Research shows that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals had 200,000 years of interaction

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A recent study indicates that multiple instances of gene flow occurring between 250,000 and 200,000 years ago impacted the genomes and biology of both modern humans and Neanderthals, who are believed to share 2.5 to 3.7 percent of human ancestry.

Li othersIt provides insight into the history of modern-human Neanderthal admixture, shows that gene flow has significantly influenced patterns of genomic variation in modern and Neanderthals, and suggests that taking into account human-derived sequences in Neanderthals allows for more precise inferences about admixture and its consequences in both Neanderthals and modern humans. Image courtesy of the Neanderthal Museum.

“For the first time, geneticists have identified multiple instances of interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals,” stated Professor Li Ming from Southeast University.

“It is now evident that throughout most of human history, there was interaction between modern humans and Neanderthals,” added Professor Joshua Akey from Princeton University.

“Our direct ancestors, hominins, diverged from the Neanderthal lineage approximately 600,000 years ago and acquired modern physical characteristics around 250,000 years ago.”

“Subsequently, modern humans continued to engage with Neanderthals for around 200,000 years until the extinction of Neanderthals.”

The researchers utilized the genomes of 2,000 modern humans, three Neanderthals, and one Denisovan to track gene flow between human populations over the past 250,000 years.

They employed a genetic tool called IBDmix, developed several years ago, which utilizes machine learning techniques for sequencing genomes.

Previously, scientists relied on comparing the human genome to reference populations of modern individuals with minimal or no Neanderthal or Denisovan DNA.

The study authors discovered traces of Neanderthal DNA even in populations residing thousands of miles south of Neanderthal caves, suggesting that the DNA might have been transmitted southward by travelers or their descendants.

Using IBDmix, they identified a first contact wave around 200,000-250,000 years ago, a second contact wave around 100,000-120,000 years ago, and a peak contact wave around 50,000-60,000 years ago, deviating from previous genetic data.

“Most genetic data indicates that modern humans originated in Africa 250,000 years ago, persisted there for another 200,000 years, and only around 50,000 years ago dispersed from Africa to populate other regions as humans,” said Prof Akey.

“Our model suggests that there wasn’t a prolonged period of stasis, but soon after the emergence of modern humans, we migrated out of Africa and eventually returned.”

“To me, the narrative revolves around dispersal, highlighting that modern humans have been more mobile than previously assumed, encountering Neanderthals and Denisovans,” added Prof Akey.

This portrayal of migrating humans aligns with archaeological and paleoanthropological evidence indicating cultural and tool exchanges among human populations.

A crucial insight was to search for modern human DNA in the Neanderthal genome, rather than vice versa.

“While much genetic research in the past decade focused on how interbreeding with Neanderthals influenced the evolution and phenotype of modern humans, these questions also hold importance and interest in the opposite direction,” noted Professor Akey.

They realized that the descendants of the initial interbreeding event between Neanderthals and modern humans likely stayed with the Neanderthals and thus left no genetic trace in modern humans.

“By incorporating Neanderthal elements into genetic studies, we can analyze these early migrations in a new light,” Prof Akey mentioned.

The final revelation was that the Neanderthal population was smaller than previously estimated.

Traditional genetic modeling used diversity as an indicator of population size: greater genetic diversity implied a larger population.

However, using IBDmix, the team showed that most diversity came from DNA sequences originating from a larger modern human population, leading to a reduction in the effective Neanderthal population from around 3,400 breeding individuals to approximately 2,400.

Collectively, these new findings provide insights into the disappearance of Neanderthals from the record roughly 30,000 years ago.

“I prefer not to use the term ‘extinction’ because I believe Neanderthals were mostly assimilated,” mentioned Prof Akey.

It is theorized that the Neanderthal population gradually dwindled, with the last survivors merging into modern human communities.

“The assimilation model was first proposed in 1989 by anthropologist Fred Smith from Illinois State University, and our results offer compelling genetic evidence supporting Fred’s hypothesis,” Prof Akey stated.

“Neanderthals likely faced prolonged near-extinction.”

“Our estimates suggest that even a slight decrease of 10 to 20 percent in the population size would have a significant impact on an already vulnerable population,” Prof Akey added.

“Modern humans can be likened to waves gradually eroding the shoreline, eventually overwhelming Neanderthals demographically and integrating them into the modern human population.”

Read the full research findings published in the journal Science.

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Li-Ming Lee others2024. Recurrent gene flow between Neanderthals and modern humans over the past 200,000 years. Science 385(6705); doi:10.1126/science.adi1768

Source: www.sci.news

New study suggests Ancient Mars was cold and had moderate levels of water

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

In a new study, planetary scientists have found strong similarities between the soil of Gale Crater on Mars and that of the cold, sub-Arctic climate of Newfoundland, Canada.

X-ray amorphous material comprises 15-73% by weight of the sedimentary rocks and eolian deposits in Gale Crater. This material is siliceous and high in iron and low in aluminum. The presence of volatiles is consistent with the presence of early weathering products. To better understand the impact of this material on past water conditions on Mars, Feldman and others used bulk and selective dissolution techniques, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy to investigate the formation and lifetime of X-ray amorphous material in terrestrial iron-rich soils of different ages and environmental conditions. Image courtesy of M. Kornmesser / ESO.

Scientists often use soil to portray environmental history, as the minerals it contains can tell the story of a landscape's evolution over time.

Understanding more about how these materials formed could help answer long-standing questions about the Red Planet's historical conditions.

The soil and rocks in Gale Crater are a record of a climate that existed 3 to 4 billion years ago, when Mars was relatively water-rich, coinciding with the time when life first emerged on Earth.

“Gale Crater is an ancient lake bed and clearly water was present, but what were the environmental conditions like when the water was there?” said Dr Anthony Feldman, a soil scientist and geomorphologist at the Desert Institute.

“We'll never find a direct analogue on the Martian surface because conditions on Mars and Earth are so different, but we can look at trends under Earth conditions and apply them to problems on Mars.”

NASA's Curiosity rover has been exploring Gale Crater since 2011 and has found large amounts of soil material known as X-ray amorphous material.

These components of soil lack the typical repeating atomic structure that characterizes minerals and therefore cannot be easily characterized using traditional techniques such as X-ray diffraction.

For example, when a crystalline material like diamond is hit with X-rays, the rays scatter at characteristic angles based on the mineral's internal structure.

However, X-ray amorphous materials do not produce these characteristic fingerprints.

This X-ray diffraction method was used by the Curiosity rover to demonstrate that soil and rock samples tested in Gale Crater consisted of 15-73% X-ray amorphous material.

“Think of X-ray amorphous material as being like jelly, which is a soup of different elements and chemicals that slide around one another,” Dr. Feldman said.

Curiosity also conducted chemical analysis of soil and rock samples and found that the amorphous material was rich in iron and silica and deficient in aluminum.

Beyond limited chemical information, scientists don't yet understand what this amorphous material is or what its presence means about Mars' historical environment.

Uncovering more information about how these enigmatic materials formed and persist on Earth could help answer long-standing questions about the Red Planet.

Dr. Feldman and his colleagues visited three locations in their search for similar X-ray amorphous material: the Tablelands of Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, the Klamath Mountains in Northern California, and western Nevada.

All three sites contain serpentinite soils that the researchers predicted would be chemically similar to the X-ray amorphous material in Gale Crater, meaning it would be rich in iron and silicon but poor in aluminum.

The three locations also recorded ranges of rainfall, snowfall and temperatures, which could help provide insight into the types of environmental conditions that produce amorphous material and promote its preservation.

At each site, the team examined the soil using X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy, allowing them to see the soil material at a more detailed level.

The subarctic climate of Newfoundland produced materials chemically similar to those found at Gale Crater, but lacked the crystalline structure, whereas soils produced in warmer climates such as California and Nevada did not produce the crystalline structure.

“This tells us that you need water there to form these materials,” Dr. Feldman said.

“But to preserve the amorphous material in the soil, the average annual temperature needs to be cold, close to freezing.”

Amorphous materials are often considered to be relatively unstable, meaning that at the atomic level, the atoms have not yet organized into a final crystalline form.

“Something is happening in the rates, or kinetics, of the reactions that slows them down so that these materials are preserved over geological timescales,” Dr Feldman said.

“What we're suggesting is that very cold conditions, close to freezing, are the specific kinetic limiting factors that allow these materials to form and be preserved.”

“This research improves our understanding of the Martian climate.”

“The results suggest that the abundance of this material in Gale Crater is consistent with subarctic conditions similar to those found in Iceland, for example.”

Team work Published in a journal Communication Earth and the Environment.

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A.D. Feldman othersIn 2024, iron-rich X-ray amorphous material will record Mars' past climate and the persistence of water. Community Global Environment 5, 364; doi: 10.1038/s43247-024-01495-4

This article is based on a press release from the Desert Research Institute.

Source: www.sci.news

Insights into the Future of Humanity from the 2024 United Nations World Population Prospects Report

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

“Demographic composition has changed significantly in recent years,” Li Junhua, the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said in a news release.

The report predicts that the world’s population will continue to grow over the coming decades, from 8.2 billion in 2024 to a peak of nearly 10.3 billion in the next 50 to 60 years. But population won’t keep growing forever: By 2100, the world’s population is expected to return to 10.2 billion, 6% lower than UN experts predicted a decade ago.

The United Nations’ last population assessment, released in 2022, suggested humanity could reach 10.4 billion people by the late 2000s, but falling birth rates in some of the world’s largest countries, including China, are one of the reasons why the population peak will come sooner than expected.

More than half of countries have fertility rates below 2.1 children per woman, or the “replacement rate,” the number of children each woman needs to have to avoid population decline.

An additional 48 countries, including Vietnam, Brazil, Turkey and Iran, are also expected to see their populations peak over the next 30 years.

India’s population is 1.4 India’s population is expected to surpass China’s in 2022, surpassing 2 billion and becoming the world’s most populous country. India’s population is also expected to continue growing until the middle of this century, according to the report.

However, China’s population continues to decline.

“China has experienced a rapid and significant decline in births in recent years,” said Patrick Garland, head of the Population Estimates and Projections Division at the United Nations Population Division.

“The changes China has undergone in the past generation are among the fastest in the world,” Garland said.

Without immigration, the United States would also face a population decline. It is one of about 50 countries projected to continue experiencing population growth due to increased immigration. The U.S. population is projected to grow from 345 million in 2024 to 421 million by the end of the century.

People pass through a crowded street in Kampala, Uganda. Since 2013, Uganda’s population has grown by 13 million people, or nearly 40 percent, second only to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Badru Katumba/AFP via Getty Images

A growing country is likely to exacerbate problems related to consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and other drivers of global warming. A growing population also means more people are exposed to climate risks such as droughts, heat waves, and other extreme weather events that are intensified by global warming.

“Just because a challenge might emerge 60 years from now doesn’t mean it’s pointless to talk about it now,” said Dean Spears, an associate professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin.

“Decades from now, people will be talking about these new demographic changes with the same level of academic and societal concern that we are talking about today about climate change,” Spears said.

Countries where population growth is expected to continue through to 2054 include India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Nigeria. In parts of Africa, including Angola, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Somalia, populations are expected to double dramatically between 2024 and 2054, according to the United Nations.

But a growing population on Earth does not necessarily mean that climate change will occur faster. Most of the world’s fastest growing regions are also countries that have historically contributed the least to global warming. These regions are also typically disproportionately affected by climate change.

The report notes that life expectancy has recovered after the impact of the pandemic. Global life expectancy will be 73.2 years in 2023, up from the pandemic low of 70.9 years in 2021 and higher than the pre-pandemic level of 72.4 years five years ago. Global life expectancy is projected to reach 81.7 years in 2100.

As life expectancy increases and birth rates fall, the world’s population is ageing. Projections show that by 2080, people aged 65 and over will outnumber children under 18. By 2023, there will be almost three times as many children as people aged 65 and over.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

‘Unthinkable and unprecedented’: Tower falls after nuts are taken off

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Nut deficiency

What happens when you remove most of the nuts from the bolts on three of the four sides of a tall electricity pylon? New data answers that question.

News Hub report Police said a tower collapsed in Glorito, North Island, New Zealand on June 24 after a “maintenance worker” removed some nuts from the bolts connecting the tower to its base plate.

News footage shows TransPower CEO Alison Andrew reading aloud what is likely a carefully worded statement: “In our view, the specifications and procedures for this type of work were not followed. All of the nuts securing the tower to the base plate at all three legs had been removed, causing the tower to lift off the base plate and fall. It is unprecedented and inconceivable that so many nuts would have been removed at one time.”

The outcome of the Glolitt nut removal could have been predicted by applying textbook engineering principles, but apparently it was not.

Hold on to your hat

The phrase “Hats are hard to get in Ireland” was featured in a magazine article. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology – This does not refer to all hats, but to some hats, especially sun hats.

Marion Leahy and her colleagues at Galway University Hospital have used the phrase title A 2022 study into risky head conditions in men, particularly older men, in the West of Ireland.

They note that Irish men are demographically at higher risk of melanoma and traditionally wear hats to protect themselves, but that “most hats available to the Irish male population are [do] “Does not provide adequate light protection.”

When properly chosen and worn, a hat can protect your head from the sun's relentless assault. In 1992, B. L. Diffie and J. Cheeseman penned a hymn in praise of a good sun hat and the evils of a bad sun hat: British Journal of DermatologyDiffie and Cheeseman's paper “Hats to protect against sunburn” is (or should be) famous for its main photo, so to cap off your viewing, try to find a copy online.

This portrait of scientific equipment runs counter to the typical image of rows of test tubes that has been implanted in children's minds for decades. The painting depicts six artificial heads at an angle, without plastic bodies or hair. They are outdoors, mounted at intervals along a 8-foot-long pole. Five of the six are wearing hats; the third head is bare. Each head is adorned with small squares of sunlight-degrading polysulfone film affixed with Blu-Tack to its forehead, nose, cheeks, chin and neck.

A second, less avant-garde photograph shows “28 hats worn in the study,” with seven hats or hat-like objects arranged in four rows. The styles range from a green plastic visor without a crown, an “airline pilot's peaked cap,” a “checked deerstalker,” and a “Russian fur hat.”

Diffie and Cheeseman would have us believe that much of this is dermatological insanity, manifesting itself under the hot sun.

Space superpowers

Bruce Stubbert reminds Feedback's ever-growing collection of little superpowers that talent alone doesn't guarantee success.

“I wanted to contribute to the discussion about psychic abilities in space,” he says. “My psychic sense of north is super impaired in the Northern Hemisphere, and I constantly find myself driving or walking in the opposite direction to what I intend to go.”

“Obviously the position of the sun plays a big role for these superpowers. Before you decide on a direction you have to stop and think: 'Here the sun is in the south'. I was once at a conference dinner in the US and talking to an American participant about this issue. He asked: 'Does the sun still rise in the east?' Incidentally, he was also incredulous that it was winter in Australia while we were enduring the scorching heat in Boston.”

The Limits of Goddam

Bapu Deokar and his colleagues explain the basics of water management at Goddam in their paper. Asian Journal of Environmental and Ecological Sciences“Estimation of water used for washing vehicles in Shrigonda town, India“When the dam's water level drops suddenly, local car washes explain their response by pumping more groundwater, which results in a drop in the groundwater table and a groundwater shortage,” the study warns.

Feedback learned the basics about Goud Dam by digging up a copy of a 1997 study called “Volcanic Vents in the Goud Dam Area,” a study that should be endearing given its title. Pune University JournalGoddam has been identified as being located “near Chinchini in the Poona district of India.”

recently, International Journal of Advanced Applied ResearchHanumant Dattatray Shinde of Shri Padmamani Jain College of Arts and Commerce said that in one year, “up to 1.56 TMC [thousand million cubic metres]” of water evaporates from the God Dam. Regardless of how you describe it, the “God Dam” or simply the “dam,” this structure lets a lot of water flow.

Marc Abrahams is the founder of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and co-founder of the journal Annals of Improbable Research. He previously worked on unusual uses of computers. His website is Impossible.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Freeze-dried jerky with remarkably well-preserved mammoth DNA.

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

39,000-year-old mammoth leg

Love Darren/Stockholm University

The woolly mammoth, which died 52,000 years ago, has been so well preserved that it’s now possible to sequence its entire genome and reconstruct the three-dimensional structure of its chromosomes. This information provides unprecedented details about how the animal’s genes moved throughout its life. This incredible feat was made possible because the animal’s remains were naturally freeze-dried, preserving its DNA in a glass-like state.

Scientists discovered the remains of a mammoth preserved in permafrost in a Siberian cave in 2018. The mammoth’s tissue was dry, but “not as dry as commercial beef jerky,” the researchers said. Olga Dudchenko “It was, in fact, hairy,” says a researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Wanting to find out what genetic information they could find, Dudchenko and his colleagues took a sample of flesh from behind the mammoth’s ear and sequenced its DNA.

“Until now, scientists have only been able to find small parts of the mammoth’s genome because DNA molecules begin to degrade when an animal dies, but to the researchers’ surprise, the animal’s chromosomes were completely preserved. “This was quite a surprise, as it doesn’t match anything we’ve analyzed so far from 52,000 years ago,” the researchers say. Juan Antonio Rodriguez Members of a research team from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

They also found that mammoths had 28 pairs of chromosomes, the same number as their closest living relative, the Asian elephant. The three-dimensional structure of the chromosomes was also preserved, which helps distinguish active from inactive genes. For example, the genes responsible for hair growth in mammoths were more active than in elephants, allowing the researchers to determine why they have such thick fur.

Identifying whether mammoth or elephant genes are more active could aid in so-called de-extinction efforts, he said. Hendrik Poyner “To get as close as possible to a real mammoth, [genetic] “The skeleton of a mammoth is different from that of an Asian elephant,” he says. Understanding which genes to tweak, such as the one that produces lots of hair, could help create a more realistic-looking and sounding animal that, while not a bona fide mammoth, more closely resembles the ancient pachyderm.

But how did this DNA remain intact for more than 50,000 years? The researchers attribute it to the cave’s ideal conditions, which cooled and dried the animal. “The sample lost much of its moisture during the cold, dry Siberian winter,” says Dudchenko. She adds that a similar drying process occurs during the production of foods such as prosciutto.

To test their theory, the researchers put fresh and freeze-dried beef liver through a series of rigorous tests. After three days at room temperature, the fresh beef’s DNA had fragmented; but the freeze-dried version still retained its nanometer-scale chromosome structure after a year. “At that point, we wondered, rather than time killing it, what is killing it?” Dudchenko says.

So the team tried to destroy the DNA of the mammoth jerky replica by shooting it with a shotgun, running it over with a car, and having a former professional baseball player throw a fastball at it. Each time, the dried beef liver crumbled into pieces, but its microscopic structure remained intact, preserving the DNA inside. “We found that this method worked, and that it survived,” Rodriguez says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The melting sea ice in the Canadian Arctic is now a hindrance, not a help, to shipping.

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Broken sea ice in Lancaster Sound, part of the Northwest Passage

Allison Cook

Shipping companies had hoped that melting sea ice would open up shorter shipping routes through the Canadian Arctic, but thicker ice moving in from further north may dash those hopes.

“North [of the Northwest Passage] “No new routes are expected to open anytime soon.” Allison Cook At the Scottish Association for Marine Science.

For over a century, sailors have navigated the icy waters of the Canadian Arctic along the Northwest Passage, a dangerous but efficient sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. As climate change melts the sea ice, the southern part of the passage is less dangerous, and since 1990, voyages through the Northwest Passage have quadrupled.

The North Strait is expected to be an even shorter route, but it is ice-bound for longer periods than the South Strait, and so fewer ships use it. But because the entire route was almost ice-free in the summer of 2007, and the climate has continued to warm since then, many believe the North Strait route will soon become regularly navigable. This possibility has spurred ideas of a boom in Northern Sea Routes.

Cook and his colleagues assessed whether this vision was working using ice charts provided by the Canadian government to ship captains between 2007 and 2021. For each leg of the Northwest Passage, they calculated the number of weeks per year when ice was light enough for moderately ice-hardened ships to navigate safely.

Map showing the route of the Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic Islands

Allison Cook

The detailed images of the ice reveal that rather than the passage opening, the safe passage window shortened at several “choke points” along the route, particularly along the northern route. For example, the passage window in the eastern Beaufort Sea shortened from 27 weeks to 13 weeks. The passage window in McClure Strait shortened from 6.5 weeks per year to just two weeks. In other areas, passage windows increased by a few weeks or remained unchanged, but the passage window that determines the overall passage window is determined by the shortest passage window, Cook said.

Researchers believe the shortened season is primarily due to an increase in thicker sea ice flowing in from an area known as the “last ice field” north of Greenland, which is expected to become the last remaining bastion of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean as the climate warms. “Climate change is making the sea ice a little less intense and a little more mobile,” Cook says.

The findings are consistent with expectations that ice will remain in the Canadian Arctic the longest, he said. Amanda Lynch The bigger geopolitical and economic question now is how the melting ice will affect shipping on the Russian side of the Arctic, said Robert G. Schneider, a researcher at Brown University in Rhode Island who was not involved in the study.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Using lasers to transform electrons into mass and charge coils.

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A special laser (red) can bend electrons (blue) into a spiral shape

Dr. Yiqi Fan (University of Konstanz)

With the help of a laser, the electrons were transformed into spiral waves of mass and charge.

“Chirality, or handedness, is an intriguing and still partially mysterious feature of our universe.” Peter Baum Researchers at the University of Konstanz in Germany have discovered that chiral objects, like coils or L-shaped blocks, can be either left- or right-handed, but non-chiral objects, like circles or lines, cannot. Many molecules and materials are inherently chiral, and their function changes depending on whether they are right- or left-handed. But Baum and his colleagues have devised a way to impart chirality to something very small and fundamental: a single electron.

Because electrons are quantum objects, they exhibit both particle-like and wave-like behavior, depending on the experiment. In this experiment, the researchers exploited the wave nature of electrons. First, they create a very fast pulse of electrons and pass it through a thin ceramic membrane. There, the particles encounter a special laser beam. The beam is shaped like a light vortex and, as a result, carries a similarly shaped electromagnetic field. This electromagnetic field affects the wave function, or wave properties, of each electron that passes through it.

Finally, the researchers detected these manipulated electrons and calculated the “expectation values” of each of their masses and charges — that is, the places in space where both properties are most likely to be measured in non-zero quantities. These regions of space formed the shape of a three-dimensional coil, with clearly marked left- or right-handed winding.

Ben McMorran The University of Oregon researchers have previously experimented with making coils of chiral electrons, and they say their new work “represents a very advanced advancement in the state of the art of shaping electrons.” They have demonstrated precise control over the spiraling electrons, which they say will be crucial for using the particles in applications such as imaging and controlling existing materials.

Baum and his colleagues have already found that shining a left-handed coil of electrons at right-handed gold nanostructures results in different ricochet patterns than shining it on left-handed structures, opening up the possibility of using such coils to selectively affect chiral moieties in chemical compounds or electronic devices.

Having created these strange electrons in the lab, Baum says he's now interested in whether they could arise independently in nature: “We're starting to explore these possibilities.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Sanitary napkins with blood-thinning properties could prevent leaks

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Current sanitary napkins can cause leaks

Vittoria/Alamy

Sanitary products that turn blood into a gel-like solid substance rather than absorbing it appear to reduce the risk of leakage.

Brian Hsu Researchers at Virginia Tech and their colleagues wanted to find a way to reduce the leakage that often occurs with traditional sanitary napkins and cups.

The team tested different types of biopolymers — naturally occurring chain-like molecules — in pig blood to find one that would thicken it. They used pig blood because it is more readily available than human menstrual blood and has similar properties, Xu said.

When a type of biopolymer called alginate was mixed with glycerol, a type of alcohol, and exposed to blood, it formed a gel-like substance. “If you just take alginate powder and add blood, it doesn't absorb much,” Su says. “It becomes like cocoa powder in unstirred milk, with a dry center. By adding glycerol to the alginate, we've increased its blood absorption capacity.”

To test the combination, the researchers placed 8 milliliters of blood into an artificial vagina to mimic a period, then let the blood flow onto a standard sanitary napkin that had had its absorbent material removed and replaced with gauze coated with a mixture of alginate and glycerol. After an hour, the napkin had collected more blood than vaginal bleeding from a standard, unmodified napkin.

In another part of the experiment, five subjects removed a blood-filled menstrual cup from the artificial vagina without knowing whether the cup was covered in the glycerol-alginate mixture. In the former case, blood rarely spilled, whereas in the latter case, blood always spilled.

Alginates are found naturally in algae and are sometimes used as wound dressings. “Alginates are good at forming intermolecular cross-links using calcium, and blood contains calcium,” says Su. “We think these polymers first absorb the blood, and as they dissolve they start to form cross-links, eventually gelling the blood.”

Renske van Ronkhuizen Researchers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands say adding the mixture to sanitary products could help reduce women's anxiety about bleeding during their period.

“The innovative products improve menstrual comfort and convenience, helping women to manage their periods without disrupting their daily lives,” she said.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

How does a narcissist’s personality evolve as they grow older?

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental illness characterized by an excessively high sense of personal importance, and it is relatively common. Up to 5% of the population may be affected. Recent research has shed light on how this disorder changes over time in individuals diagnosed with it.

Studies have shown that with age, individuals tend to become less self-centered. This decrease is observed from childhood through old age.

While overall narcissism tends to decrease with age, individual differences remain consistent over time. This means that individuals who displayed higher levels of narcissism compared to their peers in childhood are likely to maintain that characteristic into adulthood.

The lead author, Professor Ulrich Orth from the University of Bern, emphasized the importance of these findings in understanding how narcissism impacts not only the individual’s life but also the lives of their family and friends.

Published in the journal Psychology Bulletin, the study analyzed data from 51 research studies involving 37,247 participants ranging in age from 8 to 77 years, with a nearly equal distribution of men and women.

The research identified three types of narcissism: agentic narcissism, hostile narcissism, and neurotic narcissism. While all three types showed a decline from childhood to old age, the rate of decline varied among them.

Although narcissism is considered a stable personality trait that remains relatively unchanged compared to peers over long periods of time, the study acknowledges the need for further exploration across different cultures and regions to validate these findings.

The team also aims to investigate why narcissism tends to decrease with age. One theory suggests that assuming adult social roles like partner, parent, or employee may contribute to the development of more mature personality traits, leading to reduced narcissism.

Read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The World’s bravest lion manages to survive a history-making swim through waters infested with crocodiles

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Imagine swimming at night in a river filled with crocodiles and hippos. Sounds terrifying, right? Well, two lions in Uganda did just that earlier this year, and for the first time, Scientists captured this daring act on film. Click here to watch the footage.

Using a drone-mounted, high-resolution thermal imaging camera, Researchers from Griffith University’s Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, guided by Dr. Alexander Bratskovsky, captured the scene of two lions crossing Uganda’s Kazinga Channel in the middle of the night.

A remarkable lion named Jacob, who has faced numerous challenges, including losing his leg in a poaching incident, was one of the lions in the video captured by the researchers. Jacob was described as “the most tenacious lion in Africa.”

Jacob lost his leg in a metal trap during a poaching attempt. – Image credit: Alex Blaczkowski

Despite the risks of encountering crocodiles and hippos, Jacob and his brother Tib swam over a kilometer, displaying incredible resilience. The motivation behind this risky journey was likely the pursuit of finding a mate in the female-dominated system of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The brothers' first attempt at crossing is followed by a creature. – Image credit: Alex Braczkowski

While the river had a bridge connecting the two sides, the lions chose to swim due to human presence and past negative encounters. Understanding the behaviors of lions in such environments is crucial for their conservation.

About our experts

Alexander Bratskovsky is leading long-term research on African lions and other predators in Uganda’s national parks. Learn more about his work here. The study on Jacob and Tib’s swim, titled “Long-distance swims by African lions in Uganda,” was published in Ecology and Evolution.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Iguanodont dinosaur unearthed on the Isle of Wight

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

New genus and species of iguanodont dinosaur named Comptonatus chasei It was explained by PhD student Jeremy Lockwood and colleagues at the University of Portsmouth.

Reconstructing your life Comptonatus chaseiImage courtesy of John Sibbick.

Comptonatus chasei It roamed the Earth during the Early Cretaceous Period, about 125 million years ago.

“The animal would have weighed about a tonne, making it similar in size to a large male American bison,” Lockwood said.

“Evidence from nearby fossil footprints indicates that this dinosaur likely lived in groups, so it’s possible that predators surprised large groups of these heavy dinosaurs on the floodplains more than 120 million years ago.”

Comptonatus chasei was a member of Iguanodontsis a highly successful group of ornithischian dinosaurs that probably appeared during the late Middle Jurassic.

“Comptonatus chasei “This is a fantastic dinosaur specimen – one of the most complete found in the UK in a century,” said Dr Susanna Maidment, a palaeontologist at London’s Natural History Museum.

“This specimen, Brigstone but, Mantellisaurus (Two species of Iguandontian dinosaurs are Comptonatus chasei“Our results indicate the rapid evolution of iguanodontian dinosaurs during this period and help us understand how ecosystems recovered after the presumed end-Jurassic extinction event.”

Fossilized remains Comptonatus chasei What was found was Wessex Layer It was discovered in 2013 on the Isle of Wight by fossil collector Nick Chase.

“Comptonatus chasei “This is one of the most complete iguanodont dinosaurs, including its skull, ever found in the UK,” the palaeontologists said.

In the entire 1900s, only four new species of dinosaur were discovered on the Isle of Wight, but in the past five years eight new species have been named.

“This is a really surprising discovery,” Lockwood said.

“This helps us to better understand the different types of dinosaurs that lived in Britain during the Early Cretaceous period.”

“This adds to recent research showing that Wessex was one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world.”

of Investigation result this week, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.

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Jeremy A.F. Lockwood others2024. Comptonatus chaseiA new iguanodontid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight in southern England. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 22(1); doi:10.1080/14772019.2024.2346573

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers find intermediate-mass black hole in largest globular cluster in Milky Way

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Using more than 500 images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have found evidence of a 20,000-solar-mass black hole at the center of Earth. Omega CentauriIt is a globular cluster located in the constellation Centaurus, 5,430 parsecs (17,710 light years) from the Sun.

Omega Centauri is about 10 times more massive than other large globular clusters. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / Maximilian Häberle, MPIA.

Astronomers know that stellar-mass black holes (black holes with masses between 10 and 100 times that of the Sun) are the remnants of dying stars, and that supermassive black holes, with masses more than a million times that of the Sun, exist at the center of most galaxies.

But the universe is littered with what appear to be more mysterious types of black holes.

These intermediate-mass black holes, with masses between 100 and 10,000 times that of the Sun, are so difficult to measure that their very existence is sometimes debated.

Only a few intermediate-mass black hole candidates have been discovered so far.

Determining the black hole population is an important step towards understanding the formation of supermassive black holes in the early universe.

“Omega Centauri is a special example among globular clusters in the Milky Way,” said astronomer Maximilian Höberle of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and his colleagues.

“Omega Centauri is widely accepted to be the stripped core of an accreted dwarf galaxy due to its high mass, complex stellar population and kinematics.”

“These factors, combined with its proximity, make the planet a prime target in the search for intermediate-mass black holes.”

Omega Centauri is made up of about 10 million stars, making it about 10 times more massive than any other large globular cluster.

In the study, the authors measured the velocities of 1.4 million stars from images of the cluster taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Although most of these observations were intended for calibration of Hubble's instruments rather than for scientific use, they proved to be an ideal database for the team's research activities.

“We looked for fast-moving stars that are expected to be near concentrated masses such as black holes,” said astronomer Holger Baumgart of the University of Queensland.

“Identifying these stars was the smoking gun we needed to prove the existence of black holes, and we've done just that.”

“We found seven stars that shouldn't be there,” Dr Hebel said.

“They're moving so fast that they're likely to escape the herd and never come back.”

“The most likely explanation is that a very massive object is gravitationally tugging on these stars, keeping them near the center.”

“The only objects this massive are black holes, which have a mass at least 8,200 times that of the Sun.”

“This discovery is the most direct evidence to date for the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole at Omega Centauri,” said Dr Nadine Neumayer, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.

“This is extremely exciting because very few other black holes with similar masses are known.”

“The black hole at Omega Centauri may be the best example of an intermediate-mass black hole in our cosmic neighborhood.”

Team paper Published in the journal Nature.

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M. Heberle others2024. Stars moving at high speed around the intermediate-mass black hole at Omega Centauri. Nature 631, 285-288; Source: 10.1038/s41586-024-07511-z

Source: www.sci.news

Archaeologists Find Centuries-Old Temple and Theater in Peru

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The recently discovered structure predates the famous Inca citadel of Machu Picchu by approximately 3,500 years and was constructed long before the Inca Empire and its predecessors, as confirmed by a team of archaeologists. Ukupe Cultural Landscape Archaeological Project.

Newly discovered archaeological remains at La Otra Banda, Cerro las Animas, Peru, include carvings of mythical bird creatures. Image courtesy of Ukpe Cultural Landscape Archaeological Project.

“It was an amazing find. It speaks to the early origins of religion in Peru,” said Dr Muro Inoñan, an archaeologist at Peru’s National Archaeological Institute. The Field Museum.

“We still know very little about how and under what circumstances complex belief systems emerged in the Andes, but we now have evidence of some of the earliest religious spaces that people were creating in the region.”

“I don’t know what these people called themselves, or what other people called them.”

Dr. Inonhán and his team discovered a new archaeological site in La Otra Banda, Peru, in 2023.

They chose a section roughly 10 meters by 33 feet (10 meters by 33 feet) and began slowly removing sediment that had accumulated over thousands of years.

Just 1.8 metres (6 feet) deep, remnants of an ancient wall made of mud and clay were found.

“It was quite a surprise to see these very ancient structures so close to the modern surface,” Dr Inonyan said.

As archaeologists dug deeper, they found evidence that a temple once stood on the site.

“It appears that a huge temple was built on the slope of the mountain and parts of it have been discovered,” Dr Inonyan said.

“One of the most exciting things we found was a small theater with a backstage area and a staircase leading up to a stage-like platform.”

“It may have been used for a ritualistic performance before a selected audience.”

Archaeologists discovered an intricately carved clay slab depicting a bird-like creature next to the theater’s steps.

“It’s a very beautiful and at the same time an interesting design of a mythical creature – it looks like an anthropomorphic bird but also has reptilian features,” Dr Inonyan said.

“This figure stood out to us because it gives us important clues about when this temple was built and how this structure relates to other ancient temples built by earlier groups in the Andes.”

“Statues of mythical creatures similar to the one our team found have been found in Peru, where archaeologists have Initial PeriodThat’s about 4,000 years ago.”

“Despite the name, they were not the first people to inhabit this area. People have lived in Peru for 15,000 years.”

“Around 5000 to 3000 BCE, during a period known as the Pre-Pottery Period, people along the Peruvian coast began to develop societies and complex political systems.”

“Then came the Early Period, which began around 2000 BCE and lasted until 900 BCE.”

“The early stage is important because it’s when we first start to see evidence of institutionalized religion in Peru.”

“The bird creatures in this temple resemble figures known from the Chavin region from about 500 years later. This new site may help shed light on the origins of this religion.”

Source: www.sci.news

New research reveals presence of lead and arsenic in tampons, but experts advise against panic.

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Tampons are one of the most popular period products in a growing market that also includes period underwear and menstrual cups. They’ve been around since the 1930s and are still a mainstay for many people today, used by up to 80% of people who menstruate.

But few studies have looked at the potential contaminants in tampons and whether they pose a health risk, and a new study, the first of its kind, is leaving many questioning the truth. Are tampons safe?

A recent study from the University of California, Berkeley found that many commercially available tampons, both organic and non-organic, may contain toxic metals such as lead and arsenic. Researchers looked at tampons sold in the United States and Europe.

“Some tampons had higher concentrations of some metals and lower concentrations of others,” said lead author Jenni A. Shearston, PhD. “None of the tampons we tested appeared to have low concentrations of all metals.”

Searston said she and her colleagues began researching tampons after noticing little information about their ingredients in the research literature.

“There has historically been a taboo around menstruation,” she says, “and that not only impacts our social lives, but it also impacts scientific research, which I think is one of the reasons why there isn’t much research on menstrual products.”

Dr. Mitchell Kramer, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Huntington Hospital Northwell Health, said the study is “groundbreaking” and shows tampon manufacturers need to do more testing of their products.

“It certainly needs further evaluation. … I think this could have a big impact going forward in terms of how tampons are made and the impact on users,” Kramer said.

However, it is unclear what health effects using tampons that contain these metals may have.

“It’s unclear whether these metals are absorbed through the vagina, which is a key exposure,” said Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, an obstetrician-gynecologist and author of Let’s Talk about Down There: An OB-GYN Answers All of your Burning Questions … Without Making You Feel Embarrassed for Asking.

Shearston, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and School of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, added that one of the limitations of the study is that it’s not known whether metals even leach from tampons.

“We only tested the tampons to see if they had these metals in them,” she said. “We don’t know if they’ll come out.”

Here’s what you need to know about the study:

Tampons and toxic metals

The paper states:Environment InternationalIn a new study titled “Tampons: A Guide to the Effects of Metals on Men’s Health,” researchers looked at 30 different tampons from 14 different brands and measured the levels of metals in them. Every tampon tested had measurable levels of all 16 metals they tested, including toxic metals like lead and arsenic.

But the study doesn’t conclude that the tampons tested, or others on the market, are unsafe, and Searston hopes people don’t “panic” about the study.

“We need more information,” she said. “What I would encourage people to do is support more research, ask more questions about this, and try to prioritize research on menstrual products and periods.”

The metal content varies depending on the type, where you buy it, and whether it’s generic or brand name.

“These metals were found in varying amounts, with some more prevalent in organic tampons (such as arsenic) and others more prevalent in traditional tampons (such as lead),” Lincoln said. “The study was blinded, so we don’t know which brands were tested, which I know is frustrating.”

Lincoln, who was not involved in the study, said he’s a bit surprised that this is the first of its kind, but that the findings make sense.

“It’s not surprising that metals were found in organic tampons because they can be absorbed from the soil and pesticides are still used in organic farming,” she said.

Are tampons safe?

Yes, tampons are still safe to use, experts say.

“There’s no need to panic,” Kramer said. “It hasn’t been proven that these products are dangerous or that they’re causing serious illness in people. I don’t think so. I think the concentrations of these heavy metals are very low.”

Research news release “It’s unclear whether the metals detected in this study contribute to any adverse health effects,” she said. Shearston said she and her colleagues are currently investigating “whether metals can migrate out of tampons.”

“We do leaching experiments,” she said, “and we also test the same products, like tampons, for other chemicals.”

Lincoln also stressed that it was too early to say what the study’s findings might mean for consumers looking for the safest tampons.

“This study shows that the average amount of lead found in tampons is actually very low, much lower than the amounts of concern in food and water,” she said. “This doesn’t negate the findings, but it’s an important consideration when people are deciding whether to continue using tampons.”

Katherine Roberts, deputy health editor at Consumer Reports, Covered Organic Tamponspoints out that the study highlights the need for more research on tampons.

“This isn’t a lesson that’s immediately actionable for individual consumers,” Roberts said. “The big lesson from this is that we need to do more research. In particular, studying how using tampons that are contaminated with heavy metals affects physiology would be very helpful.”

Are non-toxic, organic tampons safer?

All of the tampons tested contained some level of the toxic metal, even those that were claimed to be non-toxic and organic. In fact, these tampons contained more arsenic than traditional tampons.

“I hope this study shows people that organic doesn’t necessarily mean better, especially when it comes to menstrual products,” Lincoln says.

For example, an organic label on a tampon doesn’t mean as much as it does on food.

“Tampons labeled as organic don’t have a whole lot of information on them,” Roberts says. “It can mean a variety of different things.”

Lincoln added that people should choose menstrual products based on what’s best for them.

“This study shouldn’t be a reason for us all to immediately throw away tampons, but it’s important for people to decide what feels right for them,” she said. “It’s important to recognise that which period product to use is a personal choice – not everyone feels comfortable in pads, cups or period underwear, and for those people, tampons are their go-to.”

Using tampons safely

For tampon users who are concerned about metal exposure, Kramer recommends using tampons less frequently and relying on other menstrual products.

“You might want to alternate between tampons and sanitary napkins during your period, rather than leaving a tampon in 24 hours a day,” she says. “There are a few things you can try to reduce some of your exposure.”

There are other things consumers should consider when choosing a tampon to avoid unknown ingredients.

“Unfortunately, buying a particular brand or looking at a particular label doesn’t necessarily translate to avoiding (heavy metals),” Roberts said.

Roberts says you can buy unscented tampons, choose tampons with fewer ingredients, and avoid tampons made with plastic materials like polyester, polypropylene, and polyethylene.

“Flavours are a big black box, regulatory-wise,” Roberts says. “You can add flavours, but you don’t have to disclose what’s in them.”

Still, Cramer hopes people don’t panic about the findings.

“Tampons have been around for ages. I’ve never seen anyone come in with heavy metal poisoning. That’s completely different from the toxic shock syndrome issue,” he says. “That was a bacteria that had nothing to do with heavy metals.”

Alternatives to tampons

If you want to try other types of menstrual products, consider these Alternatives to tampons:

Menstrual cup

One popular brand is the DivaCup, a cup that is inserted into the vagina to collect menstrual fluid.

Menstrual disc

These products use a rimmed bag, similar to a cup, to collect menstrual fluid.

Period underwear

These are similar to regular underwear but contain additional material to absorb menstrual fluid.

Reusable Pads

These are cloth pads that you place inside your underwear to absorb liquids, but unlike regular disposable pads, they can also be washed and reused.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Drone camera captures Lion’s historic swim across Channel

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Brothers Jacob and Tiv in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

Alex Blaczkowski

A pair of lion brothers have completed the longest recorded swim of their kind, crossing waters infested with hippos and crocodiles for around 1.5km.

The swim, the equivalent of an Olympic triathlon, was the duo’s fourth attempt to cross the Kazinga Channel in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park and was recorded at night with a thermal camera mounted on a drone.

The lions had to abandon an earlier attempt after encountering a larger animal, possibly a hippopotamus or Nile crocodile, which was also seen on footage.

What makes the effort even more amazing is that one of the lions, named Jacob, only has three legs.

Jacob says he’s had a very difficult life. Alexander Bratskovsky While at Griffith University in Australia, he was gored by a buffalo, his family was poisoned to sell lion parts, he was caught in a poacher’s trap and eventually lost his leg to a poacher’s iron trap.

Catching the swimming scene on film was unexpected, as Braczkowski and his colleagues were actually keeping an eye on the two lions to determine whether Tibu, Jacob’s brother, was feeding and supporting his sibling.

“The brotherhood of lions goes far beyond the limitations of an injury like losing a leg,” Blaczkowski said.

The researchers believe the brothers probably crossed the strait to reach a lioness whose roaring they had heard two kilometers away. They say the crossing was a straight line of 1.1 kilometers, but taking into account maneuvers, they estimate the lions swam closer to 1.5 kilometers.

“It’s amazing to see the individual capabilities and courage of different species in passing on their genes,” Blaczkowski said. “A human being can’t swim across that channel in the middle of the night, but a lion, even a three-legged lion who has had almost everything taken from him, will jump in.”

Braczkowski said the lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park were under huge pressure from as many as 60,000 people living within its boundaries, as well as cattle farming, wildlife poaching and the occasional agricultural crop cultivation.

“The lion population in the park has almost halved from 72 to 39 in the past five years, so male lions are spending a lot of their time searching for new females,” he said.

Females are more vulnerable because they tend to congregate in larger groups, and leaving the poisoned carcasses increases the risk of multiple deaths, he added.

“The ratio in the park is currently one female to two males, but in a healthy population it should be one male to two females.”

Team Members Duane Biggs Researchers from Northern Arizona University say long-term solutions need to be found to protect both people and lions in the park.

“The three-legged lion swimming through crocodile-infested waters in search of a mate and caught in a poacher’s trap is a symbol of a protected area in distress,” he said.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Northern Europe may have been decimated by the plague 5,000 years ago

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The culture that built Stonehenge suffered a mysterious population decline

Wirestock/Alamy

The European Neolithic culture that produced megaliths like Stonehenge experienced a major decline about 5,400 years ago, and the best evidence now is that this was due to plague.

Sequencing of ancient DNA from 108 people living in northern Europe at the time revealed that the plague bacillus Plague Yersinia pestis The condition was present in 18 of those who died.

“We think the plague killed them.” Frederick Siersholm At the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

About 5,400 years ago, The population of Europe has declined sharplyWhy this happens, especially in the northern regions, has long been a mystery.

Ancient DNA studies over the past decade have revealed that local populations never fully recovered from the Neolithic decline, but were largely replaced by other peoples who migrated from the Eurasian steppes: in Britain, for example, by about 4,000 years ago, less than 10% of the population descended from the people who built Stonehenge.

Studies of ancient people have also uncovered some instances of the presence of the plague bacterium, suggesting an explanation that the plague may have wiped out the population of Europe, allowing steppe peoples to migrate with little resistance.

But not everyone agreed, arguing that occasional sporadic outbreaks were to be expected and not evidence of a major pandemic. Ben Krauss Keora The findings were published in 2021 at Kiel University in Germany. Plague Yersinia pestis He and his colleagues write that their DNA shows that the virus cannot survive in fleas, making it unlikely to cause a pandemic: Bubonic plague, which killed people in the Black Death during the Middle Ages, is often transmitted by the bite of an infected flea.

So Sirsholm and his colleagues set out to find more evidence of the plague pandemic. The 108 people whose DNA his team sequenced were buried in nine graves in Sweden and Denmark. Most of them died between 5,200 and 4,900 years ago, and they spanned several generations of four families.

Over the course of just a few generations, the plague appears to have spread three separate times, the last of which may have been caused by a genetically modified strain that was far more deadly.

“This virus is present in many people,” Searsholm said, “and it's all the same version. That's exactly what you expect when something spreads quickly.”

Plague DNA was found primarily in teeth, indicating that the bacteria entered the bloodstream and caused severe illness and possibly death, he said. In some cases, close relatives were infected, suggesting person-to-person transmission.

The research team suggests that this may be a result of: Plague Yersinia pestis It is a type of disease called pneumonic plague, which infects the lungs and spreads through droplets. Human lice can cause bubonic plagueNot only fleas but also the plague bacteria can be spread this way.

“Of course, it's worth noting that all of these people were properly buried,” says Searsholm, meaning society had not collapsed at this point. “If there really was an epidemic, we're only just seeing the beginning.”

The megalithic tomb appears to have been abandoned for several centuries after about 4900 years ago, but the 10 sequenced individuals were buried much later, mostly between 4100 and 3000 years ago. These individuals were from the steppe region and are unrelated to the people who built the tomb.

“It's a 100 percent complete turnover,” says Searsholm, “5,000 years ago, these Neolithic people disappeared, and now we have evidence that plague was rampant and widespread at exactly the same time.”

While the researchers don't claim their findings are conclusive, Searsholm says they do support the argument that plague caused the Neolithic decline.

“It's pretty clear that this virus can infect humans and can, for example, kill an entire family.”

Klaus Kiora acknowledges that the discovery shows that the plague was widespread in this particular place and time: “Previous explanations need to be somewhat revised and we can't just talk about isolated cases,” he says.

But there's no evidence of high prevalence in other areas, he says, and he thinks normal burials indicate there were no deadly epidemics. Yersinia The infection was like a long-term chronic disease.”

Sirsholm and his team plan to search for more evidence across Europe in the coming days, but the only way to know for sure how deadly the engineered strain was would be to resurrect it, which he says is far too risky to attempt.

“I think this paper will convince many of our colleagues who have been skeptical of our previous work,” he said. Nicholas Raskovin In 2018, a team of researchers from the Pasteur Institute in Paris discovered the plague bacillus in two Neolithic individuals and proposed that the decline of the Neolithic period was due to the plague.

topic:

Archaeology/
Infection

Source: www.newscientist.com

Possible solution to long-standing breastfeeding mystery discovered

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

This may solve one of the mysteries of breastfeeding.

Svetlana Lepnitskaya/Getty Images

A newly discovered hormone discovered in mice may solve a long-standing mystery about how adult bones stay strong under the stress of breastfeeding, a discovery that could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle.

For decades, it was unclear how bones maintain their strength during breastfeeding. Breastfeeding removes calcium from bones to produce nutritious breast milk. Breastfeeding also reduces levels of estrogen, a hormone essential for bone health. Temporary loss of bone mass This will resolve within 6-12 months after breastfeeding ends.

While conducting research unrelated to this conundrum, Holly Ingraham Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have found that targeting receptors in the hypothalamus of the brain to inhibit estrogen production actually strengthens the bones of female mice.

“It's a bit of a paradox that we're eliminating estrogen signaling, which is thought to be beneficial for bone, and then creating women with extremely dense bones,” Ingraham said.

To find out why, they bred female mice that lacked estrogen receptors and had unusually strong bones, then surgically mated these animals with other female mice that had the receptors, linking their circulatory systems.

After 17 weeks, the mice that had been attached to the strong-bone mice had an average 152 percent increase in bone mass, suggesting that a bone-strengthening substance was circulating in the blood and being transferred from the mice that didn't have the receptor to the ones that did. Subsequent experiments revealed that this substance was a brain hormone called CCN3.

The researchers then measured CCN3 in the brains of female mice before and after pregnancy and found that it is only produced during lactation. Moreover, blocking the hormone caused bone loss in lactating mice, suggesting that it may be the mysterious molecule that prevents bone loss during lactation. This finding suggests that CCN3 may be used to repair bone in other situations as well.

To explore this further, the researchers placed patches containing CCN3 on four male mice that had suffered fractures. An equal number of animals received patches that did not contain the hormone. All rodents were 2 years old. 69 years in humans.

After three weeks, mice with the CCN3 patch had an average of 240% more bone mass than mice without the patch, suggesting that CCN3 may be useful in treating or preventing osteoporosis, which affects more than one million people. 12 percent Among U.S. adults age 50 and older.

But it's unclear whether these findings apply to humans, Ingraham said. She and her colleagues are developing a blood test for CCN3 that will allow them to test whether levels of the hormone increase in breastfeeding women.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Experiments in Basic Physics Could Uncover Hidden Dark Matter in Additional Dimensions

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

We don’t tend to dwell on the fact that we exist in three dimensions. Front to back, left to right, up to down – these are the axes along which we move through the world. When we try to imagine something else, we usually conjure up the most outlandish science fiction images of portals in the fabric of space-time and parallel universes.

But serious physicists have long been fascinated by the possibility of extra dimensions. Despite their intangibility, extra dimensions hold the promise of solving some big questions about the deepest workings of the universe. And just because they’re hard to imagine and even harder to observe doesn’t mean we can rule them out. “There’s no reason they have to be three-dimensional,” says David Schneider, a physics professor at the University of California, San Diego. Georges Obie At Oxford University. “It could have been two, it could have been four, it could have been ten.”

Still, there comes a time when any self-respecting physicist wants hard evidence. That’s why it’s so exciting that over the past few years, researchers have developed several techniques that may finally provide evidence of extra dimensions. For example, we might be able to detect gravity leaking into extra dimensions. We might see subtle signatures of it in black holes, or we might find its signature in particle accelerators.

But now, in an unexpected twist, Ovid and his colleagues claim that there is an extra dimension that is fundamentally different from any previously conceived. This “dark dimension” hides ancient particles whose gravity could solve the mystery of dark matter, the force that is thought to have shaped the universe. Crucially, this dimension is relatively…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Researchers have pinpointed the underlying cause of lupus, scientists report

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Researchers from Northwestern Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have discovered the underlying cause of lupus, shedding light on a key mystery behind one of the most common autoimmune diseases affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the United States.

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, points to an abnormality in the immune system of lupus patients, providing a clear pathway for how the disease develops.

Dr. Deepak Rao, a rheumatologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, explained that the imbalance in the types of T cells that lupus patients make is at the heart of this discovery. By comparing blood samples from lupus patients with healthy individuals, the study revealed that lupus patients have too many T cells involved in damaging healthy cells, and too few T cells involved in repair.

The study also highlighted the role of interferons, proteins that defend the body against pathogens. Too much type I interferon in lupus patients can lead to adverse outcomes by blocking a protein called the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, which helps regulate the body’s response to bacteria and environmental pollutants.

Although the findings offer hope for new treatments, experts caution that more research is needed to fully understand the complexities of lupus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that more than 200,000 in the United States have lupus, with as many as 1.5 million affected individuals.

Common symptoms of lupus include extreme fatigue, joint pain, and skin rashes. In severe cases, lupus can cause kidney or heart damage, as well as a weakened immune system that increases susceptibility to infections.

The research suggests potential new treatments, such as drugs that target interferon or activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, but challenges remain in finding effective and safe ways to administer these treatments.

While the study provides valuable insights into lupus, researchers emphasize the need for further investigation and clinical trials to develop personalized treatment options for individuals with this complex autoimmune disease.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Are Drifting Whale Carcasses Predictable?

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Whale remains on the ocean floor being eaten by tiger sharks and other scavengers

Laura Gurgas

Computer models help predict the drift of dead whales, allowing authorities to allow their remains to decompose naturally, safely in the ocean.

Dead whales attract large numbers of sharks and are extremely smelly and unsightly when they wash up on crowded beaches, creating logistical problems for local authorities. If ocean currents wash the whales into shipping lanes, they pose a major danger to passing ships.

While most dead cetaceans never wash up on shore, for example, 30 to 40 carcasses wash up on Australian shores each year, a figure that has been growing since commercial whaling was largely abolished in the 1980s.

These carcasses are either left to decompose, buried on shore, taken to a landfill, composted, processed into biodiesel, pulverized with explosives, or carried out to sea where they will drift for days or weeks before sinking.

Sometimes, after being towed away and released, the carcasses wash up again somewhere else, simply shifting the problem.

Computer models can predict where floating debris will end up, but it’s hard to make precise predictions about a dead whale because of its unusual size and shape, he said. Olaf Meineke at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.

“The most important thing is to know if the whales are returning to shore,” Meineke said.

To learn more, he and his team closely monitored a dead humpback whale that had drifted off the coast of Queensland.

A drifting whale measuring 14 meters in length and weighing an estimated 25 tons was discovered by Coast Guard volunteers on July 16, 2023. The whale was headless, and researchers speculate it may have died in a ship collision.

By the next day, the carcass had swept four kilometers (2.5 miles) away. After locating the carcass, Meineke and his colleagues fitted it with a satellite tracking device.

On July 18, the whale washed up on land. It was then towed 30 kilometers offshore and released again. The team then tracked the whale’s trajectory over 150 kilometers over the next week. Eventually, the carcass either sank or the tracking device failed.

His team found that during the first few days after death, when the carcasses were floating highest, up to 1.5 metres above the water’s surface, wind strength was the biggest factor determining the direction of drift.

“Currents only become important when the carcasses start to decay and become less buoyant,” Meineke says.

After collecting the satellite data, the team used a search-and-rescue computer model to simulate the paths of various objects that resemble the outline of a dead whale, including skiffs, life rafts and small boats called pangas, in the same location and weather conditions.

Meineke said the predicted location was accurate for the first few days, but after six days it was off by 10 to 20 kilometers.

He hopes to repeat the study with more carcasses to evaluate different scenarios and provide more precise estimates of where whale carcasses may wash up.

Moving a dead whale from the beach to a landfill can cost authorities more than 10,000 Australian dollars (about US$7,000) and removes huge amounts of nutrients from the marine food chain, Meineke said.

“The goal is to give local authorities the tools to quickly determine whether it’s possible to tow the whale out to sea and know where it will end up.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Astronomers Decode the Calendar Ring of the Antikythera Mechanism

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The Antikythera Mechanism is a multi-part device recovered from a shipwreck near the Greek island of Antikythera in 1901. It is believed to be the remains of a complex mechanical calculator from ancient times and has undergone considerable scrutiny and analysis to determine its true form and function. In a new study, astronomers from the University of Glasgow have used statistical modelling techniques developed to analyse gravitational waves to identify the location of a hole under the Antikythera Mechanism's calendar ring. Their results provide new evidence that the component was likely used to track the Greek lunar calendar.

Fragment of the Antikythera Mechanism. Image credit: National Archaeological Museum of Athens / CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Antikythera shipwreck is a Roman shipwreck dating back to the 1st century BC (85-50 BC).

It is located at the junction of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, east of the Greek island of Antikythera, near Crete.

The Antikythera ships are thought to have been carrying looted treasure from the coast of Asia Minor to Rome in support of a planned triumphal parade for Julius Caesar.

The wreck was discovered in 1900 by a group of Greek sponge diggers on their way to Tunisia, who had taken refuge from a storm near the island and decided to look for sponges while waiting for calmer weather.

Early excavations at the site produced a wealth of finds that are today housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece, including three life-size marble horses, jewels, coins, glassware, and hundreds of works of art, including a statue of Hercules.

The most surprising find was the corroded remains of a complex device known as the Antikythera Mechanism, which is thought to have been an early analog computer used to plan important events such as religious ceremonies, the early Olympic Games and agricultural activities.

Also known as the first mechanical computer, this bronze device was created between 150 and 100 B.C.

It was originally housed in a wooden case with overall dimensions of 31.5 x 19 x 10 cm, with doors at the front and back and much of the exterior covered with astronomical inscriptions.

The surviving fragments contain 30 gears in an incredibly complex arrangement – technological artifacts of similar complexity would not appear until 1,000 years later.

In 2020, new X-ray images of one of the rings in the mechanism, known as the calendar ring, revealed new details about the regular rows of holes underneath the ring.

However, because the ring was broken and incomplete, it was unclear how many holes it originally had.

Initial analysis by Antikythera researcher Chris Budicelic and his colleagues suggests it probably dates to between 347 and 367 B.C.

Above: The 82 surviving fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism. Image courtesy of T. Freeth others2006. Below: Reconstruction of the Antikythera Mechanism by Alan Bromley and Frank Percival. Image courtesy of Alan Bromley.

In the new study, University of Glasgow researchers Graham Warne and Joseph Bayley used two statistical analysis methods to uncover new details about the calendar wheel.

The study found that it was far more likely that the ring had 354 holes corresponding to the lunar calendar, rather than 365 holes according to the Egyptian calendar.

The analysis also shows that the presence of 354 holes is hundreds of times more likely than a ring with 360 holes, which previous studies have suggested as a possible number.

“Late last year a colleague pointed me to some data available from YouTuber Chris Budiselic, who was trying to make a replica calendar ring and was researching ways to work out how many holes there are in the ring,” Prof Warne said.

“I thought this was an interesting problem and thought there might be a different way to solve it over the Christmas holidays, so I set out to answer the question using statistical methods.”

Using a technique called Bayesian analysis, which uses probability to quantify uncertainty based on incomplete data, Professor Warne used the positions of the remaining holes and the arrangement of the ring's six remaining fragments to calculate an estimated number of holes in the mechanism.

His findings provided strong evidence that the mechanism's calendar ring contained either 354 or 355 holes.

At the same time, Dr Bailey had also heard about the problem, and he was applying techniques used by his group to probe the calendar ring by analysing signals picked up by the LIGO gravitational wave detectors, which measure tiny ripples in space-time caused by massive astronomical events such as colliding black holes passing through Earth.

The Markov Chain Monte Carlo and nested sampling methods used by Professor Warne and Dr Bailey provided a comprehensive set of probabilistic results, again suggesting that the ring most likely contained 354 or 355 holes within a circle of radius 77.1mm, with an uncertainty of approximately 1/3mm.

They also found that the holes were precisely positioned with exceptional precision, with the average radius variation between each hole being just 0.028mm.

“Previous studies had suggested that the calendar ring was likely lunar based, but the dual techniques we applied in this study make it much more likely that this was the case,” Dr Bailey said.

“It gave me a new appreciation for the Antikythera Mechanism and the effort and care that Greek artisans put into creating it. Getting the holes exactly where they were would have required extremely precise measuring techniques and an incredibly steady hand to drill them.”

“This is a fascinating symmetry that allows us to apply techniques used to study the universe today to better understand the mechanisms that helped people around 2,000 years ago to understand the movements of celestial bodies,” Prof Warne said.

“While our discoveries about the Antikythera Mechanism are not as supernaturally spectacular as the Indiana Jones mechanism, we hope they will help us better understand how this incredible device was built and used by the Greeks.”

a paper A paper on the findings was published in the July 2024 issue. Watch Journal.

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Graham Warne & Joseph Baillie. 2024. The number of holes in the Antikythera Mechanism’s improved calendar ring: a new analysis. Watch Journal

This article has been adapted from an original release from the University of Glasgow.

Source: www.sci.news

Using a combination of crushed rock and fertilizer can decrease nitrous oxide emissions on farms

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Spreading rock dust on fields can sequester carbon and reduce nitrous oxide emissions.

SO-Photography/Alamy Stock Photo

Spreading crushed basalt on farmland and using special fertilisers to prevent nitrogen loss could cut global agricultural emissions of gases that are a powerful driver of global warming by 25%.

Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas with a warming potential 270 times greater than carbon dioxide. It has increased by 40% in the past 40 yearsAgriculture is a major factor, due to increased use of nitrogen-based fertilisers and rising livestock numbers.

Microorganisms in the soil convert ammonium in manure and animal waste into nitrates, releasing nitrous oxide in the process. Compounds that interfere with this process are called nitrification inhibitors, and can be added to fertilizer to reduce nitrous oxide emissions. Applying basalt dust to the soil, a technique called enhanced rock weathering (ERW), can also help by making the soil more alkaline.

However, nitrous oxide emissions are not only a global warming pollutant, they also have a complex relationship with the ozone layer, and in some circumstances even help it recover, so figuring out the best way to mitigate nitrous oxide emissions without damaging the ozone layer is difficult.

To address this, Maria Val Martin Researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK modelled the impacts of widespread use of both ERW and nitrification inhibitors on nitrous oxide emissions and the ozone layer under two different climate scenarios.

The researchers found that a “moderate” approach, in which ERWs were introduced in key regions around the world and most farmers except the poorest used nitrification inhibitors, could reduce nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture by 25 percent, while nitrous oxide emissions overall would be reduced by 5 percent. These gases also come from combustion engines and industry.

What's more, up to two gigatons of additional carbon could be sequestered in the soil thanks to ERW, and neither scenario would harm the ozone layer, Val Martin says.

“we [carbon] “Enhanced rock weathering would sequestrate carbon dioxide, reduce nitrous oxide emissions, which is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, resulting in climate benefits, and protection of the ozone layer,” she says.

Deploying nitrous oxide abatement efforts on this scale would cost billions of dollars. Sequestering carbon using ERW costs between $80 and $180 per tonne of CO2. According to previous researchAccording to Val Martin, reducing nitrous oxide emissions is a “free” side benefit of carbon sequestration. Applying nitrification inhibitors costs about $28-45 per hectare, which would cost $17-27 billion per year to cover the 600 million hectares modelled in the study – roughly one-eighth of all agricultural land.

Still, Val Martin says the scenario is deliberately cautiously ambitious, and one that could play out in the real world. “What we wanted to do in this study is to come up with a realistic scenario, so if governments want to curb nitrous oxide emissions, [these] It’s a strategy we’re implementing.”

Parbhu Suntaralingam Researchers from the University of East Anglia in the UK say new strategies to curb nitrous oxide emissions are urgently needed, and that this research is particularly valuable because it focuses on curbing emissions without damaging the ozone layer.

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Agriculture/
Greenhouse gas emissions

Source: www.newscientist.com

Science solves five shocking crimes

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Many of us have a morbid fascination with true crime. Whether it’s the gruesome details or insight into the mind of a killer, our curiosity drives our obsession with the macabre. But amidst the sensational headlines, there are real lives affected.

When traditional methods fail, cutting-edge technology can step in to unravel some of the most baffling cases. Here are five astonishing crime cases where scientific advancements helped uncover the truth.

1. Soham Murder

Two men watch as Ian Huntley is sentenced to two life sentences for the murders of 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, in London, December 17, 2003. – Photo credit: Getty

Captor: Palynology

In August 2002, Ian Huntley was convicted of the murder of two 10-year-old girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, through the analysis of pollen grains and spores found on his clothing and car. This breakthrough led to his guilty plea and sentence.

2. The Sacramento Vampire

Captor: Psychological Profiling

Psychological profiling helped solve the case of the Sacramento Vampire, a brutal killer in California in the 1970s. By creating a profile of the killer, authorities were able to identify Richard Chase as the culprit, leading to his conviction.

3. BTK Killer

Dennis Rader during his trial in 2005. – Photo credit: Getty

Captor: Digital Forensics

The BTK Killer, known for his “Bind, Torture, Kill” crimes, was caught through digital forensics after taunting authorities and leaving digital evidence of his identity. Dennis Rader was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.

4. The Butcher Baker Murders

Grounds for conviction: Ballistics, Forensic Geology

Robert Hansen, the Butcher Baker, was convicted through ballistics and forensic geology evidence linking him to the murders of 17 women in Alaska. Unique mineral compositions in soil samples tied him to the crime scenes, leading to his arrest.

5. Golden State Killer

Joseph James DeAngelo during his trial in 2020. – Photo Credit: Getty

Captor: Genetic lineage

The Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, was identified through genetic lineage testing after decades of evading capture. Ancestry DNA and genealogy databases led to his identification and conviction for multiple murders.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Research indicates that the Aurora Borealis may soon jeopardize our power infrastructure

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Seeing the Northern Lights is a dream for many, and the recent intense geomagnetic storm in May provided that opportunity for some. However, scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about the threat these natural light displays pose to modern infrastructure.

New research has revealed a connection between the Northern Lights and strong electrical currents known as geomagnetically induced currents (GICs), which can cause damage to critical infrastructure like pipelines and undersea cables.

Researchers have found that the angle at which an interplanetary shock wave hits Earth’s magnetic field plays a crucial role in determining the strength of these currents.

“Auroras and GICs are linked through the same space weather phenomenon,” explained Dr. Denny Oliveira, a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He emphasized that the aurora is a visual indication of the potential generation of GICs on the ground.

When solar particles interact with Earth’s magnetic field, geomagnetic storms are created, leading to the formation of the aurora. Interplanetary shock waves, arising from the Sun’s solar wind, also contribute to this process.

Interplanetary shock waves are formed similar to the sonic boom of a jet plane breaking the sound barrier. These shock waves compress Earth’s magnetic field and can generate powerful electrical currents that pose a threat to infrastructure conducting electricity.

Mitigating measures are crucial to protecting vulnerable infrastructure from the impact of interplanetary shock waves, as demonstrated by the severe power outage in Canada in 1989 following a geomagnetic storm. Oliveira emphasized the importance of monitoring and managing electrical circuits to prevent equipment damage.

Further research is needed to safeguard critical infrastructure from the strongest shock waves Earth encounters, Oliveira concluded.

About our experts

Denny Oliveira is an astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Astrophysics, PHaSER/UMBC. His research focuses on interplanetary shock waves and their impact on plasma processes in space.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Simple Ways to Soothe a Stressed Dog on Independence Day, According to Experts

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

As America celebrates the Fourth of July with flashing lights, barbecues, and parades, our furry friends may not find fireworks as enjoyable. Many dogs can be scared of fireworks, even if they are only hearing or seeing them from a distance.

If your dog is afraid of fireworks, there are ways to make the experience more relaxing. Dr. Zazie Todd, an animal behavior expert, shared some tips on how to keep your dog calm during a fireworks display.

Why are dogs scared of fireworks?

Dogs have sensitive hearing, so loud sounds like fireworks can be particularly frightening for them. Without understanding the context of these sounds, dogs can become scared and anxious when they hear fireworks.

To help your dog feel more at ease during fireworks displays, there are some steps you can take.

Tips for keeping your dog calm during fireworks

Create a suitable environment for your dog

One way to protect your dog from the noise and light of fireworks is to draw the curtains and turn on the TV. However, being present to reward your dog when there are loud noises can be even more effective in calming them down.

Comforting your dog during fireworks is okay, as they look to you for support in stressful situations. Creating a safe and comforting space for your dog can also help them feel more secure.

Don’t be afraid to comfort them

Despite the idea that comforting a scared dog can make them more afraid, there is no scientific evidence to support this. It is important to offer comfort to your dog during stressful situations, such as fireworks displays.

Try desensitization training

Training your dog to be comfortable with loud noises, like fireworks, can be beneficial. Exposing puppies to quiet firework sounds during their socialization period can help prevent fear of fireworks in the future. Building a positive association with fireworks can also reduce fear and anxiety in dogs.

Going to the vet

If your dog suddenly becomes extremely frightened of fireworks, it may be worth seeking professional help from a vet. Getting your dog checked for any underlying issues causing fear of fireworks can be important for their well-being.

Get a prescription for medicine

If you don’t have time to train your dog or want immediate relief, your vet can prescribe medication to help your dog cope with fireworks. However, this should be used as a short-term solution, and long-term training is recommended for lasting results.

About our experts

Zazie Todd, author of Pet Psychology, is an expert in animal behavior and pet care. With a background in psychology and training, Todd provides science-based information on keeping pets happy and healthy.

read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

New DNA research reveals insights into the ancient ancestry of Australia’s dingoes

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Dingo (Dingo) are an iconic element of Australia’s biodiversity, but evidence-based management and conservation of dingoes depends on understanding their origins and population history. New ResearchIssued this week Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesResearchers have sequenced the genome of an ancient dingo individual, providing clues about the early history of dingoes in Australia, prior to the introduction of modern domestic dogs and the persecution of dingoes by European settlers. The results provide insight into the ancestry and origins of modern dingoes, including their relationship to the singing dogs of New Guinea, and will be a valuable resource for future developments in dingo management and conservation.

Dingoes are culturally and ecologically important free-living canines whose ancestors arrived in Australia more than 3,000 years ago, likely carried by sea voyagers. Image courtesy of Karlel.

Modern dingoes are free-ranging and naturalized Canine They live on most of mainland Australia and some of the nearby islands, including K'gari (known as Fraser Island from the 1840s until 2023).

Between the arrival of their ancestors in Australia at least 3,000 years ago and the introduction of domestic dog breeds as part of European colonisation beginning in the 18th century, dingoes were isolated from domestic dogs for thousands of years and represent an early 'primitive dog' lineage distinct from other free-ranging representatives of modern domestic dogs.

The early branching and free-living nature of dingoes means they were not subjected to the same intensive selective breeding as the ancestors of modern domestic dogs.

As a result, dingoes are behaviorally, genetically and anatomically distinct from domestic dogs and, as the continent's largest and most widespread terrestrial predator, they affect the distribution and populations of many other animal species.

“Dingoes have cultural significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and play a vital role in Australia's ecosystems,” said University of Adelaide researcher Dr Yasin Suirmi.

“Understanding the historical population structure of dingoes will help us to protect their role in Australia's ecosystems and culture.”

“Dingoes are currently under threat from lethal culling programs and our research highlights the importance of protecting populations both inside and outside national parks.”

For the study, Dr Suirmi and his colleagues sequenced genetic data from 42 dingo specimens taken from coastal Western Australia, the Nullarbor Plain and coastal eastern Australia, stretching more than 3,000 kilometres from east to west.

The majority of the dingo specimens the researchers analysed predate the arrival of Europeans in Australia, with some dating back more than 2,000 years, and therefore represent the true genetic diversity of dingoes before they interbred with modern domestic dog breeds.

“This dataset provides a rare glimpse into the genetic landscape of pre-colonial dingoes, without any interbreeding with modern dog breeds,” said Dr Sally Wasef, a palaeogeneticist at Queensland University of Technology.

“As a result, they are behaviorally, genetically and anatomically different from domestic dogs.”

“The ancestors of modern dingoes arrived in Australia more than 3,000 years ago, probably carried there by seafarers.”

“The samples we analysed represent the oldest ancient DNA ever found in Australia and point to broad potential for future DNA and conservation action for dingoes and other animals.”

“Dingo populations have been divided into eastern and western groups and were previously thought to have formed during post-colonial human activity.”

“However, our results show that dingo population structure was already present thousands of years ago, shedding light on the dingo's genetic heritage and highlighting the importance of using ancient DNA for wildlife conservation.”

“For example, all of the K'gari dingoes we analysed are free of domestic dog blood, proving they have retained their ancestral heritage intact.”

“Although we only studied a small number of K'gari dingoes, our results highlight the importance and usefulness of ancient pre-colonial genomic data in conserving our unique native fauna.”

“Bad human behaviour has led some dingoes to take food from tourists so although a few problem dingoes have been culled, this is concerning given the small population.”

“Our unique dataset of ancient dingo DNA has helped us to reveal important details about the ancestry and migration patterns of modern dingoes,” Dr Suirmi said.

“Dingoes existed in Australia long before Europeans arrived, with distinct regional populations roughly separated along the Great Dividing Range, and certainly before the construction of the dingo-proof fence.”

“DNA analysis also shows that there has been less interbreeding between dingoes and modern dogs than previously thought, and our study confirms that today's dingoes retain a significant amount of their ancestral genetic diversity.”

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Yasin Suirmi others2024. Ancient genomes reveal dingo population structure over 2,000 years. PNAS 121(30):e2407584121; doi:10.1073/pnas.240758412

Source: www.sci.news

Exoplanet LHS 1140b in the Habitable Zone: Could it be a Snowball or Waterworld?

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

LHS 1140b is the second-closest temperate transiting exoplanet to Earth, with temperatures cold enough for liquid water to exist on its surface.

LHS 1140b could be a completely icy world, like Jupiter's moon Europa (left), or it could be an icy world with a liquid ocean and cloud-like atmosphere (centre). Image courtesy of B. Gougeon / University of Montreal.

LHS 1140 is a cool, low-mass star located about 39 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cetus.

Also known as Gliese 3053, GJ 3053 and 2MASS J00445930-1516166, the star is about one-fifth the size of our Sun and is about 5 billion years old.

LHS 1140 is known to be home to three exoplanets: LHS 1140b, LHS 1140c, and LHS 1140d.

Earlier this year, astronomers reported new mass and radius estimates for LHS 1140b with extraordinary precision, matching estimates for the better-known TRAPPIST-1 planet: 1.7 times the size and 5.6 times the mass of Earth.

One of the key questions about LHS 1140b was whether it was a mini-Neptune-type exoplanet or a super-Earth.

The latter scenario included the possibility of the existence of so-called Hythean worlds with global liquid oceans enveloped in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, which would show a clear atmospheric signal observable using Webb.

Analysis of Webb's new observations completely rules out the mini-Neptune scenario and provides compelling evidence suggesting that exoplanet LHS 1140b is a super-Earth, possibly with a nitrogen-rich atmosphere.

If confirmed, this result would make LHS 1140b the first temperate planet to show evidence of a secondary atmosphere that formed after the planet's initial formation.

Estimates based on all the accumulated data suggest that LHS 1140b is less dense than expected for a rocky planet with an Earth-like composition, and that 10-20% of its mass may be made up of water.

The discovery indicates that LHS 1140b is a fascinating watery world, possibly similar to a snowball or ice planet, and the planet's expected synchronous rotation means that a region of the planet's surface could always harbor a liquid ocean at its substellar point, facing the system's host star.

Artist's impression of planetary system LHS 1140. Image courtesy of Sci.News.

“Among the currently known temperate exoplanets, LHS 1140b may be the best candidate for future indirect confirmation of the existence of liquid water on the surface of an alien world outside our solar system,” said Charles Cadieux, a doctoral student at the University of Montreal.

“This will be a major milestone in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets.”

Although still preliminary, the presence of a nitrogen-rich atmosphere on LHS 1140b suggests that the planet could retain a significant amount of atmosphere, creating the conditions for liquid water to exist. This finding makes the water-world/snowball scenario the most plausible.

Current models suggest that if LHS 1140b had an Earth-like atmosphere, it would be a snowball planet with a huge bull's-eye shaped ocean about 4,000 km in diameter, equivalent to half the surface area of the Atlantic Ocean.

Surface temperatures in the core of this alien ocean could reach a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius.

LHS 1140b has favorable conditions for a potential atmosphere and liquid water, making it an excellent candidate for future habitability studies.

“The planet provides a unique opportunity to study worlds that could potentially support life, as it is located in the habitable zone of its star and likely has an atmosphere capable of retaining heat and supporting a stable climate,” the astronomers said.

Team paper will be published in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Charles Cadieux others2024. Transmission spectroscopy of the habitable zone exoplanet LHS 1140b with JWST/NIRISS. Apu JL,in press; arXiv:2406.15136

Source: www.sci.news

Oldest Evidence of Plant Cultivation in East Africa Unearthed by Archaeologists

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A treasure trove of ancient plant remains unearthed in Kenya helps explain the history of plant cultivation in equatorial East Africa, a region long thought to be important for early agriculture but where little evidence from actual crops had been found. New Research Released on July 10, 2024 Proceedings of the Royal Society BArchaeologists from Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Pittsburgh and their colleagues report the largest and most extensively dated archaeological record ever found in the East African interior.

Kakapel Rockshelter, located at the foot of Mount Elgon near the Kenya-Uganda border, is where Dr. Muller and his collaborators discovered the oldest evidence of plant cultivation in East Africa. Image by Steven Goldstein.

Until now, scientists have had little success collecting ancient plant remains from East Africa, and as a result, little is known about where and how early plant cultivation began in the vast and diverse region that comprises Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

“There are a lot of stories about how agriculture began in East Africa, but not much direct evidence of the plants themselves,” said archaeologist Dr Natalie Muller of Washington University in St Louis.

The work was carried out at Kakapel Rockshelter in the Lake Victoria region of Kenya.

“We found a huge array of plant life, including large amounts of crop remains,” Dr Muller said. “The past shows a rich history of diverse and flexible agricultural systems in the region, in contrast to modern stereotypes about Africa.”

New research reveals a pattern of gradual adoption of different crops originating from different parts of Africa.

In particular, cowpea remains discovered at Kakapel Rockshelter and directly dated to 2,300 years ago provide the oldest record of a cultivated crop, and possibly an agricultural lifestyle, in East Africa.

The study authors estimate that cowpea is native to West Africa and arrived in the Lake Victoria basin at the same time as the spread of Bantu-speaking peoples migrating from Central Africa.

“The discoveries at Kakapelle reveal the earliest evidence of crop cultivation in East Africa and reflect dynamic interactions between local nomadic pastoralists and migrant Bantu-speaking farmers,” said Emmanuel Ndiema of the National Museums of Kenya, a partner in the project.

“This study demonstrates the National Museums of Kenya's commitment to uncovering the deep historical roots of Kenya's agricultural heritage and to improving our understanding of how past human adaptations impact future food security and environmental sustainability.”

An ever-changing landscape

Located at the foot of Mount Elgon north of Lake Victoria near the Kenya-Uganda border, Kakapelu is a renowned rock art site containing archaeological remains reflecting more than 9,000 years of human occupation in the area. The site has been recognised as a Kenyan national monument since 2004.

“Kakapel Rockshelter is one of the few sites in the region that shows occupation by so many diverse communities over such a long period of time,” said Dr. Steven T. Goldstein, an anthropological archaeologist at the University of Pittsburgh and the other lead author of the study.

“Using innovative excavation techniques, we were able to uniquely detect the arrival of domesticated plants and animals in Kenya and study the impacts of these introductions on the local environment, human technologies and socio-cultural systems.”

Dr Muller used flotation to separate remains of wild and cultivated plant species from ash and other debris in the furnaces excavated at Kakapelle. He has used this technique in research in many other parts of the world, but it can be difficult to use in water-scarce areas and so is not widely used in East Africa.

Using direct radiocarbon dating of charred seeds, scientists documented that cowpea (also known as black-eyed pea, today an important legume worldwide) arrived about 2,300 years ago, about the same time that people in the region began using domesticated cattle.

They found evidence that sorghum arrived from the Northeast at least 1,000 years ago.

They also found hundreds of finger millet seeds dating back at least 1,000 years.

The crop is native to East Africa and is an important traditional crop for the communities currently living near Kakapelle.

One of the unusual crops that Dr. Muller found was a burnt but completely intact pea plant (Pisum), which is not thought to have been part of early agriculture in this region.

“To our knowledge, this is the only evidence for peas in Iron Age East Africa,” Dr Muller said.

This particular pea has been featured in the newspaper and presents a little mystery in itself.

“The standard pea that we eat in North America was domesticated in the Near East,” Dr Muller said.

“It is thought that it was cultivated in Egypt and then travelled down the Nile via Sudan to reach East Africa – which is probably how sorghum got to East Africa. But there is another type of pea called the Abyssinian pea that was cultivated uniquely in Ethiopia, and our sample could be either.”

Many of the plant remains that Dr. Muller and his team found at Kakapelle could not be positively identified because even modern scientists currently working in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda do not have access to a proper reference collection of East African plant samples.

“Our study shows that agriculture in Africa has been constantly changing as people migrate, introduce new crops and abandon others at the local level,” Dr Muller said.

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Muller others2024. Proceedings of the Royal Society Bin press; doi: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2747

This article is a version of a press release provided by Washington University in St. Louis.

Source: www.sci.news

NASA Successfully Completes First Mission Simulating Astronaut Life on Mars

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

NASA is working on developing the technology to send astronauts to Mars. Early 2030s The mock journey was the first of three planned journeys to the habitat as part of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission.

Upon emerging from the habitat, the volunteers were welcomed by a cheering crowd.

“Hello. It’s really great to be able to say hello to you all,” CHAPEA Commander Haston said with a laugh.

The mission aimed to test how the group would handle the challenges humans would encounter on Mars. The crew faced environmental stress, communication delays, and limited resources. They consumed preserved foods as well as vegetables they cultivated during their quarantine.

Brockwell, who also serves as an aeronautical engineer, structural engineer, and public works manager at CHAPEA, noted that the mission provided valuable insights on sustainability.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to implement the concept that resources should be used at a sustainable rate and waste should be managed effectively,” he said.

The crew of the first CHAPEA mission arrived at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on July 6 after completing a one-year mission.
Josh Valcarcel / NASA / CHAPEA

“Without following these principles we cannot live, dream, create, or explore for long periods of time. But if we do follow them we can achieve and sustain amazing and inspiring things, like exploring other worlds,” Brockwell added.

Mars Dune Alpha is located at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The habitat is A sandbox full of red sand There, participants will simulate a “Mars walk.” The habitat will have private rooms, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. There will also be areas for medical, recreational, fitness, and work activities, according to NASA.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

The behavior of small black holes within the Sun, Earth, and humans

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Dead Planets Society is a podcast that explores wild ideas about manipulating the universe and tests them against the laws of physics, from splitting the moon to creating catastrophic events with gravitational waves. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Listen on Spotify or visit our podcast page.

In the early universe, there may have been tiny black holes as massive as mountains but smaller than atoms. If these primordial black holes exist, they could address major cosmological issues and offer endless opportunities for the Society of Dead Planets to explore.

In this episode, hosts Chelsea White and Leah Crane are joined by black hole experts like Alison Kirkpatrick. Researchers at the University of Kansas are investigating the effects of placing a primordial black hole inside different objects, such as the Sun, Earth, or even the human body, yielding surprising results.

A small black hole inside a star or planet would have minimal impact, either passing through or staying near the center depending on the object’s mass. However, a larger black hole the size of Earth but with the radius of a grape could drastically alter the fate of the Sun or consume a planet from within.

Despite the risks, a black hole of this size could potentially manipulate gravity to reshape the universe. For instance, a small black hole near the Moon’s surface could counteract its drift away from Earth.

Kirkpatrick explains that standing a few meters away from a small black hole is relatively safe, but closer proximity would result in gravitational forces tearing apart the nearest parts of the body. Introducing a black hole into the body, even through teleportation, is not advisable.

Kirkpatrick strongly advises against placing a primordial black hole inside the human body due to the immediate havoc it would wreak. The American Medical Association did not provide a response regarding the effects of black holes on humans.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Unveiling the key components that influence your microbiome and well-being

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The rats in John Cryan's lab were withdrawn and anxious, behaving in ways that mirrored those who had been bullied at work and who feared they might encounter the bully again.

Believe it or not, the good news is that they fed some of these rodents a slurry of microbes extracted from their own feces. This may sound unpleasant, but it had a surprisingly positive effect on their behavior. “That was surprising,” says Cryan, a neurobiologist at University College Cork in Ireland. “We found that the behavioral changes that were induced by stress were normalized, and they started to behave like normal animals.”

Even more surprising, the mental changes weren't brought about by changes to gut bacteria, but by modifying another key aspect of the microbiome whose importance is only now being recognized: viruses.

After all, our bodies are full of these viruses – trillions of stowaways that do no harm to our health, but instead play a key role in nurturing a beneficial microbiome and making us healthier. Recent studies have found that the influence of this “virome” can be found throughout the body, from the blood to the brain. The hope is that tweaking it might lead to new ways of treating a variety of ailments, from inflammatory bowel disease and obesity to anxiety.

Microbiome Diversity

Over the past decade, there has been a surge in interest in the microbiome (all the tiny organisms that live on and in our bodies), but that interest has focused primarily on bacteria. Until recently, the assumptions were that…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Cooking releases artificial flavors that enhance the quality of lab-grown meat

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Flavored cultured meat

Yonsei University

Lab-grown meat could potentially taste better thanks to aroma chemicals that activate when cooked and give off a meaty scent – or, if you prefer, coffee or potato.

Meat grown from cell cultures has already been produced in a variety of forms, such as steaks and meatballs, that resemble slaughtered meat, but matching the taste has proven harder: The flavor of traditional meat is too complex and unstable to withstand the lengthy lab process.

One of the key components of cooked meat's flavor is the Maillard reaction, named after the French chemist who discovered that temperatures between 140 and 165°C (280 and 330°F) give cooked foods their distinctive flavor. Jinkee Hong Researchers at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, say they have devised a way to simulate the Maillard reaction by adding “switchable flavour compounds” (SFCs) to a 3D gelatin-based hydrogel called a “scaffold” that remains stable during meat cultivation.

When heated to 150°C, the chemicals “switch on” and release flavors, making the cultured protein more palatable: “When we heated SFC, it actually tasted like meat,” Hong says, though he declined to confirm whether the team actually ate meat.

These SFCs can also be used to create different flavor profiles. For example, the researchers say they tested three compounds, which produced flavors that mimicked roasted meat, coffee, roasted nuts, onion and potatoes. “You can diversify and customize the flavor compounds released from the SFCs,” Hong says.

One big problem is that the chemicals involved are not currently considered safe for human consumption. “Because the materials and culture media have not been approved as edible materials, we cannot guarantee their safety,” Hong says. “However, our strategy can be applied to conventional edible materials and we believe it would be safer than the materials we used in this study.”

Johannes Le Couteur Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, said they were skeptical of the study for a number of reasons, including that the flavor tests primarily used electronic noses to evaluate chemicals released, rather than humans judging whether a scent was appetizing.

“This type of material cannot feed humans,” Le Coutur said. “While cell-based meat is a promising technology concept, this particular flavoring method will never be able to provide safe, sustainable protein to low- and moderate-income communities in need.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Possible Replacement for Beef: A Gelatinous Meat Mass

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Recent advancements in cultured meat technology are poised to enhance the flavor profile of cultured meat products, making them more akin to traditional meat in taste.

Scientists have devised a “flavor-switchable scaffold” that releases meat flavor compounds when exposed to cooking temperatures.

Professor Jin-Kee Hong, a co-author of a study published in 2011 in Nature Communications, emphasized the significance of this innovation. Speaking to BBC Science Focus, he stated, “Many researchers are focusing on creating various bioscaffolds to produce 3D cultured meat from livestock cells.”

However, Hong highlighted that the current emphasis has been primarily on biological aspects, neglecting consumer preferences such as flavor, texture, and taste. He stressed, “…techniques to manipulate the sensory characteristics of cultured tissues are essential for their recognition as food.”

The new gelatin-based scaffold contains flavor compounds that break down during cooking, releasing a meaty flavor similar to traditional meats.

Chemical analysis, including testing with an electronic nose (e-nose), demonstrated that the new flavor profile of cultured meat closely resembles that of grilled beef.

According to the study’s lead author, Miley Lee, the cultured meat exhibits a meat-like flavor and texture, albeit not identical to conventional meat. Lee expressed optimism about narrowing this flavor gap through the development of bioscaffolds with more meat-like properties in the future.

Cells are cultured on a flavor-changing scaffold to produce meaty-flavored cultured meat. – Image courtesy of Yonsei University

Cultured meat is increasingly viewed as a sustainable alternative to traditional animal protein, offering consumers a beloved food while significantly reducing environmental impact and ethical issues associated with animal slaughter, as per Hong.

Moreover, customizing cultured meat to meet specific consumer preferences could position it as a healthier food choice in the future. Lee pointed out that, given its lab-grown nature, all properties of cultured meat can be tailored to meet consumer needs, such as high protein content and no fat.

Despite these breakthroughs, researchers acknowledge current limitations and the need for further exploration. “While many are developing scaffolds for cultured meat production, there is still a long road ahead to achieve meat that perfectly mimics traditional options,” Hong remarked.

Lee added that scaling up cultured meat production for cost-effectiveness and commercial viability remains a challenge, with costs still prohibitive for widespread availability.

Nonetheless, the team remains hopeful in finding solutions in the future. Lee expressed optimism, stating, “We believe our efforts can make a substantial contribution to cultured meat development and the global community.”

About our experts

Jinkee Hong, a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Yonsei University, heads the Nanocomposite Materials Institute, focusing on cutting-edge research in functional polymers.

Miley Lee, a student in the integrated Masters and PhD program at Yonsei University, specializes in scaffold engineering, drug delivery for cell stimulation, and bioelectrical stimulation. She has contributed to numerous research papers in prestigious journals and holds the first authorship on several.

Read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

A new species of thescelosaur dinosaur found to have lived in underground burrows

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Thescelosaurinae A group of small to medium-sized herbivorous dinosaurs that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous. The newly discovered Thescelosaurinae species Fona Herzogae It shows evidence that these dinosaurs spent at least some of their time in underground burrows.

Fona HerzogaeImage courtesy of Jorge Gonzalez.

Fona Herzogae It lived in what is now Utah about 99 million years ago (Cretaceous Period).

At the time, the region was a vast floodplain ecosystem between a huge inland sea to the east and active volcanoes and mountains to the west. It was a warm, wet, muddy environment with numerous rivers and streams.

Since 2013, paleontologists from North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences have excavated this fossil, as well as other specimens of the same species, in the Mussenchutchit Formation of the Cedar Mountain Formation.

The state of preservation of these fossils and some of the features they have suggest that they may have been burrowing.

Fona Herzogae It was a small, herbivorous dinosaur about the size of a large dog and with a simple body shape.

Although they lack the flashy ornamentation of their more well-adorned relatives, such as horned, armored, or crowned dinosaurs, Fona Herzogae it was boring.

Fona Herzogae It shares several anatomical features with animals known for digging and burrowing, including large biceps, strong muscle attachments in the hips and legs, fused bones along the pelvis (probably helping with stability while digging), and hind limbs that are proportionally larger than the forelimbs, but that's not the only evidence that this animal spent time underground.

“The fossil record is biased towards large animals, mainly because in floodplain environments like Mussentucht, small bones at the surface are often scattered, rotted, or scavenged before being buried and fossilized,” says Habib Abrahami, a doctoral student at North Carolina State University and digital engineer for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' new “Dueling Dinosaurs” program.

“but Fona Herzogae In many cases, the bones are found in very good condition and complete, with many of them preserved in their original death position, with their chest down and their forelimbs spread.”

“If they had already been in an underground burrow before they died, it would have been more likely to have been preserved in this way.”

Dr. Lindsay Zanno, associate research professor at North Carolina State University, director of paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and corresponding author of the study, agrees.

“Fona Herzogae “We've found a much larger number of skeletons of small animals with weak bones in this area than we would have expected,” Dr Zanno said.

“The most likely explanation for why so many specimens have been found and why they were recovered in small bundles is that they lived underground, at least part of the time.”

“Essentially, Fona Herzogae They have done a tremendous job for us by putting the whole area underground.”

Although researchers have yet to identify the underground burrow, Fona Herzogaethe tunnels and chambers of its closest relatives, OryctodromeusIt was discovered in Idaho and Montana. These discoveries Fona Herzogae They also used burrows.

Fona Herzogae It is also a distant relative of Willo, another famous North Carolina fossil. Thescelosaurus neglectus This specimen, now in a museum, is thought to have been adapted to a semi-cryptic lifestyle, that is, partially underground.

“Thescelosaurus neglectus At the end of this lineage was Fona Herzogae “It's an ancestor from about 35 million years ago,” Avrahami says.

The researchers Fona Herzogae It is key to improving our understanding of Cretaceous ecosystems.

“Fona Herzogae “It gives us insight into the three-dimensional space that animals can occupy by moving underground,” Avrahami said.

“This discovery adds to the richness of the fossil record and expands the known diversity of small herbivores, a vital yet poorly understood component of Cretaceous ecosystems.”

“People tend to have a myopic view of dinosaurs that hasn't kept pace with scientific advances,” Dr Zanno said.

“We now know that dinosaur diversity ranged from small arboreal gliding animals and nocturnal hunters to sloth-like herbivores and, of course, animals that hid underground.”

of work Appear Anatomy record.

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Habib M. Avrahami othersA new, semi-excavated thescelosaurine dinosaur from the Cenomanian Mussenchutit Formation of the Cedar Mountain Formation in Utah. Anatomy recordPublished online July 9, 2024; doi: 10.1002/ar.25505

This article is a version of a press release provided by North Carolina State University.

Source: www.sci.news

Rare genetic mutation results in stunning blue-skinned frog

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The magnificent tree frog (Litoria splendida) is normally green, but this mutant is blue

J Barker/AWC

A rare blue frog found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia has stunned researchers who say the unusual colouring is probably due to a genetic mutation causing it to lose certain skin pigments.

As its name suggests, the magnificent tree frog (Litoria splendida) is already a spectacular animal, so when Jake Barker When he saw a bright blue specimen on a bench in a workshop at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s Charnley River-Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary in April, he was shocked.

The amphibians are normally a vibrant green, which is a common colour for tree frogs and is thought to camouflage them.

“I knew as soon as I saw it that it was rare,” says Barker. “It’s not often that you get to see a blue frog.” It has been seen a number of times since, but won’t be captured for research, he says.

“It’s far too pretty and far too unique and it would be a pity to take it away from its natural habitat,” says Barker. “We’ll leave it to live out its days and hopefully get to see it many more times in the future.”

Jodi Rowley At the Australian Museum in Sydney, the animal may be the “most beautiful, aberrant-coloured frog” that she has ever seen. “And I have seen tens of thousands of frogs.”

From the photos she has seen, Rowley says the frog is at least 2 to 3 years old. The species may live to be 20 years old, so the blue individual is likely to be around for a while unless caught by a predator.

She says the frogs’ skin colour is determined by the combination of three chemicals – melanophores, which provide blacks and browns; xanthophores, which provide yellow pigments; and iridophores, which reflect blue colours. Normally, the yellows and blues combine to make green, but it is thought the new blue frog has a mutation that means it is missing the yellow pigments and the blue dominates.

“Blue is probably a bit more obvious to predators,” says Rowley, “which is why we don’t see many blue frogs.”

Topics:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Artificial turf equipped with self-cooling technology offers solution for cities facing extreme weather

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

At a test site in Amsterdam, self-cooling artificial turf was tested against regular artificial turf.

Joris Forten

By absorbing rainwater and allowing it to evaporate on hot days, artificial turf stays much cooler than regular artificial grass. Self-cooling turf protects athletes from burns and heat stroke and helps cities manage stormwater.

Such surfaces are already in use in Amsterdam, London and Kobe, Japan, he said. Marjolein van Huygevoort At the KWR Water Resources Institute in Nieuwegein, The Netherlands.

“A normal lawn stays cool because the grass itself evaporates,” she says, “so this system mimics that natural situation by letting the water rise and evaporate.”

Van Huygevoort says many cities and sports venues are installing artificial turf fields because overuse can damage natural grass. Even in warm climates like those in Northern Europe, the sun can heat the plastic surface to about 70°C (158°F), not only damaging the health of athletes but also warming the air in urban areas, a situation that will only get worse with global warming, he says.

Inspired by A “blue-green roof” that collects rainwater for a cooling effectVan Huygevoort and her colleagues built a toy-sized mock-up of the playground in a climate-controlled lab, with a water-retention unit below the surface topped with a two-centimeter-thick cushioning pad with thin irrigation cylinders embedded inside.

Filled with mineral wool fibres that act like a sponge, these “capillaries” slowly wick water up into a thin layer of sand at the bottom of the artificial turf surface. In a heated laboratory environment, the irrigated water evaporates from the sand, creating a cooling effect on the surface.

Encouraged by these results, the team built a 25-square-metre test site in Amsterdam containing irrigated natural grass. During a heatwave that recorded a maximum temperature of 29.8°C (86°F), the conventional artificial grass reached 62.5°C (145°F). The researchers found that Self-cooling lawnBut the temperature never rose above 37°C (99°F), just 1.7°C warmer than on a natural grass field. Even the air above the water-cooled turf was cooler, which helped keep temperatures down across the city, van Huygevoort said.

The system is based on a design in which the rate at which the water level rises and the evaporative cooling process depend on various natural factors, such as weather conditions. “So water only evaporates when there is a demand for cooling,” says van Huygevoort.

A reservoir beneath the grass can store about 512,000 litres of rainwater beneath the floor of a standard 100-metre by 64-metre football pitch, she says, and capillaries in the buffer pad can store another 96,000 litres, meaning the field should be useful for absorbing large amounts of water during storms, van Huygevoort says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Fresh Off the Press: Latest Release on Supervolcanoes from BBC Science Focus Magazine

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Michael Mosley

This avant-garde science communicator is a colleague BBC Science Focus Contributor, Professor Giles Yeo.

Cosmic String

Cosmic strings would be the Holy Grail of physics: if discovered, they would unify our theories and even make time travel possible. Now, astronomers may have found the first evidence that cosmic strings exist.

Back pain

Most common treatments for back pain don’t stand up to scientific scrutiny. Experts dispel myths about back pain, including common causes and treatments. Learn the best ways to reduce strain and relieve back pain.

Hedonic happiness

The everyday actions you take can make or break your happiness. Here are some less-talked-about lifestyle choices you can make to improve your baseline happiness and stop chasing elusive feelings.

plus

Creatine: Every supplement claims to have positive effects on the body and brain. But research shows that these claims are false. actually When it comes to creatine, we’ll explore whether these claims are true and cover the potential side effects of the supplement.
Question-and-answer session: Answers to all the questions you didn’t know you needed answers to.
Doomsday Glacier: Thwaites Glacier is the world’s largest glacier, covering an area larger than Florida, but it may be on the verge of collapse… and that’s a big problem.

Issue 407 will be released on July 9, 2024

Please do not forget BBC Science Focus It is also available on major digital platforms.
Android,
Kindle Fire and Kindle e-Reader,and
iOS App
For iPad and iPhone.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Oldest Evidence of Storytelling in Art Found in 51,200-Year-Old Indonesian Cave Paintings

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Archaeologists used a new technique called Laser Ablation U-series (LA-U-series) to re-date some of the oldest cave paintings in the Maros-Pangkep region of South Sulawesi and date stylistically similar motifs at other Maros-Pangkep sites. They found a minimum age of 50,200 years ago (± 2,200 years) for a hunting scene from the Leambur Sipong 4 cave site, first dated to a minimum of 43,900 years ago using a previous approach, meaning it is at least 4,040 years older than previously thought. They also assigned a minimum age of 53,500 years ago (± 2,300 years) to the newly described Leang Karampuang cave painting. Painted at least 51,200 years ago, the narrative work depicts human-like figures interacting with pigs and is now known as the world's oldest surviving example of figurative art and visual storytelling.

A 51,200-year-old mural from Leang Karampuan. Image courtesy of Griffith University.

Prehistoric rock art provides important insights into past human cultures, but is typically difficult to date in an accurate and reliable way.

Over the past few decades, solution-based U-series methods have been used to determine early dates for rock art in several regions, including Western Europe, island Southeast Asia, and Siberia.

In Spain, a handprint stencil was dated to at least 64,800 years ago by solution U-series analysis of the overlying calcite and attributed to Neanderthals.

Until now, the oldest evidence of representational art is a naturalistic painting of a warthog at Reang Tedonggae in Maros-Pangkep, Sulawesi, which was dated to at least 45,500 years ago using the solution U series.

“We have previously used uranium-series methods to date very ancient rock art in two areas of Indonesia, Sulawesi and Borneo, but our new laser ablation U-series (LA-U-series) technique is more accurate,” said Professor Maxim Aubert from Griffith University, lead author of the study.

“This will allow us to date the oldest calcium carbonate layers that formed in the murals and get a more accurate idea of when the murals were created. This will revolutionize the dating of murals.”

“The innovative technique we developed allows us to create a detailed 'map' of the calcium carbonate layers,” added study co-author Professor Renaud-Joannes Boyau from Southern Cross University.

“This feature makes it possible to precisely identify and avoid areas affected by natural diagenesis resulting from complex growth histories.”

“As a result, dating of rock art becomes more certain and reliable.”

The discovery that the Leang Karampuang paintings are at least 51,200 years old has important implications for understanding the origins of early art.

“Our results are very surprising. Apart from some controversial finds in Spain, none of the famous Ice Age rock arts in Europe are this old. This is the first time that Indonesian rock art has been dated to more than 50,000 years,” said the study's lead author Adi Agus Octaviana, a rock art expert at Jakarta's National Research and Innovation Agency and a doctoral student at Griffith University.

The scientists also used the LA-U series technique to re-date calcium carbonate deposits that lie above cave paintings at the Leang Bru Sipon 4 cave site.

The paintings, which consist of narrative “scenes” depicting figures interpreted as therianthropes (half-human, half-animal) hunting warthogs and dwarf buffalo, were estimated by the team to be at least 43,900 years old.

Using new techniques, the authors prove that the artwork dates to a minimum of about 48,000 years ago, making it 4,040 years older than present.

“The cave paintings at Leang Karampuang and Leang Bul Siphon 4 shed new light on a great period and the vital role of storytelling in art history,” said Professor Adam Blum of Griffith University, co-author of the study.

“It is remarkable that the oldest cave paintings found so far in Sulawesi consist of recognizable scenes – pictures of humans interacting with animals – and we can infer that the artists were trying to tell some kind of story.”

“This was a new discovery because the academic consensus on early figurative cave art was that it consisted of panels with single figures, no clearly defined scenes, and that pictorial representations that conveyed a narrative emerged much later in European art.”

This discovery suggests that narrative storytelling has been an important part of human artistic culture in Indonesia from very early times.

“Humans have probably been telling stories for much longer than 51,200 years, but because words don't fossilize we have to rely on indirect evidence like depicted scenes in artwork, and the Sulawesi artworks are the oldest such evidence known to archaeology so far,” Octaviana said.

of Investigation result Published in a journal Nature.

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AA Octaviana and othersl. The story of Indonesian cave paintings from 51,200 years ago. NaturePublished online July 3, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07541-7

Source: www.sci.news

Webb Observes Four Views of a Gravitationally Lensed Quasar

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The quasar, called RX J1131-1231, lies about 6 billion light-years away in the constellation Crater.

This Webb image shows the galaxy RX J1131-1231 distorted by gravitational lensing into a dark ring. At the top of the ring are three very bright spots next to each other, emitting diffraction spikes. These are copies of a single quasar in the lensed galaxy, duplicated by gravitational lensing. In the center of the ring, the lensing elliptical galaxy appears as a small blue spot. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / A. Nierenberg.

RXJ1131-1231 The galaxy is thought to be one of the best lensed quasars ever discovered, as the foreground lensing effect blurs the image of the background quasar into a bright arc, creating four celestial images.

“Gravitational lensing effect“This phenomenon, first predicted by Albert Einstein, acts as a natural telescope, magnifying the light from these sources and providing a rare opportunity to study the regions close to the black holes in distant quasars,” astronomer Webb said.

“All matter in the universe distorts the space around it, and the more mass there is, the more pronounced this effect.”

“Around very massive objects like galaxies, light passing nearby travels through this distorted space, appearing to bend visibly from its original path.”

“One of the inevitable effects of gravitational lensing is the magnification of distant objects, allowing astronomers to study objects that would otherwise be too faint or too far away.”

“Measuring the X-ray emission from a quasar can provide an indication of how fast the central black hole is rotating, which could give researchers important clues about how black holes grow over time,” the researchers added.

“For example, if black holes grow primarily through collisions and mergers between galaxies, then the accumulation of material in a stable disk and the steady supply of new material from the disk should cause the black hole to rotate rapidly.”

“On the other hand, if a black hole grows through many small accretion episodes, then material will accumulate from random directions.”

“Observations show that the black hole in RX J1131-1231 is rotating at more than half the speed of light, suggesting that the black hole grew by merging rather than by attracting matter from different directions.”

New images of RX J1131-1231 can be found at Webb's MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) As part of an observational program to study dark matter.

“Dark matter is an invisible substance that makes up most of the mass of the universe,” the researchers said.

“Webb's quasar observations allow us to probe the nature of dark matter on smaller scales than ever before.”

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This article is a version of a press release provided by NASA.

Source: www.sci.news

Ancient DNA unravels the evolutionary history of Australian dingoes

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Dingoes are found across most of the Australian continent.

Dominique Jeanmaire/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Analysis of ancient dingo DNA suggests that Australia's native wild dogs arrived in two migration waves between 3,000 and 8,000 years ago, and show little evidence of interbreeding with domestic dogs.

Sally Wasef Researchers from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia looked at 42 ancient dingo specimens, ultimately obtaining nine complete genomes, including the oldest genome of any Australian species sequenced to date, as well as mitochondrial DNA from 16 animals.

The DNA recovered dates from 400 to 2,700 years ago and was collected from across the continent. The researchers compared this ancient data with DNA from 11 modern dingoes, six New Guinea singing dogs, and 372 domestic dogs, wolves, and other canines collected in previous studies.

The analysis confirmed that Australia's two main dingo populations – those concentrated on the east and west coasts – diverged at least 3,000 years ago, and because the east coast dingoes are more closely related to the singing dogs of New Guinea than are the west coast dingoes, it is possible that dingoes migrated to Australia in two waves.

Because no DNA from ancient New Guinea singing dogs was found, the researchers could not rule out the possibility that the singing dogs were descended from dingoes that migrated to New Guinea from Australia.

People have long known that dingoes descended from wolves, but “without ancient DNA we couldn't figure that out,” Wassef said.

Since Europeans arrived in Australia, dingoes have been hunted and killed as a threat to the livestock industry.

In recent years, there have been a number of dingo attacks on humans on K'gari Island, also known as Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland, leading to the animals being euthanized.

Analysis of ancient DNA found no evidence that the K'gari dingoes interbred with domestic dogs. “It's been suggested that dingoes interbred with domestic dogs to provide an excuse to kill them,” Wassef said. “Our results don't show evidence of widespread interbreeding.”

To protect K'gari dingoes' gene pool, Wassef said the practice of euthanizing dingoes may need to be reconsidered: “K'gari dingoes already suffer from inbreeding and killing individuals would significantly reduce their DNA.”

“This study is exciting because it provides some of the data we need to investigate the evolutionary relationships between dingoes, New Guinea singing dogs, dog populations around the world and wolves,” Kylie Cairns At the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

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Source: www.newscientist.com