Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

Ethereal color variant of mysterious plant is actually a new species      (via sciencedaily.com) 

It was thought that there was only one species of the ghost-like Monotropastrum humile plant found in woodlands across East and Southeast Asia. In a major new discovery, botanists reveal that a rosy pink colored variant is actually a distinct new species, shaking up our understanding of this unusual-looking genus of plants. This 20-year study emphasizes the importance of combining various analytical methods to fully understand and protect biodiversity.

Ecology: Invasive Species Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Slime for the climate, delivered by brown algae      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Brown algae take up large amounts of carbon dioxide from the air and release parts of the carbon contained therein back into the environment in mucous form. This mucus is hard to break down for other ocean inhabitants, thus the carbon is removed from the atmosphere for a long time, as researchers now show. They reveal that the algal mucus called fucoidan is particularly responsible for this carbon removal and estimate that brown algae could thus remove up to 550 million tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year -- almost the amount of Germany's entire annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Paleontology: General
Published

Archaeologists uncover oldest known projectile points in the Americas      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Archaeologists have uncovered projectile points in Idaho that are thousands of years older than any previously found in the Americas, helping to fill in the history of how early humans crafted and used stone weapons.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

Human activities degrade hippopotamus homes at Bui National Park, Ghana, researchers find      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers found that the number of common hippopotamus in the Bui National Park declined by about 70 percent following the construction of a hydroelectric dam in the reserve. From 209 individuals before the dam construction, the number declined to 64. Land cover changes led to severe reduction in forest cover and destruction of riparian areas through flooding. In addition, poaching activities increased during and after the construction period.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

Mapping the middle ground: Balancing mining activities with survival of Utah's rare plants      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team is mapping out new modeling strategies so that proposed energy development and the management of rare plants don't necessarily have to be mutually exclusive endeavors.

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

Early humans may have first walked upright in the trees      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Human bipedalism -- walking upright on two legs -- may have evolved in trees, and not on the ground as previously thought, according to a new study.

Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Trees
Published

Study examines feeding damage caused by spotted lanternflies on young maples      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Short-term, heavy feeding by adult spotted lanternflies on young maple trees inhibits photosynthesis, potentially impairing the tree's growth by up to 50 percent, according to a new study.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Immune system of modern Papuans shaped by DNA from ancient Denisovans, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Modern Papuans' immune system likely evolved with a little help from the Denisovans, a mysterious human ancestor who interbred with ancient humans, according to a new study.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General
Published

How intensive agriculture turned a wild plant into a pervasive weed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Agriculture is driving rapid evolutionary change, not just on farms but also in wild species in surrounding landscapes, new research has found.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Jawbone may represent earliest presence of humans in Europe      (via sciencedaily.com) 

For over a century, one of the earliest human fossils ever discovered in Spain has been long considered a Neanderthal. However, new analysis from an international research team dismantles this century-long interpretation, demonstrating that this fossil is not a Neanderthal; rather, it may actually represent the earliest presence of Homo sapiens ever documented in Europe.

Anthropology: Early Humans Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

DNA sequence enhances understanding origins of jaws      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered and characterized a DNA sequence found in jawed vertebrates, such as sharks and humans, but absent in jawless vertebrates, such as lampreys. This DNA is important for the shaping of the joint surfaces during embryo development.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.