Whether mapping neurons or photographing the field coils of an electrical generator, a scientist rarely sets out with a strong aesthetic vision for his or her work; the purpose is not to create something that looks good. Nevertheless, often in the pursuit of some scientific goal, “Art happens,” says Princeton’s vice-dean of engineering Pablo Debenedetti, who announced the 2011 winners on Friday. “Science and engineering are profoundly human activities. They often produce beautiful objects,” Debenedetti explains. Art of Science, a competition and art show launched in 2005 and which has run annually since 2009, gives researchers and students a forum to appreciate that beauty in their work.
Europe Bans X-Ray Body Scanners Used at U.S. Airports
A small number of cancer cases would result from scanning hundreds of millions of passengers a year. For some, that’s a health issue
¿Ganaría una mujer neandertal al campeón mundial de pulsos?/Could a Neanderthal Woman Win at Arm-wrestling? (in Spanish)
This is silly.
But, in his new book Manthropology, Australian anthropologist Peter McAllister says, yes the lady Neanderthal would win against a modern man based on calculations made from upper long bones of a La Ferrassie specimen.
Mongolia bids to keep city cool with 'ice shield' experiment
Mongolia is to launch one of the world’s biggest ice-making experiments later this month in an attempt to combat the adverse affects of global warming and the urban heat island effect.
The geoengineering trial, that is being funded by the Ulan Bator government, aims to “store” freezing winter temperatures in a giant block of ice that will help to cool and water the city as it slowly melts during the summer.
Google, Facebook, Zynga oppose new SOPA copyright bill
Foes of a controversial copyright measure have gained some high-profile allies: Google, Facebook, Twitter, Zynga, and other Web companies have joined the ranks of the bill’s opponents.
They sent a letter (PDF) last night to key members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, saying the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, “pose[s] a serious risk to our industry’s continued track record of innovation and job creation, as well as to our nation’s cybersecurity.”
An episode of the BBC's Frozen Planet documentary series that looks at climate change has been scrapped by Discovery in the U.S., where around half of people do not believe in climate change.
In the U.S., Frozen Planet is being aired by Discovery. They were involved in the joint-production of the series. Yet they are still refusing to accommodate Frozen Planet in its entirety.You’re a joke, Discovery. Science isn’t up to utilitarian referendum. The climate deniers of the United States will never come around unless they’re able to be educated and we’re quickly reaching the point of no return. This is the censorship of facts to coddle the misinformed, only reinforcing that everything is going to be okay in their minds when climate scientists are starting to panic. Unbelievable.
DiscoveryNews, I know you follow me and listen, so listen … I’ll temper my response a bit from hers.
It’s important to note that this comes from the Daily Mail. But even after my “Daily Mail Rule”, wherein I multiply the sensationalism by a factor of 0.5, there’s a significant remainder and I am still left scratching my head on this decision.
Discovery regularly plays programs starring lesser known Britons than Attenborough (like Brian Cox) and less-intelligent Britons than Attenborough (like Bear Grylls). Not to mention that as a network whose influence on scientifically-sound and entertaining programming in the U.S. is second to none, you have both a responsibility and an opportunity to lead here.
Scientific fact is not subject to the rule of opinion, but unfortunately programming decisions are. I respect that. But you know what else is subject to public opinion? Your integrity.
At a time when science communication needs leadership to help deliver sober reality to the tightly knotted brains of denialists and those not paying attention, you’re missing out on the chance to make a difference. I won’t use the word “censorship”, but I will use the word “cowardice”.
And if you have the balls to play reruns of Deadliest Shark-Lobster SwordCatchers or MegaStorm Topeka: The Tornado That Could Take Us To Oz in place of this show … so help you.
The dope on mental enhancement
Yet another survey has revealed surprisingly large numbers of people using drugs to boost their mental powers. What should be done?
MOST of us want to reach our full potential. We might drink a cup of coffee to stay alert, or go for a run to feel on top of the job. So where’s the harm in taking a pill that can do the same thing?
BrainNavigator Wants To Speed Neurological Research
Elsevier announced new features for its online research tool BrainNavigator, adding new content and functionality to give researchers additional tools to accelerate their research.
BrainNavigator is an online, interactive, 3D software tool for the application of brain atlases and maps images of brain anatomy, helping neuroscience researchers save time and improve the quality of their daily research by helping locate the position of structures within the brain, making visualization and communication about scientific findings about the brain easier.
X-ray facility to study conditions at Earth's core
An experiment to recreate the extreme conditions of the centre of the Earth was officially opened on Thursday.
The ID24 beam line at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) will use X-ray beams to subject iron and other materials to extraordinary temperatures and pressures.
In Favor of Dirty Jokes and Risqué Remarks
After all these years, we are again debating the definition of unwanted sexual advances and parsing the question of whether a dirty joke in the office is a crime. Conservatives have mocked the seriousness of sexual harassment; liberal and mainstream pundits have largely reverted to the pieties of the early ’90s, with the addition of some bloggy irony about irrelevant old men just not getting it.
Future wars may be fought by synapses: Neuroscientists consider defense applications of recent insights into the brain
Instead of the indiscriminate destruction of the atom bomb or napalm, the signature weapon of future wars may be precise, unprecedented control over the human brain. As global conflicts become murkier, technologies based on infiltrating brains may soon enter countries’ arsenals, neuroethicists claim in a paper published online October 31 inSynesis. Such “neuroweapons” have the capacity to profoundly change the way war is fought.
Non-coding RNA relocates genes when it's time to go to work
Cells develop and thrive by turning genes on and off as needed in a precise pattern, a process known as regulated gene transcription. In a paper published in the Nov. 9 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say this process is even more complex than previously thought, with regulated genes actually relocated to other, more conducive places in the cell nucleus.