All posts; Tags Include "Evolutionary Anthropology"
- January 17, 2014
- 11:40 AM
- 823 views
Life may have begun in a tiny water droplet
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Chemical reactions run much faster and more efficiently when they take place in tiny droplets rather than in freestanding water – such as a puddle or a lake, say researchers. The advance could help unravel how life originated on our planet, unlock secrets of prebiotic atmospheric chemistry and help synthesise new molecules much more efficiently.... Read more »
Ali Fallah-Araghi, Kamel Meguellati, Jean-Christophe Baret, Abdeslam El Harrak, Thomas Mangeat, Martin Karplus, Sylvain Ladame, Carlos M. Marques, & Andrew D. Griffiths. (2014) Enhanced Chemical Synthesis at Soft Interfaces: A Universal Reaction-Adsorption Mechanism in Microcompartments. Physical Review Letters. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.028301
- January 16, 2014
- 07:47 AM
- 936 views
Inconsistent preferences can be preferred by natural selection
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
It seems paradoxical that a preference for which of two houses to buy could depend on another, inferior, house – but researchers at the University of Bristol have identified that seemingly irrelevant alternatives can, and should, influence choices. Even more remarkable is the finding that optimal choices can violate the principle of transitivity: it can be best to choose A from A or B, and choose B from B or C, but choose C from A or C.... Read more »
J. M. McNamara, P. C. Trimmer, & A. I. Houston. (2014) Natural selection can favour ‘irrational’ behaviour. Biology letters. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0935
- January 15, 2014
- 05:10 PM
- 884 views
Why Physicists Are Saying Consciousness Is A State Of Matter …
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
…Like a Solid, A Liquid Or A Gas
A new way of thinking about consciousness is sweeping through science like wildfire. Now physicists are using it to formulate the problem of consciousness in concrete mathematical terms for the first time.... Read more »
Max Tegmark. (2014) Consciousness as a State of Matter. Cornell University Library. arXiv: 1401.1219v1
- January 15, 2014
- 08:10 AM
- 654 views
Rediscovered tooth confirms the presence of the first early hominin in Central Africa
by Aileen Cudmore in Natural Reactions
A reassessment of a fossilised tooth provides the first strong piece of evidence for the presence of early hominins (humans and their ancestors) in the Western Rift Valley in Central Africa nearly 2 million years ago. ... Read more »
Isabelle Crevecoeur, Matthew M. Skinner, Shara E. Bailey, Philipp Gunz, Silvia Bortoluzzi, Alison S. Brooks, Christian Burlet, Els Cornelissen, Nora De Clerck, Bruno Maureille.... (2014) First Early Hominin from Central Africa (Ishango, Democratic Republic of Congo). PLoS ONE, 9(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084652
- January 15, 2014
- 06:43 AM
- 1,063 views
Bacterial “Syringe” Necessary for Marine Animal Development
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
If you’ve ever slipped on a slimy wet rock at the beach, you have bacteria to thank. Those bacteria, nestled in a supportive extracellular matrix, form bacterial biofilms—often slimy substances that cling to wet surfaces. For some marine organisms—like corals, sea urchins, and tubeworms—these biofilms serve a vital purpose, flagging suitable homes for such organisms and actually aiding the transformation of larvae to adults.
... Read more »
Shikuma NJ, Pilhofer M, Weiss GL, Hadfield MG, Jensen GJ, & Newman DK. (2014) Marine Tubeworm Metamorphosis Induced by Arrays of Bacterial Phage Tail-Like Structures. Science (New York, N.Y.). PMID: 24407482
- January 15, 2014
- 04:15 AM
- 735 views
Debunking the sixth sense
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
New research led by the University of Melbourne has helped debunk the common belief that a sixth sense, also known as extrasensory perception (ESP), exists.... Read more »
Piers D. L. Howe, & Margaret E. Webb. (2014) Detecting Unidentified Changes. PLoS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084490
- January 14, 2014
- 10:22 AM
- 721 views
Rice’s K.C. Nicolaou sets sights on cancer-related drug discovery
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
World-renowned chemist focuses on synthesizing natural compounds for cancer fight
Rice chemist K.C. Nicolaou is embarking on one of the biggest challenges of his professional career.... Read more »
K. C. Nicolaou. (2014) Organic synthesis: the art and science of replicating the molecules of living nature and creating others like them in the laboratory. The Royal Society A. DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2013.0690
- January 14, 2014
- 07:31 AM
- 777 views
Discovery of new fossils reveals key link in evolution of hind limbs
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Researchers have discovered well-preserved pelves and a partial pelvic fin from Tiktaalik roseae, a 375 million-year-old transitional species between fish and the first legged animals, which reveal that the evolution of hind legs actually began as enhanced hind fins. This challenges existing theory that large, mobile hind appendages were developed only after vertebrates transitioned to land.... Read more »
Neil H. Shubin, Edward B. Daeschler, & Farish A. Jenkins, Jr. (2014) Pelvic girdle and fin of Tiktaalik roseae. PNAS. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1322559111
- January 13, 2014
- 07:31 AM
- 697 views
Study dispels theories of Y chromosome’s demise
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
A comparison of Y chromosomes in eight African and eight European men dispels the common notion that the Y‘s genes are mostly unimportant and that the chromosome is destined to dwindle and disappear.... Read more »
Melissa A. Wilson Sayres, Kirk E. Lohmueller, & Rasmus Nielsen. (2014) Natural selection reduced diversity on human Y chromosomes. PLoS genetics. arXiv: 1303.5012v2
- January 13, 2014
- 05:21 AM
- 702 views
Research uncovers key difference between our bodies’ fight against viruses and bacteria
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a key difference in the biological mechanisms by which the immune system responds to viral and bacterial pathogens, respectively.... Read more »
Andreas Begitt, Mathias Droescher, Thomas Meyer, Christoph D Schmid, Michelle Baker, Filipa Antunes, Markus R Owen, Ronald Naumann, Thomas Decker, & Uwe Vinkemeier. (2014) STAT1-cooperative DNA binding distinguishes type 1 from type 2 interferon signaling. Nature Immunology. DOI: 10.1038/ni.2794
- January 12, 2014
- 04:52 PM
- 848 views
Scientists Design Targeted New Drug Candidates Based on Detailed Picture of Muscular Dystrophy Defect
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have revealed an atomic-level view of a genetic defect that causes a form of muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy type 2, and have used this information to design drug candidates with.... Read more »
Childs-Disney JL, Yildirim I, Park H, Lohman JR, Guan L, Tran T, Sarkar P, Schatz GC, & Disney MD. (2013) Structure of the Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2 RNA and Designed Small Molecules That Reduce Toxicity. ACS chemical biology. PMID: 24341895
- January 12, 2014
- 12:12 PM
- 814 views
Research uncovers key difference between our bodies’ fight against viruses and bacteria
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a key difference in the biological mechanisms by which the immune system responds to viral and bacterial pathogens, respectively.... Read more »
Andreas Begitt, Mathias Droescher, Thomas Meyer, Christoph D Schmid, Michelle Baker, Filipa Antunes, Markus R Owen, Ronald Naumann, Thomas Decker, & Uwe Vinkemeier. (2014) STAT1-cooperative DNA binding distinguishes type 1 from type 2 interferon signaling. Nature Immunology. DOI: 10.1038/ni.2794
- January 10, 2014
- 06:11 PM
- 741 views
Team Finds New Way to Map Important Drug Targets
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Researchers have used new techniques and one of the brightest X-ray sources on the planet to map the 3-D structure of an important cellular gatekeeper in a more natural state than possible before.... Read more »
Liu W, Wacker D, Gati C, Han GW, James D, Wang D, Nelson G, Weierstall U, Katritch V, Barty A.... (2013) Serial femtosecond crystallography of G protein-coupled receptors. Science (New York, N.Y.), 342(6165), 1521-4. PMID: 24357322
- January 9, 2014
- 06:41 AM
- 837 views
First shark genome decoded
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Genome of the elephant shark provides new insights into immunity and bone formation
By Johannes Faber
January 08, 2014 - Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg... Read more »
Byrappa Venkatesh, et al. (2014) Elephant shark genome provides unique insights into gnathostome evolution. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature12826
- January 8, 2014
- 05:05 PM
- 940 views
BOSS Measures the Universe to One-Percent Accuracy
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey makes the most precise calibration yet of the universe’s “standard ruler”
Further reading and links at TK's page... Read more »
Lauren Anderson et al. (2013) The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: Baryon Acoustic Oscillations in the Data Release 10 and 11 galaxy samples. Cornell University Library. DOI: arXiv:1312.4877v1
Kyle S. Dawson, et al. (2012) The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey of SDSS-III. Cornell University Library. DOI: arXiv:1208.0022v3
Hubert L. Bray. (2012) On Wave Dark Matter, Shells in Elliptical Galaxies, and the Axioms of General Relativity. Cornell University Library. DOI: arXiv:1212.5745v1
- January 6, 2014
- 06:38 PM
- 928 views
A Missing Genetic Link in Human Evolution
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Humans have multiple copies of a gene known as SRGAP2, which is thought to be involved in brain development. Chimps and orangutans have only one copy.
By: Emily Singer
Further reading... Read more »
Charrier C, Joshi K, Coutinho-Budd J, Kim JE, Lambert N, de Marchena J, Jin WL, Vanderhaeghen P, Ghosh A, Sassa T.... (2012) Inhibition of SRGAP2 function by its human-specific paralogs induces neoteny during spine maturation. Cell, 149(4), 923-35. PMID: 22559944
Jiang Z, Tang H, Ventura M, Cardone MF, Marques-Bonet T, She X, Pevzner PA, & Eichler EE. (2007) Ancestral reconstruction of segmental duplications reveals punctuated cores of human genome evolution. Nature genetics, 39(11), 1361-8. PMID: 17922013
Marques-Bonet T, & Eichler EE. (2009) The evolution of human segmental duplications and the core duplicon hypothesis. Cold Spring Harbor symposia on quantitative biology, 355-62. PMID: 19717539
- January 4, 2014
- 06:45 AM
- 1,020 views
Backpost*: The Denisovans and the Mamanwas
by nath in Imprints of Philippine Science
In a post almost 3 years ago, I wrote about the ancient connection of the Philippine Negrito groups with indigenous …Continue reading »... Read more »
Delfin F, Salvador JM, Calacal GC, Perdigon HB, Tabbada KA, Villamor LP, Halos SC, Gunnarsdóttir E, Myles S, Hughes DA.... (2010) The Y-chromosome landscape of the Philippines: extensive heterogeneity and varying genetic affinities of Negrito and non-Negrito groups. European journal of human genetics : EJHG. PMID: 20877414
Reich D, Patterson N, Kircher M, Delfin F, Nandineni MR, Pugach I, Ko AM, Ko YC, Jinam TA, Phipps ME.... (2011) Denisova admixture and the first modern human dispersals into Southeast Asia and Oceania. American journal of human genetics, 89(4), 516-28. PMID: 21944045
Krause J, Fu Q, Good JM, Viola B, Shunkov MV, Derevianko AP, & Pääbo S. (2010) The complete mitochondrial DNA genome of an unknown hominin from southern Siberia. Nature, 464(7290), 894-7. PMID: 20336068
Cooper A, & Stringer CB. (2013) Paleontology. Did the Denisovans cross Wallace's Line?. Science (New York, N.Y.), 342(6156), 321-3. PMID: 24136958
Meyer, M, Fu, Q, Aximu-Petri, A, Glocke, I, Nickel, B, Arsuaga, JL, Martinez, I, Gracia, A, de Castro, JMB, Carbonell, E.... (2013) A mitochondrial genome sequence of a hominin from Sima de los Huesos. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature12788
- January 3, 2014
- 05:30 PM
- 925 views
Reconstructing the New World Monkey Family Tree
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Duke University evolutionary anthropologist Richard Kay applied decades’ worth of data on geology, ancient climates and evolutionary relationships to uncover several patterns in primate migration and evolution in the Americas..
Further reading and links... Read more »
Kay RF. (2013) Biogeography in deep time - What do phylogenetics, geology, and paleoclimate tell us about early platyrrhine evolution?. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution. PMID: 24333920
- December 27, 2013
- 12:12 PM
- 1,345 views
Determinism and Indeterminism
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
If the discussion about a determinist or an indeterminist nature already becomes acute at the level of physics and even more intense if it concerns the question of life and the evolution of its forms, the debate reveals its greatest importance when it refers to consciousness and the freedom of the human being.
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Further Reading and links... Read more »
Franck, Juan F., & Vanney, Claudia E. (2013) Determinism and Indeterminism: From Neuroscience to Philosophy. Austral University. info:/
- December 27, 2013
- 04:24 AM
- 1,372 views
The fate of the Eels
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
The European eel is one of the world’s many critically endangered species. Comprehensive protection is difficult because many details of the eel’s complex life cycle remain unknown. In a multidisciplinary study, biologists and oceanographers at GEOMAR recently demonstrated the crucial influence of ocean currents on eel recruitment. They did so by using, among others, a state-of-the-art ocean model developed in Kiel, in combination with genetic studies.
Further reading and links... Read more »
Miguel Baltazar-Soares, Arne Biastoch, Chris Harrod, Reinhold Hane, Lasse Marohn, Enno Prigge, Derek Evans, Kenneth Bodles, Erik Behrens, Claus W. Böning.... (2013) Recruitment Collapse and Population Structure of the European Eel Shaped by Local Ocean Current Dynamics. Cell Press Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.11.031
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