GoKawiil
Tech News
Researchers analyzing a Neanderthal skeleton concluded the individual likely died from a spear wound, but the remains also show evidence that the person survived for a time afterward, suggesting they received care from others. The findings, described by the study's researchers, highlight both violence and compassion within the same individual's life history.
Researchers have described a newly identified Jurassic-age avialan that appears to have been flightless, adding to the fossil record of early bird-line dinosaurs from China's Yanliao and Jehol biotas. The find joins other recent discoveries, such as short-tailed and bony-tailed avialans, that document a wider range of body plans among the earliest relatives of birds than previously documented.
Scientists dissected and mechanically tested the axial columns of juvenile lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) to measure bending and torsional properties of their notochord-based spines. The tests used a materials-testing machine with calibrated load and torque sensors to quantify how flexible these primitive vertebral structures are. The sturgeon served as a living stand-in for understanding the mechanics of early tetrapod necks, which lack fossil evidence of soft tissue.
Researchers from 21 institutions, including MD Anderson, Duke, UCSF and Mayo Clinic, generated new whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing data on brain tumor samples, combining them with previously published GLASS and TCGA datasets. The analysis used longitudinal tumor and blood samples sequenced on Illumina NovaSeq platforms to track genomic changes in astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas over time.
Researchers examined fossil evidence to determine how the first four-limbed vertebrates developed a distinct neck as they transitioned from water to land. The study identifies anatomical changes separating the skull from the shoulder girdle, a key step away from the fused head-body structure seen in fish ancestors.
Researchers analyzing fossil evidence from the Jurassic period report that certain early bird species showed skeletal features consistent with flightlessness. This suggests loss of flight occurred much earlier in avian evolution than previously documented, closer to the origin of birds themselves.
Paleoartist Mark Witton is developing a speculative biology book, 'Dinosaurs Evolved,' imagining how life might look today had the K-Pg extinction never occurred. In response, an SV-POW! blog post surveys past speculative sauropod designs, including Memo Kösemen's Brontosapiens and Dougal Dixon's creatures from 'The New Dinosaurs' (1988), such as the trunked Lumber and armored Turtosaur.
Researchers studying brain volume in chimpanzees and gorillas found that, unlike human brains, these great ape brains do not lose significant mass as the animals grow older. The comparison suggests age-related brain shrinkage seen in humans is not a universal feature of ape aging.
Researchers analyzing the Jurassic mammaliaform Megacauda identified a derived, therian-like pterygoid hamulus structure in its skull, contrasting with the more primitive configuration seen in Morganucodon. Comparisons with the modern marsupial Didelphis virginiana, including diceCT scans, show how this bony hook relates to muscles controlling the soft palate and pharynx.
Researchers analyzed a fossil of an early predecessor to mammals, concluding that the ancient animal had anatomical features enabling it to swim, suckle and swallow food. The findings come from detailed examination of preserved skeletal and soft-tissue structures in the specimen, according to researchers cited by Nature.
A comprehensive global analysis involving over 220,000 data points reveals that ecosystems have less capacity to compensate for species extinctions than previously believed. The research indicates that biodiversity loss could significantly impact ecosystem services such as pollination, water purification, and climate regulation across land, freshwater, and marine environments. The ocean, in particular, appears most vulnerable to biodiversity declines.
Julia Van Etten led a team that set up a makeshift lab in a motel room after losing funding, and discovered two previously unknown species of the rare single-celled microbe Paulinella. The findings, published in the Journal of Phycology, bring the total known Paulinella species to six. Scientists say the organism shows a relatively recent instance, about 100 million years ago, of one cell engulfing a photosynthetic bacterium rather than digesting it.