2015

From New Scientist: Recent theory: The idea is that smaller, colder stars have thicker atmospheres. “That provides handles with which the star can grab onto the planet and vice versa,” Winn says. Over time, those gravitational handles exert a tidal force on the planet, pulling it and its star into alignment. But then: But one Jupiter-mass planet discovered earlier this year, HATS-14b, seems to threaten that idea. Because it tightly circles a small star, its orbit should have flattened out quickly – but the orbit is instead tilted a whopping 76 degrees from the plane in which its star spins. “It should have aligned with the spin of the host star, and what we’re finding is that it has not,” Read More ›

A friend must have been a really jumpin’ social event recently. Was buttonholed by a Darwin follower, just up from the crypt, who launched into the hoary old claim that the backwards eye wiring of vertebrates shows that the vertebrate eye is poorly designed—therefore not designed at all. Now, of course, it is a non-sequitur to say that something that is poorly designed is not designed at all. Which is the followers’ point. Thus, it is unclear why they find eye wiring even an interesting argument, let alone a compelling one. No matter. In any actual (rather than imaginary) situation, one can hope only for optimal, not “perfect” design. Perfection does not exist in time and space as we know Read More ›

From Science Daily: A new study shows that larger eye size is the source of a sizable reproductive advantage for a tiny freshwater crustacean, Daphnia obtusa. The research provides hard data for eye microevolution that, until now, were lacking. Huh? Hard data were lacking, for something as obvious as microevolution? It gets better: The focus of the research team was a tiny freshwater crustacean, Daphnia obtusa Kurz. Just 1 to 2 millimeters long, Daphnia would be hard to spot except for one distinguishing feature: its black eye, which is large for its body size. “A big eye is costly to maintain, because any kind of neurological tissue, including retinal tissue, is energetically demanding relative to other kinds of tissue,” Dudycha Read More ›

First, a happy thanksgiving. Then, while digesting turkey etc, here is something to ponder. One of the underlying issues surrounding the debates over the design inference is the question of responsible, rational freedom as a key facet of intelligent action, as opposed to blind chance and/or mechanical necessity. It has surfaced again, e.g. the WD400 thread. Some time back, this is part of how I posed the issue, emphasising the difference between self-aware responsible freedom and blindly mechanical causal chains used in computing: Even if deluded about circumstances a self-aware being is just that, self-evidently, incorrigibly self-aware. And, a key facet of that self awareness is of responsible, rational freedom. Without which we cannot choose to follow and accept a Read More ›

We fancy, for the following communications position, Zack Kopplin, that young guy who was freaked because Louisiana schoolteachers needn’t shout Darwindreck at their classes any more*. But as Adam Deen tells us: When I organised evolution conference to debate the topic of Islam and evolution, there was an obscene backlash. We were labelled as deviants by a prominent Wahhabi preacher for merely having such a debate. One of the guest lecturers was even “excommunicated” for seeking to reconcile the scientific perspective with the faith. More. These guys should be way easier to talk to than a Bayou teacher who has read Darwin’s Doubt. And how about the Darwin-in-the-schools lobby’s “aren’t I good?” girls. We’ll draft them to go talk to these Read More ›

O’Leary for News’ night job: Fake reviews, sure… but fake science journals? Bob the Robot’s TED talk: What robots are and aren’t Robot are things we create to develop our ideas. Will artificial intelligence kill our jobs? That depends. Jumbotron, the smartphone is coming to get you! New tech does not extinguish old art forms. It more often changes their role. Live to text? Well, it’s your neck … Driving while “intexticated”? Social media addiction comes, like other addictions, with a free I-deny-I-have-a-problem package. Follow UD News at Twitter!

From Discover: Holes in a Bone: Flute or Fluke? Many experts believe an approximately 45,000-year-old bear femur could be a flute — the oldest known musical instrument. Ivan Turk discovered the bone in 1995 in Slovenia’s Divje Babe Archaeological Park, among cave deposits containing Neanderthal tools. But is it a hominin-made flute, or just a bone scavenged by ancient hyenas? In Science Smackdown, we let experts argue both sides of the question. More. Readers? Hear a replica played below. See also: The search for our earliest ancestors: signals in the noise and Neanderthal Man: The long-lost relative turns up again, this time with documents Follow UD News at Twitter!

But then this is the same life form that can reassemble from a small piece, and lose all its neurons but live. Re the latter feat, new findings may shed light: From Science Daily: Champion of regeneration, the freshwater polyp Hydra is capable of reforming a complete individual from any fragment of its body. It is even able to remain alive when all its neurons have disappeared. Researcher the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have discovered how: cells of the epithelial type modify their genetic program by overexpressing a series of genes, among which some are involved in diverse nervous functions. … “Epithelial cells do not possess typical neuronal functions. However, Hydra’s loss of neurogenesis induces epithelial cells to modify Read More ›

From The Telegraph: The human genome is littered with sequences left behind from long-ago viral infections but now scientists have found the code is still active Now researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have found that genetic material from a retrovirus called HERV-H is not only active, but is crucial in allowing a fertilised human egg to grow into an embryo. … “What’s really interesting is that these sequences are found only in primates, raising the possibility that their function may have contributed to unique characteristics that distinguish humans from other animals. Let’s back up and be cautious here. For one thing, many primates are not particularly clever, so we need to be much more specific about why it Read More ›

From Casey Luskin’s talk at Evolution News & Views: Information is not always easy to define, but it often involves a measure of degree of randomness. The fundamental intuition behind information is a reduction in possibilities. The more possibilities you rule out, the more information you’ve conveyed. Nature can produce “information” under certain definitions. Intelligent agents also produce information (certain types, at least). As Henry Quastler observed, “The creation of new information is habitually associated with conscious activity.” To put it another way: The reduction in uncertainty could occur by an intelligent agent, or through a physical occurrence. Types of information and example follow. Conclusion To summarize, Information can be understood and defined in different ways. Some are useful for Read More ›

From his blog: On Saturday, November 21, I had the privilege of hearing Zach Throckmorton of Lincoln Memorial University speak on Homo naledi at the Gray Fossil Site just outside of Johnson City, TN. Dr. Throckmorton is an expert on feet, and he was part of the research team that studied the fossils of Homo naledi after they were excavated from the Rising Star Cave. … I was quite struck by his candid discussion of the burial of these creatures. He was careful to note that they preferred the burial hypothesis because they could not find another credible explanation for why the bones would be in that remote chamber. At the same time, he admitted that these hominins not only Read More ›

From a Top Rated journal TM: ‘Seek Funding’ Step Added To Scientific Method PARIS—In an effort to modernize the principles and empirical procedures of examining phenomena and advancing humanity’s collective knowledge, the International Council for Science announced Thursday the addition of a “Seek Funding” step to the scientific method. More. The friend who contributed this tip notes, This is what would happen if philosophers of science really looked at the process of science as currently practiced 🙂 A conference in tht? this time, Marseilles? Note: Top Rated journal:   See also: Retraction Watch and If peer review is working, why all the retractions? Follow UD News at Twitter!

A new study is out here. They were studying epigenetic effects in planaria flatworms. Same planaria, three different “species”-level “heads” were regenerated. Of course, everything must have an “evoltuion-did-it” explanation; so, for the record, here it is: The ease with which a particular shape could be coaxed from a G. dorotocephala worm was proportional to the proximity of the target worm on the evolutionary timeline. The closer the two species were related, the easier it was to effect the change. This observation strengthens the connection to evolutionary history, suggesting that modulation of physiological circuits may be one more tool exploited by evolution to alter animal body plans. However, there is more to mull over: Working with Girardia dorotocephala – free-living Read More ›

Mantis shrimps use it to avoid already occupied hiding places. From ScienceDaily: Researchers from the Queensland Brain Institute at The University of Queensland have uncovered a new form of secret light communication used by marine animals. … Dr Yakir Gagnon, Professor Justin Marshall and colleagues previously showed that mantis shrimp (Gonodactylaceus falcatus) can reflect and detect circular polarising light, an ability extremely rare in nature. Until now, no-one has known what they use it for. The new study shows the shrimp use circular polarisation as a means to covertly advertise their presence to aggressive competitors. “In birds, colour is what we’re familiar with; in the ocean, reef fish display with colour. This is a form of communication we understand. What Read More ›

From The Atlantic: The toughest animals in the world aren’t bulky elephants, or cold-tolerant penguins, or even the famously durable cockroach. Instead, the champions of durability are endearing microscopic creatures called tardigrades, or water bears. They live everywhere, from the tallest mountains to the deepest oceans, and from hot springs to Antarctic ice. They can even tolerate New York. They cope with these inhospitable environments by transforming into a nigh-indestructible state. Their adorable shuffling gaits cease. Their eight legs curl inwards. Their rotund bodies shrivel up, expelling almost all of their water and becoming a dried barrel called a “tun.” Their metabolism dwindles to near-nothingness—they are practically dead. And in skirting the edge of death, they become incredibly hard to Read More ›