Human evolution: back to the trees?
Source:
Scientists have discovered a new interesting hints in the dorsal columns of the ancient ancestors of the people who indicate that their different subtypes moved differently depending on the environment. Published in American Journal of Physical Anthropology the study of hooklike processes of the vertebrae, which are responsible for stabilization and direction of spinal movement, and assesses their form six fossil hominids compared to modern human and non-human primates 99 20 childbirth. Using a new morphometric methods, the researchers found clear differences between the hook-shaped processes of the living primates that typically live in trees and those that do not live.
New evidence reveals striking differences between the vertebrae fully ground types and species of primates that swing and jump from branch to branch, and can help to understand how the extinct species of hominids moved in their environment. Fossils from East Africa dated to 3.5 million years ago and belong to Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy), and Homo erectus, dated at 1.8 — 1.5 million years ago, correspond to the modern human in this respect, which suggests that these extinct hominids learned to walk on land. On the contrary, the fossils from South Africa, belong to the hominid species Australopithecus sediba, revealed the processes that help in the movement of the trees.
As scientists say, although the South African species apparently were not completely "cut off from the earth", their hooked appendages show adaptations to life on trees. Theoretically, if the battle for survival won't "Homo erectus", we could also keep overhead way of life.
Can genes create the perfect diet for you?
Diet on genotype can be a way out for many, but it still has a lot of questions Don't know what to do to lose weight? DNA tests promise to help you with this. They will be able to develop the most individual diet, because for this they will use the m...
How many extraterrestrial civilizations can exist nearby?
If aliens exist, why don't we "hear" them? In the 12th episode of Cosmos, which aired on December 14, 1980, co-author and host Carl Sagan introduced viewers to the same equation of astronomer Frank Drake. Using it, he calculated the potential number ...
Why does the most poisonous plant in the world cause severe pain?
The pain caused to humans by the Gimpi-gympie plant can drive him crazy Many people consider Australia a very dangerous place full of poisonous creatures. And this is a perfectly correct idea, because this continent literally wants to kill everyone w...
To fight cancer cells helps...cancer cells
Scientists know about cancer almost everything. However, to overcome this dangerous disease completely from the experts have not yet been obtained. But if cancer cells are so intent on destroying everything, why not get them to de...
Spectral analysis of the nearest exoplanets has increased the potential of its habitability
last year, the exoplanet is only 11 light years from Earth. And not just another exoplanet, and rocky exoplanets, presumably with great potential for habitability. A new group of researchers conducted a deeper analysis of the open...
Scientists have found a way to remove the body of senescent cells
Aging is an inevitable consequence of our existence. However, since time immemorial, mankind has sought to overcome this process (and ideally, and even immortality). To the ideal we have not yet reached, but to increase life expec...
Editor of genome CRISPR managed to recreate the stage of development of melanoma
Editor of CRISPR genome has been repeatedly proved its effectiveness. And he managed to do it again. Recently a group of researchers from San Francisco were able to identify the sequence of genetic changes that turn the benign nev...
Unfair penalty for a goalkeeper, but to fix it
Penalty – one of those elements of games that make football particularly interesting. So it was that a penalty is completely unfair to the goalie. Statistics show that the chances to reflect a ball in the goalkeeper is almost ther...
The main problem of the future colonists of the moon – dust
Humanity is not only to return to the moon, but in the future even founded a colony. Such ambitious plans require extensive training, especially given the extremely hostile local environment. In an effort to find ways to protect a...
The new packaging will allow a second to identify spoiled food
How to determine the quality of the product? Color? Smell? Of course, but many disease-causing microorganisms and the quality of the product, do not always cause visible to the naked eye changes. In this case, it will help only by...
Study: which brands indicate a fat wallet
If you have an iPhone, then you earn a lot of money. To such conclusion the National Bureau of economic research at the University of Chicago. Report prepared by Marianne Bertrand and Emir Kamenica. They believe that any one brand...
Study: walnuts improve fertility in men
Eating nuts "significantly" increases the number and improves the health of sperm in young males, the study found. The findings "support a beneficial role of chronic consumption of tree nuts to improve sperm quality," say the rese...
In March, died last male Northern white Rhino, leaving only two females of this subspecies. Not having any way to reproduce naturally, the rhinos went to the edge of extinction back to back. But some scientists want to be involved...
The limit of human longevity achieved? As it is not so!
In 1997 at age 122 years Jeanne calment died. She was the longest-lived person in the history of mankind (at least, among those whose deaths have been documented). But after it there will be others. According to a new study, publi...
Astronomers for the first time directly see the process of the birth of the planet
Astronomers for the first time in the history of the image of the birth of planets from a protoplanetary disc surrounding their home star, an orange dwarf star located about 370 light years from Earth. About the presence of emergi...
Thousands of cryptocurrency projects already dead
Two sites that are actively catalogservlet bad cryptoprocta, Coinopsy and DeadCoins, found that more than 1,000 projects were defeated in 2018. Projects range from just thrown to outright Scam. It is not surprising that institutio...
What can people do for a smartphone today
In recent years, increasingly raised the topic of smartphones. Gambling addiction is already recognized disease, and companies like Apple, Google and Facebook are making efforts to ensure that we can monitor the operation time of ...
Elon Musk and the new study on alien life: we should go to Mars
Elon Musk has long been can not refuse from the idea of colonizing other planets. He collected thousands of employees in SpaceX, which built the ship , able to transport 100 people and 150 tons of cargo to Mars. Today he has even ...
Interstellar visitor Omwamwi was a comet, not an asteroid
Visit our Solar system "the first interstellar visitor" Omwamwi actually turned out to be a comet. To such conclusions scientists have led to the observed anomalies in the trajectory and speed of movement. Strange cigar-shaped obj...
Scientists have recorded a record low temperature on Earth
what do you think, where is the coldest place on Earth? Perhaps now, many of you thought about Oymyakon, because something I heard somewhere. But, no. Only Oymyakon coldest place in Russia. In 1926, there was recorded temperature ...
Scientists have discovered nearly 1,000 new genes associated with intelligence
the Researchers found 1016 of specific genes associated with intelligence, most of which was previously unknown to science. An international group of scientists conducted a large-scale study and found 190 new genetic loci and 939 ...
How do neutrino detectors: an example of Japanese "Super-Kamiokande"
Hidden at the depth of 1 km under the mountain, Ikeno, in a zinc mine Kamioka, 290 km North from Tokyo (Japan) is the place as its lair would dream of any super villain from some movie or story about supercoach. Here is a "Super-K...
"Microlaser" the size of a cell can regulate the activity of the brain
Scientists spent years trying to create lasers smaller and smaller sizes. The latest invention labs Berkeley, however, special in its kind and can lead to significant changes in medicine. An international group of scientists has d...
(0)