Tag Archives: East

How Middle East Conflicts Could Speed Up the Shift to Clean Energy

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Smoke and fire erupt at oil facility in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates

Smoke and fire erupt at oil facility in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates

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Despite the consistent opposition to climate initiatives from Donald Trump, his policies inadvertently accelerated the Green Revolution by directing attention to Iran’s actions.

In retaliation, Iran has halted nearly all navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage where 20% of the world’s oil and gas supply flows, escalating tensions with attacks on oil and gas infrastructures using drones and missiles.

As a result, oil prices have surged from approximately $70 to over $100 per barrel, with natural gas prices also seeing significant increases in various regions. Arab nations are attempting to redirect fuel through pipelines, though high prices are anticipated to persist. A think tank, Ember, estimates that even a decrease to an average oil price of $85 would result in an additional financial burden of $240 billion on fossil fuel-importing countries.

However, these costs could be mitigated by up to 70% through the adoption of renewable energy, electric vehicles, and heat pumps.

“The conflict in Iran will likely hasten the transition to cleaner energy sources,” says Sam Butler-Sloss from Ember. “As prices escalate and the vulnerability of fossil fuel systems becomes evident, nations recognize the urgent need to harness renewable energy—particularly where abundant solar and wind resources are available.”

The fallout from this energy crisis will likely surpass the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which disrupted the flow of Russian oil and gas to Europe. Consequently, annual solar installations in the EU have more than doubled, with growth in the UK nearing two-thirds, and wind energy capacity continuing to expand. Currently, renewable energy constitutes about 45% of the global energy capacity.

Asia currently stands as the most vulnerable region. 4/5 The amount of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) transported through the Strait of Hormuz is critical for countries like Japan and South Korea, relying on it for 70% of their oil supply. Additionally, Taiwan sources a third of its natural gas from the strait, with India receiving up to 50% of its imports from there. Some businesses in India have even reduced menu options due to the cooking gas shortage. “This marks Asia’s moment of reckoning,” states Butler-Sloss.

As Japan and South Korea increase coal usage, which is twice as polluting as natural gas, short-term greenhouse gas emissions may rise. Simultaneously, both nations are boosting output from existing nuclear power plants.

In response, the South Korean government is expediting approvals, financing, and grid access for wind and solar projects. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized on March 11 that solar energy and electric vehicles are essential to decrease dependence on foreign fuel imports, as reported.

“Much like Europe did four years ago, Asian economies are beginning to awaken to these challenges,” says Pavel Molchanov from Raymond James & Associates. “This wake-up call will stimulate an increase in renewable energy adoption as fossil fuels become increasingly prone to disruption.”

China, which imports nearly half of its oil via the Strait of Hormuz, has already outpaced the global average in solar and wind power installations, with anticipations that this trend will amplify. However, as the world’s largest coal producer, it may simultaneously elevate coal usage in its energy mix.

“China will adhere to its comprehensive energy strategy,” notes Li Shuo from the Asian Social Policy Research Institute. “This lesson will resonate with several other nations.”

For countries with underdeveloped electricity grids, the rising costs of natural gas and diesel will position solar energy as a more attractive option for utilities, households, and businesses alike. Following the Ukraine invasion, Pakistan saw a notable increase in solar energy, which rose from 4% to 25% of its electricity generation, driven by households and businesses investing in affordable solar panels from China.

In the long run, electric vehicles (EVs) could emerge as significant beneficiaries. Prices for EVs could decrease at a faster rate than gas price fluctuations, as much of the natural gas is transported by pipeline rather than via shipping. In contrast, oil prices are globally influenced and typically higher. Consumers in the U.S., the largest oil-producing nation, face unprecedented fuel costs.

More individuals are considering purchasing EVs, asserts Enver, while governments should facilitate this transition, as the “superlever” of EV adoption could potentially reduce costs for fossil fuel-importing nations by one-third.

Nonetheless, as the average vehicle lifespan nears 20 years, the full impact of this transition will take time, according to energy consultant Michael Liebreich of Liebreich Associates. The shift from natural gas to renewable energy is already perceptible and will persist, even as gas prices decline.

“The assumption that gas demand will grow in a world equipped with affordable wind, solar, and battery storage—while increasingly shunning global commodity markets—is misguided. That era is over,” Liebreich concluded.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Homo Erectus Arrived in East Asia Sooner than Previously Believed

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Recent dating of fossilized skulls from the Early Pleistocene site at Unzen, China, indicates that early Homo erectus inhabited East Asia around 1.77 million years ago. This finding suggests that human history in the region extends back at least 670,000 years, raising intriguing possibilities of rapid migration from Africa.

Reconstruction of Homo erectus.

The earliest known fossil of Homo erectus, dating from 1.78 million to 1.85 million years ago, was discovered in Dmanisi, Georgia (Sakartvelo).

However, the earliest evidence of Homo erectus in further eastern regions has long been a subject of debate.

“Historically, Homo erectus, our ancient ancestor, is believed to have originated in Africa before migrating into Eurasia, but the timing of their arrival in East Asia was previously unclear,” said Dr. Christopher Bay from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

“By utilizing findings from Unzen, along with fossil and burial dating techniques, we can now establish a more precise timeline for when these hominins first appeared in East Asia.”

Researchers employed aluminum-26 (Al-26) and beryllium-10 (Be-10) burial dating methods to determine the ages of the Unzen fossils.

“When cosmic rays penetrate quartz minerals, they produce Al-26 and Be-10 isotopes,” explained Dr. Hua Tu from Shantou University and Nanjing Normal University.

“Isotope production ceases once the material is buried deep underground, leading to radioactive decay.”

“By analyzing the decay rates of aluminum and beryllium isotopes and measuring their proportions in sediment surrounding the fossil, we can accurately estimate how long the fossil has been buried.”

This method is significant because the Al-26/Be-10 dating technique allows for accurate dating of materials dating back as far as 5 million years, unlike traditional carbon-14 dating, which is limited to the last 50,000 years.

Earlier dating attempts estimated the Unzen fossils to be approximately 800,000 to 1.1 million years old.

“Our results fundamentally challenge the long-standing beliefs regarding when the earliest human migrations from Africa to Asia occurred,” noted Dr. Bay.

“Although these findings are pivotal, the exact timeline remains a mystery regarding when Homo erectus first and last appeared in this region.”

“If Homo erectus was not the first species to establish residency in Asia, then alternative species must be considered. The latest chronology from Yunxian is a crucial step in resolving these debates.”

For more details, refer to the findings published in the February 20, 2026, issue of the journal Scientific Advances.

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Hua Tu et al. 2026. The oldest Homo erectus skulls in East Asia: The Unzen site is approximately 1.77 million years old. Scientific Advances 12 (8): eady2270; doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ady2270

Source: www.sci.news

Oldest Known Sauropodmorph Dinosaurs Discovered in East Asia, Excavated in China

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wudingloong wui existed around 200 million years ago in Yunnan Province, China, during the early Jurassic Epoch.

Reconstructed skeletons and representative bones of wudingloong wui. Individual scale bars – 5 cm. Reconstructed skeleton scale bar – 50 cm. Image credit: Wang et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-12185-2.

wudingloong wui was a medium-sized member of the non-Sauropodang group, part of the Sauropodomorpha, a highly successful dinosaur clade found nearly worldwide, from Antarctica to Greenland.

“The Chinese non-Sauropodian sauropods are primarily known from the Rufen and the adjacent Lower Jurassic Rufen Formation in Yunnan Province, including species like Lufengosaurus, Yunnanosaurus, Jing Shanosaurus, xingxiulong, and Yizhousaurus,” said Jamin Wang, a paleontologist at the Chinese Geological Museum and a collaborator.

“The discovery of Qianlong from the Jurassic Jillusin Formation in the neighboring Gituhou province is a recent finding that expands our understanding of non-Sauropodian Sauropodomorphs in China.”

“The discovery of wudingloong wui provides additional evidence that the Sauropodomorph community in southwestern China is the most taxonomically diverse and morphologically varied in the world, featuring a range of species from early Massospondylidae to non-Sauropod forms.”

Fossilized remains of wudingloong wui were collected from the Yubacun Layer in Wande Town, Yunnan Province, China.

“The specimen includes a partial skeleton comprising the skull, lower jaw, atlas, axis, and the third cervical vertebra.”

“Fully developed skull elements and closed central nerve sutures suggest that the specimen is likely a mature individual.”

wudingloong wui is the earliest and statistically oldest Sauropodomorph dinosaur discovered in East Asia.

“The new species fits within the Sauropodomorph classification, predating Massospondylidae and Sauropodiformes, thus contributing valuable information to the Sauropodomorph community in southwestern China,” the researchers stated.

“Thus, the Sauropodomorph community in early Jurassic southwestern China is possibly characterized by four distinct associations comprising four relatively small species, including the medium-sized Massospondylid Lufengosaurus, early Zauropod horns, and assemblages resembling late Triassic to early Jurassic medium-sized sauropods, presumably quadrupedal Massopodans, akin to those found in the Elliott Formation of South Africa and the Zauropodmorph group in Zimbabwe.”

“Close phylogenetic ties between wudingloong and Plateosauravus from the Elliott Formation in late Triassic South Africa, as well as Ruehleia from late Triassic Germany, indicate that the early dispersal of Sauropodomorphs in East Asia occurred at least during the Late Triassic Rhaetian (206-201 million years ago) or around the Triassic-Jurassic boundary (201 million years ago).”

“To substantiate this hypothesis, further samples and additional analyses are required.”

“Nonetheless, the discovery of wudingloong raises questions regarding the distribution of non-Sauropodian sauropods in East Asia and its correlation with Triassic-Jurassic extinction events.”

The team’s paper is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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YM. King et al. 2025. The new early Jurassic dinosaurs represent the earliest and oldest Sauropodmorph in East Asia. Sci Rep 15, 26749; doi:10.1038/s41598-025-12185-2

Source: www.sci.news

As Key Atlantic Currents Decelerate, US East Coast Confronts Rising Sea Levels

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AMOC is a system of ocean currents that circulates water in the Atlantic Ocean.

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

The decline in significant Atlantic currents is contributing to flooding linked to rising sea levels in the northeastern United States, which are already affected by climate change. As global temperatures increase, a total collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could exacerbate sea level rise.

“If AMOC collapses, this will greatly increase flood frequency along the US coastline, independent of major storms,” states Liping Chan from the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in New Jersey. “Even a partial reduction in current strength can have significant consequences.”

The warm waters melting ice sheets and rising sea levels are influenced by climate change, which leads to uneven rates of sea level rise across different regions. For instance, some coastal areas have subsided, increasing the relative rate of sea level rise there. Local sea levels are also affected by the circulation of heat, water, and salt in the ocean, with warm, fresh water occupying more volume than cold, salty water.

Over the past few decades, sea levels along the northeastern US coast have risen 3-4 times faster than the global average. The slowing of AMOC—responsible for transporting warm water from lower latitudes to the North Atlantic, where it cools and sinks—has long been considered a potential cause of this phenomenon. As this circulation weakens, warm deep water expands, pushing more water onto the shallow continental shelf.

AMOC strength varies naturally over different timescales, and climate change has contributed to its slowdown as the North Atlantic and its waters have become warmer and clearer in recent decades. However, it remained uncertain whether this decrease significantly affected sea levels.

Chang and her team utilized tidal gauge measurements from the New England coast to reconstruct local sea levels dating back over a century. Alongside a steady rise due to climate change, they identified significant fluctuations between low and high sea levels every few decades. Low sea levels correlated with periods of weak AMOC, while high sea levels were also aligned with these intervals, which brought more frequent coastal flooding.

The researchers then employed two distinct ocean models to quantify the impact of AMOC intensity variations on local sea levels. While the primary driver of change was the steady rise due to climate change, they discovered that weakened AMOCs significantly increased sea-level-related flooding. In multiple coastal regions, they noted that the slowdown in AMOC has contributed to delaying flooding by 20-50% since 2005.

Given that the natural cycle of AMOC strength is largely predictable, Zhang asserts that these findings enable researchers to forecast potential flooding events up to three years in advance. This foresight can guide long-term infrastructure planning and emergency preparedness.

“This highlights the critical role of AMOC in [sea level rise],” remarks Chris Hughes, who was not involved in the research, from the University of Liverpool in the UK. “It’s not merely theoretical; it’s evident in the real world.”

It remains unclear how much of the recent AMOC weakening is attributable to climate change versus natural variability. Nevertheless, the findings bolster predictions that if AMOC were to completely collapse due to climate change, significant portions of the US East Coast could experience a surge in sea levels.

Hughes warns that if AMOC nearly collapses, sea levels could rise by around 24 centimeters. “While it may not seem dramatic, even a small increase can have a substantial effect.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

During the Mesolithic Age in East Asia, the discovery of stone tools reveals a complex range of human dynamics

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The Mid-Lestic Age is considered a dynamic period in European and African history, but is generally considered a static period in East Asia. The discovery of a series of refined stone tools at Long Tang Sight in southwestern China, 50,000-60,000 years ago, challenges that recognition.

A product from the Quina system located at Longtan Site, China. Image credits: Luan et al. , doi: 10.1073/pnas.2418029122.

The Paleolithic period in the Central era occurred about 300,000-40,000 years ago and is considered an important time in human evolution.

This period is related to the origins and evolution of modern African people.

In Eurasia, it is associated with the development of several archaic human groups, such as the Neanderthals and Denisovan.

However, there is a widely believed belief that in most of the Paleostemic period, China’s development had slowed.

“Our discoveries challenge our current understanding of human history and technological development in East Asia,” said Professor Beau Lee of the University of Wollongong.

“This finding challenges a long-established general theory among archaeologists that China-China tools are relatively simple and unchanged.”

Professor Li and colleagues unearthed a rich collection of stone tools at the Longtan archaeological site in Yunnan, China.

This tool revealed a complete kina technology system that includes the cores used to generate large and thick flakes.

The Kina Industry is one of the most representative tool creation strategies developed in the Mid Paleolithic period around 300,000-40,000 years ago.

It is characterized by a steeply scaled retouch of thick flakes, which often produces robust scrapers with heavy edge modifications associated with neanderthals, representing strategies developed during marine isotope stage 4 as a response to open forest grassland environments and cool/dry climates.

The Kina Technical System was discovered in Western and Southern Europe during this period, but was not thought to have existed in East Asia.

The wear traces of Longtanquina scrape suggest that they are used in a variety of materials, including bones, horns, wood, meat, skin, and non-slow plants.

“Evidence has shown that the discoveries at Longtan significantly broadened the geographical distribution of human species, the tools used, and the adaptability to adapt to a variety of climates and environments,” Professor Li said.

“The discovery of Longtan also provides a perspective to understand how the human-leeze species evolved and evolved in East Asia prior to the massive arrival of early modern people 45,000 years ago.”

“Understanding rather old artifacts forces us to rethink models of human migration patterns and technology evolution in this part of the world.”

“This opens an exciting new avenue for research and, as we know, can rewrite East Asia’s prehistoric period.”

a paper The survey results were published this week Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Qi-Jun Ruan et al. 2025. Kinarithic technology demonstrates the diverse late Pleistocene human dynamics of East Asia. pnas 122 (14): E2418029122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2418029122

Source: www.sci.news

Ancient teeth reveal the variety of theropod dinosaurs in East Sussex during prehistoric times

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Several groups of carnivorous dinosaurs – Tyrannosaurus, Spinosaurus, and their members Velociraptor The family crept into the Bexhill-on-Sea region of present-day East Sussex, England, about 135 million years ago (early Cretaceous period), according to new research.

Early Cretaceous floodplain in southeastern England, 135 million years ago. A spinosaur (center) takes over the carcass of an ornithopod, tormenting smaller tyrannosaurs (left) and dromaeosaurs (bottom right). Image credit: Anthony Hutchings.

Dr Chris Barker, a palaeontologist at the University of Southampton, said: “Carnivorous dinosaurs are rare in the Cretaceous deposits of southern England.”

“Normally it is the Isle of Wight dinosaurs that attract our attention. Little is known about the older Cretaceous specimens recovered from mainland sites.”

In this study, Barker and his colleagues examined assemblages of theropod teeth taken from animals. Wadhurst Clay Formationmainly collected from the Ashdown Brickworks area near Bexhill, East Sussex.

Theropod teeth are complex and vary in size, shape, and serrated edge anatomy.

The authors used several techniques to analyze the fossils, including phylogenetic methods, discriminant methods, and machine learning methods.

“Dinosaur teeth are durable fossils and are typically preserved more frequently than bones, so they are often important when you want to rebuild ecosystem diversity,” Dr. Barker said. .

“There are rigorous methods that help identify teeth with high accuracy.”

“Our findings suggest the presence of spinosaurs, medium-sized tyrannosaurs, and small dromaeosaurs. Velociraptor-There are some theropods in these deposits. ”

A theropod tooth excavated from the Wadhurst Clay Formation. Scale bar – 10 mm. Image credit: Barker others., doi: 10.1002/spp2.1604.

The discovery of Tyrannosaurus is particularly noteworthy. This is because this group has not been previously identified in sediments of this age and region.

These tyrannosaurs would have been about one-third the size of their more famous cousins. tyrannosaurus rexand likely hunted small dinosaurs and other reptiles in floodplain habitats.

“Assigning isolated teeth to a group of theropods can be difficult, especially since many traits evolve independently between different lineages,” says Dr. Lucy Handford. Student at York University.

“Therefore, we employed a variety of methods to refine our findings, leading to a more reliable classification.”

“It is very likely that further discoveries will be made by re-evaluating the theropod teeth elsewhere in the museum.”

Dr Darren Naish, a palaeontologist at the University of Southampton, said: 'Southern England has an extremely good record of Cretaceous dinosaurs, and the various sedimentary layers here are among the world's best in terms of geological age and the fossil content they contain. It's also unique.”

“These East Sussex dinosaurs are older, more mysterious, and less well known than the better-known Cretaceous deposits of the Isle of Wight.”

“We've been hoping to find out for decades which groups of theropods lived here, so the new study's conclusions are really interesting.”

of findings appear in the diary paleontology papers.

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Chris T. Barker others. 2024. Theropod dinosaur diversity of Lower Wealden, England: analysis of the tooth-based fauna of the Wadhurst Clay Formation (Lower Cretaceous: Valanginian) through phylogenetic, discriminant, and machine learning methods. paleontology papers 10 (6): e1604;doi: 10.1002/spp2.1604

Source: www.sci.news

Recent study provides insights into the factors influencing human evolution in East Africa

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East Africa contains the world’s most complete record of human evolution, yet scientists know little about how long-term biogeographic dynamics in the region have influenced human diversity and distribution.

An artist’s depiction of early human habitation in Tanzania 1.8 million years ago. Image courtesy of M. Lopez-Herrera / Enrique Baquedano / Olduvai Paleoanthropology and Paleoecology Project.

In the new study, Dr. Ignacio Razaga-Baster from the National Center for Research on Human Evolution (CENIEH) and his colleagues focused on the mammal fossil record of the East African Rift Valley.

“The Late Cenozoic fossil beds of the East African Rift Valley provide the world’s richest, longest and most continuous record of human evolution and its environmental context,” the authors explained.

“As such, the human and faunal records of East Africa have been central to understanding the factors that shaped human evolutionary history.”

“Our study provides a new perspective on how climatic and environmental changes over the past six million years have influenced mammal and human evolution,” Dr Razaghabastar said.

“This study particularly highlights how biotic homogenization – the process by which the faunas of different regions become more similar in composition – has been an important factor in the evolution of ecosystems and the species that live in them.”

“Beta diversity analysis, which shows the relationships between regional and local biodiversity, allows us to trace how changes in vegetation and climate have driven patterns of dispersal and extinction over time.”

The team found that faunas from the Late Miocene and Pliocene (approximately 3 million to 6 million years ago) were primarily made up of endemic species.

The shift towards biotic homogenization, or faunal homogenization, began around 3 million years ago with the loss of endemic species within functional groups and an increase in the number of grazing species shared between regions.

This important biogeographic transition coincides closely with the regional expansion of ecosystems dominated by grasses and C4 grasslands that thrive better in warmer, drier climates.

These environmental changes directly affected the feeding and migration patterns of humans and animals that shared the habitat.

“We are certain that hominoids, like other East African mammals, were influenced by many factors. This study offers a new perspective on the link between environmental and human evolutionary change and, through an integrated approach, provides a framework for future research and to test the hypothesis that hominoids adapted to their environment,” Dr Razaghabastar said.

of study Published in the journal on July 15, 2024 Natural Ecology and Evolution.

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J. Rowan othersLong-term biotic homogenization in the East African Rift Valley during the past 6 million years of human evolution. Nat Ecol EvolPublished online July 15, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02462-0

Source: www.sci.news

Oldest Evidence of Plant Cultivation in East Africa Unearthed by Archaeologists

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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

Eyed Needles Invented in East Eurasia 40,000 Years Ago, Archaeologists Say

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Archaeologists from the University of Sydney say eyelets were a new innovation used to decorate clothing for social and cultural purposes, and mark a major shift in clothing from protection to an expression of identity. Dr Ian Gilligan.

Eyelet needles are among the most iconic Paleolithic artifacts and are traditionally considered rare evidence of prehistoric clothing, especially tailoring. Image by Mariana Ariza.

Archaeologists have traditionally associated the emergence of tailored clothing with the invention of the eye needle, made from bone.

The first occurrence of eyed needles in the archaeological record from northern mid-latitude environments during the last glacial period is consistent with their primary function of providing thermal protection.

of The oldest eyed needle They appeared in Siberia by 40,000 years ago, in the Caucasus by 38,000 years ago, in East Asia by 30,000 years ago, and in Europe by 26,000 years ago.

“Eye hook tools are an important prehistoric development because they record a shift in the function of clothing from utilitarian to social purposes,” Dr Gilligan said.

“From stone tools that allowed humans to craft animal hides for insulation, to bone awls and awls to create decorative, form-fitting clothing, why did we start wearing clothes to express ourselves and impress others?”

In the new paper, Dr Gilligan and his colleagues reinterpret the evidence from recent discoveries about the development of clothing.

“Why do we wear clothes? We think it's part of being human. But when we look at different cultures we see that people were able to fully exist and function in society without clothes,” Dr Gilligan said.

“What intrigues me is how clothing has moved from being a physical necessity in certain environments to being a social necessity in all environments.”

“One of the most iconic Paleolithic artifacts of the Stone Age, eyed needles, are difficult to make compared to bone awls, which were sufficient to make tight-fitting clothing.”

“A bone awl is a tool made from a sharpened animal bone.”

“An eyed needle is a modified bone awl with a perforated hole (eye) to facilitate the attachment of tendons and threads.”

“There is evidence that bone awls were already being used to make tailored clothing, so the invention of the eyed needle may have reflected the creation of more complex, layered garments, and the attachment of beads and other small ornaments to decorate garments.”

“We know that up until the last Ice Age, clothing was only used on an ad-hoc basis.”

“The classic tools that we associate with it are hide scraping tools and stone scraping tools, and we see that they appeared and disappeared at different stages during the last Ice Age.”

The researchers argue that traditional methods of body decoration, such as body painting with ochre or deliberate scarring, would have been impossible in the cold regions of Eurasia during the late last Ice Age, where people would have needed to wear clothes at all times to survive, so clothing became a decorative item.

“That's why the appearance of needles with eyes is particularly significant, as it shows that clothing was used as decoration,” Dr Gilligan said.

“Needles with eyes would have been especially useful for the very fine stitching required to decorate clothing.”

Clothing therefore evolved to serve not only the practical needs of protection against the external elements and comfort, but also social and aesthetic functions for individual and cultural identity.

“The regular wearing of clothing allowed larger and more complex societies to form. People migrated to areas with colder climates and at the same time were able to work together in tribes and communities based on common clothing styles and symbols.”

“The technologies associated with clothing production have contributed to more sustainable lifestyles, facilitating the long-term survival and prosperity of human societies.”

Team paper Published in the journal Scientific advances.

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Ian Gilligan others2024. The evolution of Paleolithic eyed needles and clothing. Scientific advances 10(26); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adp2887

Source: www.sci.news

Fr8Labs, with support from East Ventures, seeks to digitalize the logistics sector in Asia.

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While freight forwarders in Western markets are working to digitize their operations, the founders say the same is not true in Southeast Asia. Fr8Labs. Reasons for this include a lack of localized software and a more fragmented logistics industry dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises. Fr8Labs wants to digitize the logistics industry in Asia with its SaaS operating system and plans to turn it into an open ecosystem where multiple players can utilize his API.

The Singapore and Indonesia-based startup today announced that it has raised $1.5 million in seed funding from East Ventures, FEBE Ventures, Kaya Founders, Mulia Sky Capital, Seedstars, Venturra, and angel investors. Fr8Labs currently has over 50 customers in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Australia and is expanding to other Asian regions.

The startup was founded in 2022 by CEO Glenn Rye and head of product technology Felix Lu. Mr Lai, whose family is in the freight forwarding industry, started his career in the logistics industry in 2015 with his Sinar Gas Golden Agri Resources. Then, in 2019, he and Lu joined Indonesian e-commerce logistics company Bizzy, where he served as COO and VP of Products, respectively.

After Bizzy was acquired by Warung Pintar, the two returned to Singapore, where Mr Lai became head of strategy and growth at software company Gravity Supply Chain. He has traveled the world and worked with major international logistics and supply chain companies. He found that in contrast to Asian markets, supply chains in developed markets are digitally interconnected.

Lai said one of the reasons for the technology gap in Asia’s freight transportation industry is that the market is more fragmented compared to Western countries, where corporate players dominate. Large freight forwarders can encourage other players to go digital, especially since they have systems that allow the companies they do business with to connect using APIs. Freight forwarders in Asia, on the other hand, are mainly small and medium-sized enterprises and do not have enough concentration to influence new practices. Another reason is that digital logistics systems are built for specific markets and won’t work in Asia due to different accounting and customs policies, Lai added.

As a result, many carriers in Asia, especially Southeast Asia, still use on-premises software or a combination of Microsoft Excel, email, chat, and off-the-shelf accounting systems. Lai said this not only makes it difficult to scale, but also introduces errors that can result in carriers paying customs duties and late penalties (fees charged for shipping containers that aren’t picked up on time). It says that there is a sex.

“This contrast inspired me to think about how we can improve the freight industry in Asia,” Lai tells TechCrunch. “I gathered Felix and some of his past colleagues to brainstorm a solution. Rather than disrupt the strong network, expertise and relationships of Asian freight forwarders, we , we realized that it was important to take advantage of them.”

Fr8Labs co-founders Felix Lu and Glenn Lai

Fr8Labs develops products that power these networks, including allowing freight forwarders to offer cargo insurance, foreign exchange trading, and financing capabilities to their end customers (e.g., allowing online travel agents to offer travel insurance to their passengers). (similar to the method provided). The startup’s core product is an operating system that supports the entire carrier workflow, including quoting, booking confirmation, shipping confirmation, job accounting, and accounting backends. The platform enables departments such as sales and operations to work together more efficiently and links platforms such as email and chat.

One use case is that instead of multiple manual data entries, carriers can upload a PDF of a shipping order and automatically create shipping reservations and other documents, including forms that need to be submitted to customs. is. Another example of how Fr8Labs can be used is as a warehouse management system module. This allows freight forwarders to interface directly with their clients’ backend ERP, allowing them to manage international shipments to and from the same warehouse.

A portion of Fr8Labs’ funding will be used to expand the platform, adding FX trading, lending, cargo insurance, rate management, and a marketplace. The startup’s goal is to turn its platform into an open ecosystem that can be integrated and managed with a variety of logistics technology software.

“Think of Android or Apple and how integrated each device is into the ecosystem,” Lai says. “We want to provide freight forwarders with a seamless operational experience and build further value-added services on top of that.”

Roderick Pulwana, managing partner at East Ventures, said in a statement: “While the application of technology is critical in logistics as it helps improve cost efficiency and productivity, industry players are not immune to challenges in enhancing digital logistics. Fr8Labs’ innovative technology solutions We address the challenges faced by freight forwarders in Southeast Asia. We are confident that the team’s expertise will enable Fr8Labs to transform the logistics industry and add value across the value chain.”

Source: techcrunch.com