Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General
Published

Human evolution wasn't just the sheet music, but how it was played      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team of researchers has identified a group of human DNA sequences driving changes in brain development, digestion and immunity that seem to have evolved rapidly after our family line split from that of the chimpanzees, but before we split with the Neanderthals.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

A navigation system with 10 centimeter accuracy      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed an alternative positioning system that is more robust and accurate than GPS, especially in urban settings. The working prototype that demonstrated this new mobile network infrastructure achieved an accuracy of 10 centimeter. This new technology is important for the implementation of a range of location-based applications, including automated vehicles, quantum communication and next-generation mobile communication systems.

Anthropology: Early Humans Archaeology: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Footprints claimed as evidence of ice age humans in North America need better dating, new research shows      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The preserved footprints found in New Mexico's Lake Otero Basin would upend scientific understanding of how, and when, humans first arrived in North America, if they are accurately dated. A new study brings the age claim into question.

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

Oldest evidence of the controlled use of fire to cook food, researchers report      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The remains of a huge carp fish mark the earliest signs of cooking by prehistoric human to 780,000 years ago, predating the available data by some 600,000 years, according to researchers.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Archaeology: General
Published

Ancient DNA analysis sheds light on the early peopling of South America      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Using DNA from two ancient humans unearthed in two different archaeological sites in northeast Brazil, researchers have unraveled the deep demographic history of South America at the regional level with some surprising results. Not only do they provide new genetic evidence supporting existing archaeological data of the north-to-south migration toward South America, they also have discovered migrations in the opposite direction along the Atlantic coast -- for the first time. Among the key findings, they also have discovered evidence of Neanderthal ancestry within the genomes of ancient individuals from South America.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Archaeology: General
Published

Ancient genomes reveal hidden history of human adaptation      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The use of ancient DNA, including samples of human remains around 45,000 years old, has shed light on a previously unknown aspect of human evolution.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

All solid-state LiDAR sensor that sees 360°      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team develops a fixed LiDAR sensor that can recognize all directions simultaneously.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Archaeology: General
Published

UK's oldest human DNA obtained, revealing two distinct Palaeolithic populations      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The first genetic data from Palaeolithic human individuals in the UK -- the oldest human DNA obtained from the British Isles so far -- indicates the presence of two distinct groups that migrated to Britain at the end of the last ice age, according to new research. Published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the new study by UCL Institute of Archaeology, the Natural History Museum and the Francis Crick Institute researchers reveals for the first time that the recolonisation of Britain consisted of at least two groups with distinct origins and cultures.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Virtual reality experiences to aid substance use disorder recovery      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers are combining psychological principles with innovative virtual reality technology to create a new immersive therapy for people with substance use disorders.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Archaeology: General
Published

Meet the first Neanderthal family      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have managed to sequence multiple individuals from a remote Neanderthal community in Siberia. Among these thirteen individuals, the researchers identified multiple related individuals -- among these a father and his teenage daughter. The researchers were also able to use the thirteen genomes to provide a glimpse into the social organization of a Neanderthal community. They appear to have been a small group of close relatives, consisting of ten to twenty members, and communities were primarily connected through female migration.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Smelling in VR environment possible with new gaming technology      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An odor machine, so-called olfactometer, makes it possible to smell in VR environments. First up is a 'wine tasting game' where the user smells wine in a virtual wine cellar and gets points if the guess on aromas in each wine is correct. The new technology can be printed on 3D printers.

Anthropology: Early Humans
Published

A new route to evolution: How DNA from our mitochondria works its way into our genomes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have shown that in one in every 4,000 births, some of the genetic code from our mitochondria -- the 'batteries' that power our cells -- inserts itself into our DNA, revealing a surprising new insight into how humans evolve. Researchers show that mitochondrial DNA also appears in some cancer DNA, suggesting that it acts as a sticking plaster to try and repair damage to our genetic code.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Video games offer the potential of 'experiential medicine'      (via sciencedaily.com) 

After a decade of work, scientists have developed a suite of video game interventions that improve key aspects of cognition in aging adults.

Anthropology: Early Humans
Published

Dead fish breathes new life into the evolutionary origin of fins and limbs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A trove of fossils in China, unearthed in rock dating back some 436 million years, have revealed for the first time that the mysterious galeaspids, a jawless freshwater fish, possessed paired fins.

Anthropology: Early Humans Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Revealing the genome of the common ancestor of all mammals      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team has reconstructed the genome organization of the earliest common ancestor of all mammals. The reconstructed ancestral genome could help in understanding the evolution of mammals and in conservation of modern animals. The earliest mammal ancestor likely looked like the fossil animal 'Morganucodon' which lived about 200 million years ago.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans
Published

Key phases of human evolution coincide with flickers in eastern Africa's climate      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Interdisciplinary research in southern Ethiopia enabled the deciphering of eastern Africa's climatic heartbeat and shows how key phases of climate change influenced human evolution, dispersal and innovation.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

An AI message decoder based on bacterial growth patterns      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Depending on the initial conditions used, such as nutrient levels and space constraints, bacteria tend to grow in specific ways. Researchers have created a new type of encryption scheme based on how a virtual bacterial colony grows with specific initial conditions.

Anthropology: Early Humans
Published

Exposing the evolutionary weak spots of the human genome      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Mutations can drastically help or hurt the odds of an organism surviving and reproducing. Researchers have created a computer program called ExtRaINSIGHT that tracks the history of harmful mutations throughout human evolution. They've discovered several regions of the genome are especially vulnerable to mutations, meaning any mutations there could lead to severe or lethal consequences.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Archaeology: General
Published

The anglo-saxon migration: New insights from genetics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In the largest early-medieval population study to date, an interdisciplinary team consisting of geneticists and archaeologists analyzed over 400 individuals from ancient Britain, Ireland, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. The results show in detail one of the largest population transformations in the post-Roman world.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Can eyes on self-driving cars reduce accidents?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Robotic eyes on autonomous vehicles could improve pedestrian safety, according to a new study. Participants played out scenarios in virtual reality (VR) and had to decide whether to cross a road in front of a moving vehicle or not. When that vehicle was fitted with robotic eyes, which either looked at the pedestrian (registering their presence) or away (not registering them), the participants were able to make safer or more efficient choices.