Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Ancient microbes offer clues to how complex life evolved      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered that a single-celled organism, a close relative of animals, harbors the remnants of ancient giant viruses woven into its own genetic code. This finding sheds light on how complex organisms may have acquired some of their genes and highlights the dynamic interplay between viruses and their hosts.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

'A history of contact': Geneticists are rewriting the narrative of Neanderthals and other ancient humans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using genomes from 2,000 living humans as well as three Neanderthals and one Denisovan, an international team mapped the gene flow between the hominin groups over the past quarter-million years.

Anthropology: General Paleontology: Climate
Published

Unveiling 1,200 years of human occupation in Canada's Arctic      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study provides new insights into ancient cultures in Canada's Arctic, focusing on Paleo-Inuit and Thule-Inuit peoples over thousands of years. Researchers detected human presence and settlements on Somerset Island, Nunavut, by analyzing sediment samples.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

First ever 3D reconstruction of 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth chromosomes thanks to serendipitously freeze-dried skin      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team has assembled the genome and 3D chromosomal structures of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth -- the first time such a feat has been achieved for any ancient DNA sample. The fossilized chromosomes, which are around a million times longer than most ancient DNA fragments, provide insight into how the mammoth's genome was organized within its living cells and which genes were active within the skin tissue from which the DNA was extracted. This unprecedented level of structural detail was retained because the mammoth underwent freeze-drying shortly after it died, which meant that its DNA was preserved in a glass-like state.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Microbiology Paleontology: Fossils
Published

The plague may have caused the downfall of the Stone Age farmers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ancient DNA from bones and teeth hints at a role of the plague in Stone Age population collapse. Contrary to previous beliefs, the plague may have diminished Europe's populations long before the major plague outbreaks of the Middle Ages, new research shows.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Archaeologists report earliest evidence for plant farming in east Africa      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A trove of ancient plant remains excavated in Kenya helps explain the history of plant farming in equatorial eastern Africa, a region long thought to be important for early farming but where scant evidence from actual physical crops has been previously uncovered.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Energy: Technology
Published

Key electronic device developed for the massive arrival of 6G networks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers were involved in the development of a switch, an essential device in telecommunications, capable of operating at very high frequency with lower power consumption than conventional technologies. The technology has applications in the new 6G mass communication systems and is more sustainable in terms of energy consumption than current devices.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Ecology: Research Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Ancient dingo DNA shows modern dingoes share little ancestry with modern dog breeds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study of ancient dingo DNA revealed that the distribution of modern dingoes across Australia, including those on K'gari (formerly Fraser Island), pre-dates European colonization and interventions like the dingo-proof fence.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

New and improved camera inspired by the human eye      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Computer scientists have invented a camera mechanism that improves how robots see and react to the world around them. Inspired by how the human eye works, their innovative camera system mimics the tiny involuntary movements used by the eye to maintain clear and stable vision over time.

Anthropology: General Biology: General Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: General
Published

The evidence is mounting: humans were responsible for the extinction of large mammals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Human hunting, not climate change, played a decisive role in the extinction of large mammals over the last 50,000 years. This conclusion comes from researchers who reviewed over 300 scientific articles from many different fields of research.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General
Published

The beginnings of fashion      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers suggest that eyed needles were a new technological innovation used to adorn clothing for social and cultural purposes, marking the major shift from clothes as protection to clothes as an expression of identity.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Soft, stretchy electrode simulates touch sensations using electrical signals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers has developed a soft, stretchy electronic device capable of simulating the feeling of pressure or vibration when worn on the skin. This device represents a step towards creating haptic technologies that can reproduce a more varied and realistic range of touch sensations for applications such as virtual reality, medical prosthetics and wearable technology.

Anthropology: General Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Why the harsh Snowball Earth kick-started our earliest multicellular ancestors      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Why did multicellularity arise? Solving that mystery may help pinpoint life on other planets and explain the vast diversity and complexity seen on Earth today, from sea sponges to redwoods to human society. A new article shows how specific physical conditions -- especially ocean viscosity and resource deprivation -- during the global glaciation period known as Snowball Earth could have driven eukaryotes to turn multicellular.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General
Published

First case of Down syndrome in Neanderthals documented in new study      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study documents the first case of Down syndrome in Neanderthals and reveals that they were capable of providing altruistic care and support for a vulnerable member of their social group.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

Rare Samoan discovery offers clues to origins of inequality      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The origins of hierarchical society in Samoa and wider Polynesia have likely been uncovered by a new study led by archaeologists.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Mathematics: Modeling Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Prying open the AI black box      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Meet SQUID, a new computational tool. Compared with other genomic AI models, SQUID is more consistent, reduces background noise, and can yield better predictions regarding critical mutations. The new system aims to bring scientists closer to their findings' true medical implications.