Geneticists Puzzled by Octopus’s Unique Genes: Seem to Have Appeared Out of Nowhere
“”…octopus genome is comparable to the human genome in size and complexity. In fact, it has “a greater number of protein-coding genes — some 33,000, compared with fewer than 25,000 in Homo sapiens,…”” by David Coppedge via evolution news & science today Cephalopods, from the Latin for “head-foot,” are among the strangest creatures in the ocean. Though classified in phylum … Continue reading
Human ‘Natural’ Lifespan is Actually Only 38 Years, According to New Study
A perplexing figure for our ‘natural’ lifespan was determined using a new method for determining lifespans from DNA. Writing for The Conversation, CSIRO molecular biologist and bioinformatician Benjamin Mayne explains the research that he and his colleagues conducted as part of this fascinating new study. Humans have a “natural” lifespan of around 38 years, according to a new method we … Continue reading
Neanderthal Genes Influenced Skull Shape of Modern Humans
Neanderthal genes influence human head shape Research suggests the effects of long-distant interspecies breeding finds expression in modern skulls. Researchers have gleaned insights into what makes human brains bulbous from our closest evolutionary relative – the Neanderthal – despite them having died out millennia ago, according to an analysis in the journal Current Biology. Neanderthals and anatomically modern Homo sapiens … Continue reading
Strangest Scientific Findings in 2018 – Memory Formation Resembles a Viral Infection
According to two papers published in Cell on January 11, 2018, the making of memories and the processes of learning resemble, of all things, a viral infection. It works like this: The shells that transport information between neurons are assembled by a gene called Arc. Experiments conducted by two research teams revealed that the Arc protein that forms a shell, functions much … Continue reading
Previously Unknown Part of the Human Brain Discovered; May be Unique to Humans
There is no doubt many things left to be discovered about humans and other animals, if only our focus was more on discovery instead of personal greed. via Earth-chronicles: Neuroscientists, carefully studying the human brain while working on a new neuroanatomical atlas, have discovered a previously unknown area, which may be only in humans. A new site was discovered by … Continue reading
Life on Earth May Have Been Sparked By Meteorites Splashing Into ‘Warm Little Ponds’
A new study argues that meteorites that landed in volcanic pools of water 4 billion years ago were key to jump-starting life on Earth—a theory proposed by Charles Darwin more than 140 years ago. New analysis from McMaster University in Canada and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy suggests that meteorites that landed in shallow, stagnant pools of water (or … Continue reading
Pork Producer Getting Ready for Pig-Human Organ Transplants
The recent announcement that researchers at the Salk Institute in California had created an embryo which contains both human and pig cells generated reactions of shock, caused many to question the ethics of the scientists and prompted a few to wonder how soon someone would figure out a way to make money from it or some similar pig-man (and possibly … Continue reading
Genes Show Ancient Humans First Got Herpes from Chimps
Our closest genetic relatives are beginning to look a lot more like us all the time. Some primate researchers have recently claimed that chimpanzees have been more or less in the chimp equivalent of the human Stone Age for possibly hundreds of years. Chimps can use tools, exist in complex social groups, and have even recently been observed performing what … Continue reading
Project to Bring Back the Dead Gets Government Approval
A project to bring back the dead has itself been brought back from the dead. Project Reanima, an experiment in using stem cells to stimulate the regrowth of neurons in clinically dead patients, has overcome its failure to file the proper paperwork last year by successfully receiving institutional review board (IRB) approval to begin bringing the dead back to life … Continue reading
Highly Irregular Behaviour Being Observed Among Humpback Whales
In a mysterious change to their normal behaviour, humpback whales are forming massive groups of up to 200 animals. Humpbacks aren’t normally considered to be terribly social. They are mostly found alone, in pairs, or sometimes in small groups that disband quickly. But research crews have spotted strange new social behaviour on three separate cruises in 2011, 2014 and 2015, … Continue reading
