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New Study Indicates That Theia, the Moon-Forming Protoplanet, Originated Within the Solar System

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The Moon was created through a massive collision between the proto-Earth and the ancient protoplanet Theia. A recent study by a collaborative team of scientists from the United States, Germany, France, and China analyzed iron isotopes in lunar samples, Earth rocks, and meteorites believed to represent the isotope reservoir from which both Theia and early Earth may have formed. Their findings indicate that Theia and most of Earth’s constituent materials originated from the inner solar system, suggesting that Theia formed closer to the sun than Earth.

Artist’s impression of the collision between proto-Earth and Theia. Image credit: MPS/Mark A. Garlick.

“The composition of the body reflects its entire formation history, including its origin,” said Dr. Torsten Kleine, lead author of the study from the Sonnensystemforschung Institute at the Max Planck Institute.

“The ratio of specific metal isotopes within the body is particularly insightful.”

“Isotopes are different versions of the same element, varying only in neutron count in the atomic nucleus, which affects their weight.”

“In the early solar system, the distribution of isotopes was likely not uniform. For instance, at the solar system’s outer edges, isotopes existed in proportions that differed from those found near the Sun.”

“Thus, the isotopic makeup of a body holds clues about the origins of its components.”

The authors measured iron isotopes in Earth and Moon rocks with exceptional accuracy in this study.

The research involved 15 terrestrial rocks and six lunar samples collected by Apollo astronauts.

This outcome aligns with earlier findings, indicating that the Earth and the Moon are indistinguishable in terms of isotope ratios for chromium, calcium, titanium, and zirconium.

However, direct conclusions about Theia are elusive due to their similarities.

The multiplicity of potential collision scenarios also complicates matters.

While most models suggest that the Moon is largely composed of Theia material, it’s also plausible that it consists primarily of early Earth’s mantle material, or a mix of both Earth and Theia rocks.

To explore Theia’s characteristics, researchers employed a method akin to reverse engineering.

They analyzed the isotope ratios of contemporary Earth and Moon rocks to infer the size and composition of Theia, as well as the early Earth composition that resulted in the current state.

The study examined not only iron isotopes but also those of chromium, molybdenum, and zirconium.

Different elements provide insights into various phases of planetary formation.

Before the catastrophic collision with Theia, a sorting process was occurring within the early Earth.

As the iron core formed, elements like iron and molybdenum were sequestered there, almost completely removing them from the rocky mantle.

Thus, the iron found in Earth’s mantle today may have arrived post-core formation, potentially aboard Theia.

Other elements, like zirconium, which did not sink into the core, encapsulate the entire history of Earth’s formation.

Some mathematically feasible compositions of Theia and early Earth can be dismissed as unlikely.

“The most credible scenario suggests that the majority of components in Earth and Theia originated from the inner solar system,” stated Dr. Timo Hopp, a researcher at the University of Chicago and the Max Planck Institute.

“Earth and Theia were likely neighbors.”

“While the early Earth’s composition can be explained primarily through known meteorite mixtures, the same does not hold for Theia.”

“Distinct classes of meteorites formed in various regions of the outer solar system.”

“These provide a reference for the materials accessible during the early formation of Earth and Theia.”

“However, Theia’s composition may also include previously unidentified substances.”

“We hypothesize that this material originated closer to the Sun than to Earth.”

“Thus, our calculations imply that Theia was formed nearer to the sun compared to our planet.”

of result Published in this week’s Science magazine.

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Timo Hopp et al.. 2025. Theia, the impactor that formed the Moon, originated from within the solar system. Science 390 (6775): 819-823;doi: 10.1126/science.ado0623

Source: www.sci.news

New Research Suggests Arknid Originated in the Cambrian Seas

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Paleontologists have examined the fossilized characteristics of the brain and central nervous system of Mollisonia symmetrica, an extinct organism that existed during the mid-Cambrian period approximately 508 million years ago. Their findings indicate that the nervous system of Mollisonia symmetrica aligns with that of modern spiders and scorpions (arachnids). This revelation contests the long-standing theory that arachnid diversification occurred only after their common ancestors adapted to terrestrial life.

Previously, Mollisonia symmetrica was thought to represent an ancestor of a specific group of arthropods known as Chelicerata, which thrived during the Cambrian period and included the forebears of today’s horseshoe crabs.

Surprisingly, Professor Nicholas Strausfeld and his team at the University of Arizona found that the organization of the nerve structure in the fossilized brain does not resemble that of horseshoe crabs but is instead more akin to that of contemporary spiders and scorpions.

“A lively debate continues regarding the origin of arachnids, the type of progenitor they emerged from, and whether these progenitors were horseshoe crabs,” Professor Strausfeld noted.

Mollisonia symmetrica shares physical features with other early chelicerates from the lower and middle Cambrian periods, possessing a body divided into two main segments.

Some researchers have highlighted the anterior shell followed by a segmented trunk reminiscent of scorpions.

However, no one has claimed that Mollisonia symmetrica was more closely related to horseshoe crabs than to more basal arthropods.

What Professor Strausfeld and his co-authors found is that Mollisonia symmetrica, identified as an arachnid, exhibits a fossilized brain and nervous system.

Similar to spiders and other modern arachnids, the anterior portion of Mollisonia symmetrica (known as the prosoma) features a pattern of segmental ganglia that governs the movement of five pairs of appendages.

In addition to these arachnid-like traits, Mollisonia symmetrica also possessed an unsegmented brain with short nerves extending into pincher-like structures, reminiscent of spider fangs.

Critically, the unique feature defining arachnids is the specific arrangement of the brain, which contrasts with the structure found in current crustaceans, insects, centipedes, and even horseshoe crabs like Limulus.

“It’s comparable to the Limulus type brains in Cambrian fossils, or the ancestral brains of modern crustaceans and insects, which are similar to those of contemporary spiders,” Professor Strausfeld remarked.

“These findings may signify a crucial evolutionary advancement, as studies of modern spider brains indicate this arrangement allows for quicker neural control pathways.

This configuration may enhance efficiency in hunting, quick pursuits, and stealth in arachnids.

“This is a significant evolutionary milestone, seemingly exclusive to arachnids.”

“In Mollisonia symmetrica, we identified brain regions corresponding to extant species, which could reveal the underlying genetic framework common to all arthropods.”

“The arachnid brain implies that, unlike other brains on Earth, its tissues are linked to rapid calculation and motor action control,” Professor Strausfeld explained.

“The earliest terrestrial creatures were likely arthropods that resembled insects, possibly ancestral to crustaceans.”

“We can envision Mollisonia symmetrica—like arachnids—adapting to land, which may have given rise to early insects and their feeding strategies.”

“The first land-dwelling spiders could have played a vital role in developing essential defensive traits, such as insect wings, leading to flight and evasion.”

“The ability to fly provides significant advantages when being pursued by spiders.”

“Nonetheless, despite the agility conferred by flight, insects remain ensnared in the intricate silk webs spun by spiders.”

The results will appear in the journal Current Biology.

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Nicholas J. Strausfeld et al. Cambrian origin of the spider brain. Current Biology Published online on July 22, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2025.06.063

Source: www.sci.news

The Gondwana supercontinent likely originated dinosaurs in low latitude regions

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Dinosaurs dominated the athletics ecosystem of middle-aged middle for about 160 million years, but their biological geographical origin is still well understood. The oldest clear dinosaur fossils appeared in southern South America and Africa, 230 million years ago, and most authors propose that the southern western Gondwana is likely to be the center of its origin. However, the high diversity of these early groups suggests the history of older evolution. A new study led by University College London shows that dinosaurs, and perhaps the closer species of the main dragon as a wider group of lords, may have spread radially in the low latitude area of Gondwana. I am.

Nyasaasaurus It may be the most known dinosaur, or it may be a close-related species of early dinosaurs. Image Credit: Mark Witton / London Natural History Museum Management Committee.

“The oldest, the oldest dinosaur fossils are about 230 million years ago and have been excavated in the south of Brazil, Argentina, and Zimbabwe,” said Dr. Universi College London. Student Joel Heath and his colleagues.

“However, the difference between these fossils suggests that dinosaurs had already evolved for a while, indicating that their origin was millions ago.”

The authors have discovered that the earliest dinosaurs appeared in hot equatorial areas of the Gondwana Super continent (currently Amazon, Congo Basin, and the Sahara Desert).

“Dinosaurs have been well studied, but I'm not sure where they came from. The fossil records have a big gap and cannot be received at face value,” said Heath.

“Our modeling suggests that the oldest dinosaurs may have originated on the low-latitude of Gondwana in the western part.”

“This is a hot and dry environment that has been considered so far, and is composed in areas like deserts and savannas.”

“So far, no dinosaur fossils have been found in Africa and South America, which once formed this area of Gondwana.”

“However, this is due to the difficulty of access and the lack of research efforts in these fields relatively due to the lack of research efforts, and that researchers have not yet met the right rock. There is a possibility.

In this study, we used dinosaurs and their nearly related reptiles, evolved systematics, and geography at the time.

It was not an area where fossils were not present, but by treating the area on the earth where fossils were not found as missing information, the gap of fossil records was supplemented.

Initially, the number of early dinosaurs was much larger than reptile relatives. These contained crocodile, fake nests, and the ancestors of wing dragons.

In contrast, the earliest dinosaurs were much smaller than their descendants, as large as chickens and dogs than humans. Diprodox。

They walked on two legs (it was a bipedal), and most of them were miscellaneous animals.

210 million years ago, the eruption of volcanoes caused dinosaurs to be dominant after many of the reptiles, the relatives of dinosaurs, were extinct.

The new modeling result shows dinosaurs and other reptiles originated in low-latit Gondwana, later spread radially outside, and later in the southern part of Gondwana and later in Europe, Asia, and North America. It suggested that it could have spread to.

The background of this origin comes from the fact that the oldest dinosaurs were found in the southern part of the Gondwana continent and the intermediate point between the place where many fossils of the nearby species were found in the northern Lolacia. 。

Because it is uncertain about how the oldest dinosaurs are related to each other and how they were related to the closest species, researchers are models based on the three proposed evolutionary trees. Was executed.

They discovered the strongest background on dinosaur’s low-latit Gondovana, which was traditionally considered to be a dinosaur, but not a dinosaur itself, as the ancestor of the Title Dinosaur.

One of the three major dinosaur groups, including tsutos and later herbivorous animals Stegosaurus and TriceratopsStrangely, it does not exist in the early fossil record of the dinosaur era.

If the Sillesaurus is the ancestor of the tillage, this will help you fill this gap in the evolution genealogy.

“Our research has suggested that the early dinosaurs may have adapted well in hot and dry environments,” said Philip Manion, a professor of University College London.

“Of the three major dinosaur groups, one group is dragonodes, which includes the following: Bronto Saurus and DiprodoxIt seemed to maintain the low latitudes of the earth and prefer a warm climate. “

“The other two groups, beast legs and birds have developed the ability to generate their own body temperature in the Jurassic Million years later, and can prosper even in cold areas, including extreme areas. There is evidence to show.

of study Published in a magazine Current biology。

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Joel A. Heath Other。 Considering the unevenness of the sampling, it suggests that the dinosaur origin has a low ancient latitude. Current biologyReleased online on January 23, 2025. Doi: 10.1016/J.Cub.2024.12.053

Source: www.sci.news

New study suggests Earth’s recent minimoon originated from the moon

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Near-Earth asteroid 2024 PT5 is in an Earth-like orbit and remained very close to Earth for several months at the end of 2024.

2024 PT5 captured a brief flyby from September 29 to November 25, 2024. Image credit: University of Colorado.

2024 PT was first detected on August 7, 2024 by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope at the University of Hawaii in Sutherland, South Africa.

This asteroid poses no danger to Earth, but its orbit around the sun closely matches that of our planet.

The object, which is about 10 meters (33 feet) wide, appears to be composed of rock that broke off from the moon’s surface and was ejected into space after a major impact.

“There was a general idea that this asteroid might have come from the moon, but when we discovered that this asteroid is rich in silicate minerals, it became conclusive proof. The silicate minerals are not the kind found on asteroids, but rather the ones found in the moon’s rocks. Dr. Teddy Kaleta Astronomer at Lowell Observatory.

“It doesn’t seem to have been in space very long, perhaps only a few thousand years, because there was no cosmic weathering to cause its spectrum to turn red.”

Using observations from the Lowell Discovery Telescope and NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) at Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii, Dr. Kaleta and his colleagues show that the spectrum of sunlight reflected from the surface of 2024 PT does not match its spectrum. showed. A known asteroid type. Instead, the reflected light more closely matched the moon’s rocks.

This discovery doubles the number of known asteroids thought to originate from the Moon.

“Asteroid 469219 Kamooarewa was discovered in 2016 in an Earth-like orbit around the sun, indicating that this asteroid may also have been ejected from the lunar surface after a major impact,” the astronomers said. said.

“As telescopes become more sensitive to smaller asteroids, more potential lunar boulders will be discovered, and scientists studying the moon as well as scientists studying rare asteroid populations will It creates exciting opportunities for everyone.”

“If a lunar asteroid could be directly related to a specific impact crater on the Moon, studying it could provide insight into the cratering process on the pockmarked lunar surface.”

“Also, material collected from deep on the moon’s surface in the form of asteroids passing close to Earth could be available to future scientists for study.”

“This is a story about the moon told by asteroid scientists,” Dr. Kaleta said.

“It’s an unusual situation where we go out to study asteroids and end up wandering into new territory in terms of the questions we can ask for PT5 in 2024.”

of findings On January 14, 2025, Astrophysics Journal Letter.

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Theodore Caleta others. 2025. On the origin of the near-Earth asteroid moon2024 PT5. APJL 979, L8; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad9ea8

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers reveal that new high-speed radio bursts originated from neutron stars’ magnetospheres

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A new study has provided the first definitive evidence that fast radio bursts can originate from the magnetosphere, the highly magnetic environment immediately surrounding very compact objects.

Artist's impression of a neutron star. Image credit: Sci.News.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are short, brilliant bursts of radio waves that originate primarily from extragalactic distances.

These phenomena release as much energy in one millisecond as the sun does in 10,000 years, but the physics that cause them are unknown.

Theories range from a highly magnetized neutron star exploded by a stream of gas near a supermassive black hole to proposals whose outburst characteristics match the signature of technology developed by an advanced civilization.

MIT astronomer Kenzie Nimmo and colleagues focused on the event, dubbed FRB 20221022A, in a new study.

This burst was first detected by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) in 2022.

The event occurred in a galaxy about 200 million light years away and lasted about 2 milliseconds.

New research suggests that FRB 20221022A emerged from a region extremely close to the rotating neutron star, up to 10,000 km away.

At such close distances, the burst could have originated from the neutron star's magnetosphere, a highly magnetic region immediately surrounding the microstar.

“In a neutron star environment like this, the magnetic field is actually at the limit of what the universe can produce,” Dr. Nimmo said.

“There has been a lot of discussion about whether this bright radio emission can leak out of that extreme plasma.”

“Atoms cannot exist around these highly magnetic neutron stars, also known as magnetars. They are simply torn apart by the magnetic field,” added astronomer Kiyoshi Masui of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“What's interesting here is that we found that the energy stored in magnetic fields gets twisted and rearranged near the source of the magnetic field and is emitted as radio waves visible on the far side of the universe.”

of findings appear in the diary nature.

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K.Nimo others. 2025. Magnetospheric origin of fast radio bursts confined using scintillation. nature 637, 48-51; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08297-w

Source: www.sci.news

New fossil discovery suggests that Therapsids originated in the tropics, not temperate regions

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Paleontologists have discovered a new species of early gorgonopsian therapsid that was part of the ancient summer humid biome of equatorial Pangea.

Recreating the life of the Gorgonopsians of Mallorca in a floodplain environment. Image credit: Henry Sutherland Sharpe.

Therapsids were a major component of Permian terrestrial ecosystems around the world, eventually giving rise to mammals in the early Mesozoic Era.

However, little is currently known about when and where it originated.

“Therapsids are a diverse and ecologically successful clade of tetrapods, of which the modern representatives are mammals,” says paleontologist at the Museum of Science and Nature in Barea and the Paleontological Institute of Catalonia. said Dr. Rafel Matamares and colleagues.

“The roots of this clade date back to the late Paleozoic era, when non-mammalian therapsids were important components of terrestrial ecosystems.”

“The oldest distinct therapsids known to date were Laranimus dashankoensisprobably from the Rhodian (Late Middle Permian) deposits of Central East Asia.

“However, phylogenetic analyzes consistently show that therapsids are a sister group to the pterosaur ‘perisaurian’ class monoapsids, which originated in Pennsylvania (about 320 million years ago). It suggests that

“This implies a long lineage of therapsid ghosts spanning about 40 million years.”

The newly discovered therapsid is the oldest of its kind, and possibly the oldest therapsid ever discovered.

This dog-like saber-toothed animal does not yet have a species name, but it belongs to a group of therapsids called gorgonopsids.

“Gorgonopsids are more closely related to mammals than to other modern animals,” said Dr. Ken Angielczyk, a paleontologist at the Field Museum.

“They have no modern descendants and are not our direct ancestors, but they are related to species that were our direct ancestors.”

“The oldest known gorgonopsids lived about 265 million years ago, but the newer fossils date from 270 to 280 million years ago.”

“This is probably the oldest chrysophyte on Earth,” said Dr. Josep Fortuny, a paleontologist at the Miquel Crusafont Catalan Institute of Paleontology.

This fossil was discovered on the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea. However, during the time of the Gorgonopsians, Mallorca was part of the supercontinent Pangea.

“The amount of bone remains is surprising,” Dr. Matamares said.

“We found everything from fragments of skulls, vertebrae and ribs to a very well-preserved femur.”

“In fact, when we started this excavation, we did not expect to find so many fossils of this type of animal in Mallorca.”

“If you saw this animal walking down the street, you would think it would look a little like a medium-sized dog, maybe about the size of a husky, but that’s not entirely true,” says Dr. Angielczyk.

“It didn’t have any fur, and it probably didn’t have dog ears.”

“But this is the oldest animal with long, blade-like canine teeth that scientists have ever discovered.”

“These saber-like teeth suggest that this gorgonopsid was the top predator of its time.”

The fact that this gorgonopsian is tens of millions of years older than its closest relatives has changed scientists’ understanding of the evolutionary time of therapsids, key milestones to the emergence of mammals, and, by extension, where we came from. It tells us something about Tanoka.

“Before the age of dinosaurs, there was the age of our ancient mammalian relatives,” Dr. Angielczyk said.

“Most of those ancient mammal relatives looked nothing like what we think of as mammals today.”

“But they were really diverse and had different ecological roles.”

“This new fossil discovery is another piece of the puzzle of how mammals evolved.”

This finding is reported in the following article: paper Published in a magazine nature communications.

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R. Matamares-Andrew others. 2024. Early-Middle Permian Mediterranean gorgonopsids suggest an equatorial origin for therapsids. Nat Commune 15, 10346; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-54425-5

Source: www.sci.news

Study finds that Chicxulub asteroid, which caused dinosaur extinction, originated from beyond Jupiter.

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The asteroid, called the Chicxulub impactor, was a carbonaceous asteroid that formed outside the orbit of Jupiter. New Paper Published in the journal Science.

Ankylosaurus magniventrisA Tyrannosaurus, a type of large armored dinosaur, witnessed the impact of an asteroid that fell on the Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago. Image by Fabio Manucci.

About 66 million years ago, a 10-kilometer-wide asteroid struck Earth near what is now a small town called Chicxulub in Mexico.

This impact released incredible amounts of climate-changing gases into the atmosphere, setting off a chain of events that led to the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs and 75% of life on Earth.

Evidence includes the presence of high concentrations of platinum group elements (PGE) in the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary layer, including iridium, ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, platinum, and palladium, which are rare on Earth but common in meteorites.

These elevated PGE levels have been found worldwide, suggesting that the impact spread debris around the world.

Some have proposed large-scale volcanism in the Deccan Traps igneous province of India as an alternative source of PGEs, but the specific PGE ratios at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary are more consistent with an asteroid impact than volcanism.

However, little is known about the nature of the Chicxulub impactor, including its composition and extraterrestrial origin.

To answer these questions, Dr Mario Fischer-Gödde from the University of Cologne and his colleagues measured ruthenium isotopes in samples taken from three sites at the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary.

For comparison, the team also analysed samples from five other impacts that occurred between 36 million and 470 million years ago, an ancient impact spherule from 3.5 to 3.2 billion years ago, and two carbonaceous meteorites.

The researchers found that the ruthenium isotope signature of samples taken from the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary was uniform and matched very closely to that of carbonaceous chondrites rather than those from Earth or other types of meteorites, suggesting that the Chicxulub impactor likely came from a carbonaceous-type asteroid that formed in the outer solar system.

The other five impact structures have isotopic signatures more consistent with silicic asteroids that formed closer to the Sun.

The ancient spherulitic samples are consistent with a carbonaceous asteroid impact during the final stages of Earth's accretion.

“The composition of this asteroid is consistent with that of carbonaceous asteroids that formed outside Jupiter's orbit during the formation of the solar system,” Dr Fischer-Gödde said.

“Asteroid impacts like Chicxulub turn out to be very rare and unique events in geological time,” said Professor Carsten Müncher from the University of Cologne.

“The fate of the dinosaurs and many other species was sealed by this object that came from the outer solar system.”

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Mario Fischer-Gedde others2024. Ruthenium isotopes indicate that the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous asteroid. Science 385 (6710): 752-756; doi: 10.1126/science.adk4868

Source: www.sci.news

Study suggests Chicxulub asteroid that caused dinosaur extinction originated beyond Jupiter

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The asteroid, called the Chicxulub impactor, was a carbonaceous asteroid that formed outside the orbit of Jupiter. New Paper Published in the journal Science.

Ankylosaurus magniventrisA Tyrannosaurus, a type of large armored dinosaur, witnessed the impact of an asteroid that fell on the Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago. Image by Fabio Manucci.

About 66 million years ago, a 10-kilometer-wide asteroid struck Earth near what is now a small town called Chicxulub in Mexico.

This impact released incredible amounts of climate-changing gases into the atmosphere, setting off a chain of events that led to the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs and 75% of life on Earth.

Evidence includes the presence of high concentrations of platinum group elements (PGE) in the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary layer, including iridium, ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, platinum, and palladium, which are rare on Earth but common in meteorites.

These elevated PGE levels have been found worldwide, suggesting that the impact spread debris around the world.

Some have proposed large-scale volcanism in the Deccan Traps igneous province of India as an alternative source of PGEs, but the specific PGE ratios at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary are more consistent with an asteroid impact than volcanism.

However, little is known about the nature of the Chicxulub impactor, including its composition and extraterrestrial origin.

To answer these questions, Dr Mario Fischer-Gödde from the University of Cologne and his colleagues measured ruthenium isotopes in samples taken from three sites at the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary.

For comparison, the team also analysed samples from five other impacts that occurred between 36 million and 470 million years ago, an ancient impact spherule from 3.5 to 3.2 billion years ago, and two carbonaceous meteorites.

The researchers found that the ruthenium isotope signature of samples taken from the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary was uniform and matched very closely to that of carbonaceous chondrites rather than those from Earth or other types of meteorites, suggesting that the Chicxulub impactor likely came from a carbonaceous-type asteroid that formed in the outer solar system.

The other five impact structures have isotopic signatures more consistent with silicic asteroids that formed closer to the Sun.

The ancient spherulitic samples are consistent with a carbonaceous asteroid impact during the final stages of Earth's accretion.

“The composition of this asteroid is consistent with that of carbonaceous asteroids that formed outside Jupiter's orbit during the formation of the solar system,” Dr Fischer-Gödde said.

“Asteroid impacts like Chicxulub turn out to be very rare and unique events in geological time,” said Professor Carsten Müncher from the University of Cologne.

“The fate of the dinosaurs and many other species was sealed by this object that came from the outer solar system.”

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Mario Fischer-Gedde others2024. Ruthenium isotopes indicate that the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous asteroid. Science 385 (6710): 752-756; doi: 10.1126/science.adk4868

Source: www.sci.news

Archaeologists confirm Stonehenge altar stones originated from Scotland

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A new study led by archaeologists from Curtin University suggests that Stonehenge’s iconic circle of stones – the Altar Stone, a six-tonne sandstone megalith – was discovered at least 750 kilometres from its current location.

Stonehenge. Image by Regina Wolfs.

Stonehenge, a Neolithic standing stone monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, provides invaluable information about prehistoric Britain.

Construction of Stonehenge began around 3000 BC and was modified over the next 2000 years.

The megaliths at Stonehenge are divided into two main categories: sarsens and bluestones.

The larger sarsens consist mainly of duriclast silicrite, taken from Marlborough’s West Woods, about 25km north of Stonehenge.

Bluestone is a general term for a variety of locally uncommon rocks, including volcanic tuff, rhyolite, dolerite, and sandstone.

Stonehenge’s central megalith, the Altar Stone, is the largest of the bluestones, measuring 4.9 x 1 x 0.5 metres, lying stone, weighing 6 tonnes, and is composed of a pale green mica sandstone with a distinctive mineral composition.

In the new study, Curtin University PhD student Anthony Clark and his colleagues studied the age and chemical composition of mineral grains within the altar stone fragments.

“Analysis of the age and chemical composition of the minerals in the altar stone fragments showed that they matched rocks from north-east Scotland, but were clearly different to the bedrock in Wales,” Mr Clarke said.

“We found that certain mineral grains in the altar stones are mostly between 1 and 2 billion years old, while other minerals date back to around 450 million years ago.”

“This provides a clear chemical fingerprint suggesting that the stone came from rocks in Scotland’s Auckland Basin, at least 750km from Stonehenge.”

“Given the constraints of Neolithic technology and its Scottish origin, this discovery raises intriguing questions about how such large stones could have been transported long distances around 2600 BC.”

Stonehenge layout and view of the Altar Stone. Image courtesy of Clark. others., doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07652-1.

“This discovery has important implications for our understanding of ancient communities, their connections and transportation,” Professor Chris Kirkland, from Curtin University, said.

“Our discovery of the altar stone’s origins highlights the importance of social co-operation in the Neolithic period and helps to paint a fascinating picture of prehistoric Britain.”

“Transporting such a large amount of cargo over land from Scotland to southern England would have been extremely difficult, so it is more likely that it was transported by sea along the English coast.”

“This suggests the existence of longer-distance trade networks and more advanced social organisation than is widely understood to have existed in the Neolithic in Britain.”

“We have succeeded in determining the age and chemical signature of perhaps one of the most famous stones from any world-famous ancient site,” said Professor Richard Bevins, from Aberystwyth University.

“We can now say that this iconic rock is Scottish rather than Welsh, but further research is needed to establish exactly where in the north-east of Scotland the Altar Stone came from.”

“The discovery is truly shocking, but if plate tectonics and atomic physics are correct, the altar stone is Scottish,” said Dr Robert Iksar, from University College London.

“This work raises two important questions: why and how was the altar stone transported from the far north of Scotland, over 70 kilometres away, to Stonehenge?”

of Survey results Published in the journal Nature.

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AJI Clark others2024. The altar stone of Stonehenge originates from Scotland. Nature 632, 570-575;doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07652-1

Source: www.sci.news

Research reveals Stonehenge’s main stone originated in Scotland

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summary

  • The “altar stone” at the heart of Stonehenge was likely made in what is now Scotland, a study has found.
  • It’s more than 450 miles away, raising the question of how ancient humans managed to transport the stone that far.
  • The study authors suggest they may have used boats.

Scientists say they have unlocked the secrets of Stonehenge’s six-tonne rock, a discovery that adds even more mystery to the site.

A study published Wednesday in the journal Nature suggests that the ancient site’s central sandstone “altar stone” was likely created in what is now Scotland, meaning it was transported more than 450 miles to southern England — farther than any of Stonehenge’s other stones of known origin.

The discovery raises important questions: Researchers estimate that the altar stone was placed about 4,500 years ago, meaning Neolithic people could have moved it hundreds of miles, long before the invention of the lightweight spoked wheel.

The find also suggests that culture and social structure in the British Isles at this time was more intertwined than previously thought, and that Neolithic people were capable of carrying out complex projects with relatively simple tools.

The discovery was made based on the dating analysis of mineral grains within the sandstone. After profiling the age of the grains, the researchers were able to compare the altar stone’s age “fingerprint” with a database of sandstone samples from across the UK and nearby areas, such as Brittany in France.

“We can link the age spectrum with a fairly high degree of statistical certainty – in fact more than 95% confidence – to a very specific region in northeast Scotland,” said study co-author Chris Kirkland, professor of earth and planetary sciences at Curtin University in Australia.

The area Kirkland refers to, the Orkney Basin, includes the Orkney Islands themselves; Known for its elaborate stone circles.

“We can’t directly answer the question of why this rock was transported,” Kirkland said, “all we know is that this 6.5-ton rock was transported from 750 kilometers away, and that alone tells us an awful lot about Neolithic societies and their connections.”

Stonehenge — UNESCO World Heritage Site One of the best-preserved prehistoric megalithic monuments, the site is surrounded by large sandstone slabs called “sarsens”, which support stone lintels (also horizontal spans of rock, some held together by joints). Inside the outline of the sarsens is an inner circle of “bluestones”, which in turn is a horseshoe shape.

of The sarsens are thought to have originated approximately 15 miles north of Stonehenge.Meanwhile, bluestone comes from Wales, about 140 miles away.

The new study concerns the central Altar Stone, a roughly 16-foot-long slab of stone that shows evidence of being shaped by human tools. Stonehenge’s other slabs currently rest on top of the Altar Stone but have apparently been toppled over time.

“Whatever the reason, this is a special stone,” said David Nash, a professor of physical geography at the University of Brighton who has studied Stonehenge but was not involved in the new study. “It’s totally different to the other stones on the site.”

Kirkland and his colleagues looked at three possible routes the altar stones could have taken from Scotland to Stonehenge: They could have been transported by shifting glacial ice during the Ice Age, but the study authors don’t think that’s a good explanation, or they could have been transported overland by humans, but the team thinks that would be too difficult in the wooded area.

The third possibility, which they consider to be the most likely, is that the stones were transported by ship, and there is evidence of seaborne transport during this period, when England’s coastline was different to what it is today.

Nash said the authors had reached a “sound conclusion” about the altar stone’s origins.

“Their work is really fascinating,” he said, adding that their findings add to the evidence that Neolithic people travelled throughout the British Isles and were part of wider social structures. “There was clearly a social structure, there were connections and there was a very clear transmission of ideas.”

Stonehenge is one of approximately 1,300 surviving ancient stone circles. According to the British MuseumResearchers believe the site’s stones were shaped with hand tools and assembled using a winch and pulley system, with the stones aligned to coincide with the movement of the sun and the summer and winter solstices.

Experts speculate that Neolithic people may have used these sites for rituals and ceremonies, but details have been lost to time — especially what was so special about the altar stones.

“Today’s billionaires decorate their mansions with Italian Carrara marble, but I don’t understand why they do it. It’s a mystery,” said Anthony Clark, lead author of the new study and a doctoral student at Curtin University. “Humans have always been fascinated by finding the perfect stone, and perhaps Neolithic Britons were too, so their motivations have been forgotten over time.”

As a next step, the researchers hope to pinpoint the exact outcrop or region where the rocks originated, but said fundamental mysteries are likely to remain.

“They placed a lot of value in transporting that stone 700, 800, 900 kilometres,” said Nick Pearce, a professor of geography and geosciences at Aberystwyth University in Wales and another co-author of the study. “However they transported it, it meant something to them. What did it mean? Why did it mean so much to them? It gives us all something to think about.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Paleontologists have determined that complex life originated 2.1 billion years ago.

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Scientists have widely accepted that complex life first appeared on Earth around 635 million years ago (during the Ediacaran Period). However, an international team of paleontologists from Cardiff, Toulouse and Poitiers universities and China Nonferrous Metals (Guilin) ​​Geological Mining Co., Ltd. has discovered evidence of a much older ecosystem more than 1.5 billion years ago in the Franceville Basin near Gabon on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa.

Artist's impression of a lobe-like macrofossil that lived in a shallow inland sea formed by the collision of two continents 2.1 billion years ago. Image by Abderrazak El Albani, University of Poitiers.

“The availability of phosphorus in the environment is thought to have been a key factor in the evolution of life on Earth, particularly in the transition from simple single-celled organisms to complex organisms such as animals and plants,” said Dr Ernest Chi-Ful, from Cardiff University.

“We already know that elevated marine phosphorus and oxygen concentrations in seawater are linked to an evolutionary event about 635 million years ago.”

“Our study adds an even older event to the record, going back 2.1 billion years.”

Scientists have widely debated the validity of the fossils of megafauna from the Ediacaran period, the oldest of their kind in the geological record.

But Dr Chi Hulu and his colleagues identified a link between changes in the environment before their emergence and increased nutrients, which may have triggered their evolution.

Geochemical analysis of marine sedimentary rocks dating back 2.1 billion years has shed new light on this unusually large fossil assemblage in the Franceville Basin.

A 2.1 billion year old lobe-like macrofossil from the Franceville Basin. Image by Abderrazak El Albani, University of Poitiers.

“We think that after the Congo and San Francisco cratons collided and sutured together, undersea volcanoes further restricted water in this area and even cut it off from the global oceans, forming a nutrient-rich shallow inland marine sea,” Dr Chi-Hulu said.

“This created a localized environment of abundant cyanobacterial photosynthesis for extended periods, leading to oxygenation of local ocean waters and the generation of large food resources.”

“This would have provided enough energy to fuel the increased body size and more complex behaviors seen in the primitive, simple animal-like life forms found in fossils from this period.”

However, the restricted nature of this body of water, combined with the harsh conditions that existed beyond this environmental boundary for billions of years afterward, likely prevented these enigmatic life forms from colonizing the entire planet.

The study suggests that these observations may indicate a two-stage evolution of complex life on Earth.

Step 1 followed the first significant increase in atmospheric oxygen content 2.1 billion years ago, and step 2 followed a second increase in atmospheric oxygen levels about 1.5 billion years later.

“While the first attempt failed to catch on, the second attempt led to the creation of the diversity of animals seen on Earth today,” Dr Chi Hulu said.

of result Published in the journal Precambrian Studies.

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Ernest Chi-Ful others2024. Hydrothermal seawater eutrophication triggers a localized macrobiological experiment in the 2100 Ma Paleoproterozoic Franceville Subbasin. Precambrian Studies 409: 107453; doi: 10.1016/j.precamres.2024.107453

Source: www.sci.news

Finds from the Bronze Age indicate that market economics may have originated earlier than previously believed

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Bronze Age metal hoard from Weisig, Germany

J. Lipták/Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen

Bronze Age Europeans earned and spent money in much the same way we do today, indicating that the origins of the “market economy” are much older than expected.

That’s the controversial conclusion of a new study that challenges the view that elites were the dominant force in Bronze Age economies and suggests that human economic behaviour may not have changed much over the past 3,500 years or more.

“We tend to romanticize European prehistory, but the Bronze Age was not just a fantasy world where townsfolk and peasants served their needs as a backdrop for great lords,” he said. Nicola Ialongo “It was a very familiar world, with family, friends, social networks, markets, jobs, and ultimately having to figure out how to make ends meet,” says Professor at Aarhus University in Denmark.

Bronze Age Europeans, from 3300 to 800 BCE, were not meticulous bookkeepers like people in other ancient societies, such as those in Mesopotamia. But Ialongo and Giancarlo Lago Researchers at the University of Bologna in Italy suggest that the treasure trove of metal they left behind may hold important insights into their daily lives and the roots of modern economic behavior.

Lago and Ialongo analyzed more than 20,000 metal objects from Bronze Age burials in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Germany. These metal objects came in many different forms, but around 1500 B.C. they began to be standardized by weight, which is how they were classified. Many experts These are distinguished as a type of pre-monetary currency.

“The discovery of widespread systems of measurement and weight allows us to model things that have been known for centuries in ways that have never been modeled before,” Ialongo says. “This not only gives us new answers to old questions, but it also gives us new questions that no one has asked before.”

The team found that the weight values ​​in their vast sample followed the same statistical distribution as the daily expenses of a modern Western household: small everyday expenses, represented by lighter pieces, dominated the consumption pattern, while larger expenses, represented by heavier pieces, were relatively rare. This pattern is similar to that found in the average modern wallet, with many small bills and very few large bills.

Lago and Ialongo interpret their find as evidence that the Bronze Age economic system was regulated by market forces of supply and demand, with everyone participating in proportion to how much they earned. This hypothesis contrasts with the influential view put forward by anthropologist Karl Polanyi in the 1940s, who characterized the modern economy, based on monetary gain, as a new phenomenon distinct from ancient economies centered on barter, gift exchange, and social status.

Richard Brunton A researcher from Purdue University in Indiana called the study credible: “I think this argument will stimulate debate among archaeologists and economic anthropologists who have been based for decades on erroneous assumptions about the antiquity of market economies,” he said.

“I think this paper adds useful fuel to that criticism,” Brunton says, “and to me it sheds entirely new light on the function of bronze deposits and the potential use of bronze coins as a unit of exchange.”

but, Erica Schonberger Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland are skeptical of the team’s conclusions. “It’s dangerous to assume that ordinary people in premodern times used money in normal economic activities,” says Schonberger. “For example, medieval English peasants only got money for selling their produce when lords began to demand money in lieu of rents or taxes in kind. They gave most or all of that money directly to the lords. They sold to get money, but they didn’t use it to buy things they needed. We’re still a long way from modern economic behavior.” [in the Middle Ages].”

Lago and Ialongo hope that their work will inspire other experts to carry out similar studies on artefacts from different regions and cultures. They suggest that market economies are a natural development across time and cultures, and that such systems are not something new or unique that has emerged in Western societies over the past few centuries.

“Technically, we haven’t proven that the Bronze Age economy was a market economy,” Ialongo says, “we simply have no evidence that it wasn’t. And we’re just pointing out a contradiction: why is everyone so convinced that there wasn’t a market economy when everything we see can be explained by a market economy model? In other words, if the simplest explanation works well enough, why should we have to imagine a more complex one?”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

London’s Medieval Horses Originated from Faraway Lands

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International trade may have helped medieval elites obtain the best horses for jousting tournaments

Prisma Archive / Alamy

Analysis of horse teeth unearthed in a London cemetery suggests that the horses owned by medieval England's elite were likely imported from continental Europe and may have traveled hundreds of kilometers.

In the 1990s, a commercial excavator accidentally discovered an unusually large horse burial ground in central London. Subsequent excavations at the site, now known as Elberton Street Cemetery, uncovered the full or partial remains of 70 horses. Some graves date him from 1425 to 1517, but the cemetery may have been in use over a wider period.

“This is a great example of the only true horse cemetery in medieval England,” he says. Oliver Clayton at the University of Exeter, UK. “We usually [horse remains] Very few are scattered on archaeological sites. ”

To learn more about the origins and lives of these medieval horses, Creighton and his colleagues collected and analyzed molars from 15 horses buried at the site.

Plants from different parts of the world contain different levels of carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotopes, or atoms with different numbers of neutrons. When animals eat these plants, these isotopes accumulate in their bones and teeth over time. By analyzing the chemical signature of the horse's teeth, the researchers were able to determine where it likely came from.

It said this revealed that at least seven people came from abroad, possibly from Scandinavia or the Western Alps. alexander pryoralso at the University of Exeter.

“These were also the largest medieval horses ever discovered in Britain,” Pryor said, noting that Britain's elite may have sought out the best horses from Europe. Suggests.

The arrangement of their teeth seemed to suggest the use of special mouthpieces normally reserved for horses groomed for combat and jousting tournaments.

“The horse likely came from the equestrian arena at the Palace of Westminster, just a kilometer away,” Clayton said.

“The nature of horse teeth, with their very tall crowns growing over many years, offers great potential for research using isotopes to track the movements of individual horses over their lifetime,” he said. To tell. david orton At York University, UK. “But this is the first paper I've seen that seems to take full advantage of that potential.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

New study suggests Coronavirus may have originated in a lab rather than an animal

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There have been various conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19, from microchips in vaccines to the virus being engineered in a lab. A recent study is challenging these theories by suggesting that the virus is more likely of natural origin.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia argue that the current debate lacks consideration of non-medical evidence in determining the origin of the virus. They emphasize that their findings do not definitively prove the lab origin theory but rather suggest that such theories should not be dismissed too quickly.

Some scientists criticize the study’s methods for potential biases, and there is still no consensus in the academic community regarding the virus’s origin. The study highlights the need for further research and caution in drawing conclusions.

This study presents evidence supporting the hypothesis of a potential laboratory origin of COVID-19, including unique biological features not found in similar viruses and the proximity of a research facility studying bat coronaviruses to the initial outbreak site in Wuhan.

The study utilized a risk analysis tool to evaluate various criteria related to the virus’s natural or unnatural origin. The tool assigned scores based on evidence such as geographical distribution, virus strains, and transmission modes. The results indicated a higher likelihood of an unnatural origin due to specific biological risks and unconventional strains.

The researchers’ findings have sparked debates within the scientific community, with some experts questioning the tool’s subjectivity and potential for biased interpretations. While the study doesn’t conclusively prove the virus’s origin, it suggests that further investigation is necessary to understand the pandemic’s roots.

Experts like Dr. Jeremy Rothman, Professor Paul Hunter, and Professor Raina McIntyre have cautioned against jumping to conclusions about COVID-19’s origins and emphasize the need for thorough research to uncover the truth.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Ancient microfossils indicate photosynthesis originated 1.75 billion years ago

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Oldest known evidence of photosynthetic structures identified in a collection of mysterious cylindrical microfossils Nabyfusa magensis It was discovered in the 1.75 billion year old McDermott Formation in Australia.

Nabyfusa magensis Microfossil: (a) Nabyfusa magensis From the McDermott Formation of the Tawala Supergroup, northern Australia. (b) Nabyfusa magensis From the Grassy Bay Formation of the Shaler Supergroup in the Canadian Arctic. (c) Nabyfusa magensis From the Mbujimai supergroup BIIc6 formation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Scale bar – 50 μm. Image credit: Demoulin other., doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06896-7.

Oxygenic photosynthesis, in which sunlight catalyzes the conversion of water and carbon dioxide to glucose and oxygen, is unique to cyanobacteria and related organelles within eukaryotes.

Cyanobacteria played an important role in the evolution of early life and were active before the B.C. big oxidation event Approximately 2.4 billion years ago, the timing of the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis is debated due to limited evidence.

“Today, oxygenic photosynthesis is unique to cyanobacteria and their plastid relatives within eukaryotes,” said the paleontologist at the University of Liege. Catherine Dumoulin And her colleagues.

“Although its origins before the Great Oxidation Event are still debated, the accumulation of oxygen profoundly altered Earth's redox chemistry and the evolution of the biosphere, which contains complex life.”

“Understanding the diversification of cyanobacteria is therefore critical to understanding the coevolution of our planet and life, but their early fossil record remains equivocal.”

In their research, Demoulin and his co-authors discovered fossilized photosynthetic structures. Nabyfusa magensis Microfossil.

The microstructure is thylakoid. A membrane-bound structure found inside the chloroplasts of plants and some modern cyanobacteria.

Researchers identified them from fossils taken from three different locations, the oldest of which is from Australia's McDermott Formation and dates to 1.75 billion years ago (Paleoproterozoic era).

Nabyfusa magensis It is thought to be a cyanobacterium. The discovery of thylakoids in specimens from this period suggests that photosynthesis may have evolved at some point 1.75 billion years ago.

However, the mystery of whether photosynthesis evolved before or after the Great Oxidation Event remains unsolved.

Similar ultrastructural analyzes of older microfossils could help answer this question and determine whether the evolution of thylakoids contributed to elevated oxygen levels during the Great Oxidation Event.

“This discovery extends the thylakoid fossil record by at least 1.2 billion years and establishes a minimum age for the divergence of thylakoid cyanobacteria to be about 1.75 billion years ago,” the authors said. .

“This allows for the unambiguous identification of early oxygenic photosynthetic substances and new redox substances for investigating early Earth ecosystems, and for deciphering the paleontology and early evolution of fossil cells. This highlights the importance of examining the ultrastructure of cells.”

team's paper Published in today's magazine Nature.

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CF Dumoulin other. The oldest known fossil cells, thylakoids, provide direct evidence of oxygenic photosynthesis. Nature, published online on January 3, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06896-7

Source: www.sci.news