At GenEng and BioTech mag: “In a new study, stem cell scientists at the Lund University, Sweden, explore the role of non-coding regions of the genome—previously deemed to be functionless “junk” DNA—and find humans and chimpanzees use a part of their non-coding DNA in different ways. This they claim affects how and when the human brain develops.”
Human evolution
Horrors! Our Stone Age ancestors… SMOKED!!
Okay, only the ones in North America smoked. But the others would have smoked too if they had tobacco, probably! Just wait till the researchers find the still…
Science Uprising 8: Why materialism needs ape ancestors
Klinghoffer: It “cuts to heart of the mystery of human origins. “Human Evolution: The Monkey Bias” features geologist Casey Luskin and biologist Jonathan Wells, showing that materialism is wed to ape origins for humans because the philosophy’s whole picture of reality demands it.”
Will it ever be possible to recapture ancient speech?
Experimental physicist Rob Sheldon says that, if we look carefully at the nature of sound, we will be able to see why we probably can’t somehow capture sound waves still reechoing in the world.
On the preprint server: Human micro proteins that sprang from nothing
Researchers: ” Given their short length it is plausible that some of these functional microproteins have recently originated entirely de novo from non-coding sequence. Here we test the possibility that de novo gene birth can produce microproteins that are functional ‘out-of-the-box’. ” So is everybody a creationist now but some people are in denial about it?
Researchers: Our genetic history shows telltale signs of periods of starvation
From findings: Follow-up experiments in mice pointed to a potential explanation for why: the deletion appeared to limit male animals’ size when fed a calorie-restricted diet. This sort of growth limitation could help males survive lean times but limit their reproductive success in times of plenty.
Speculations about human evolutionary ancestry before Darwin: Mermaids
So when Darwin came along and said, no, apes, he was playing to a sympathetic audience. Good to know.
Will bionic hands ever be as good as natural hands? Researchers are certainly trying…
A recent internet-savvy bionic hand, developed by an American neuroscientist and computer engineer, is the most flexible yet, with sensory feedback. But will we ever outdo nature? Why or why not?
Major Neanderthal cave discovery at Gibraltar
So far, no burial site has been found in the caves, and Finlayson speculated that digging down from the chamber at the apex of the cave could lead to side chambers and perhaps even a site where the Neanderthals placed their dead.
Sean McDowell interviews William Lane Craig: Is Adam historical?
McDowell’s interview with William Lane Craig is in connection with Craig’s new book, In Quest of the Historical Adam.
Oldest footprints in North America —children’s — made at 22,500 years ago
Researchers are very pleased: “I think this is probably the biggest discovery about the peopling of America in a hundred years,” he says. “I don’t know what gods they prayed to, but this is a dream find.”
Shell beads from Morocco found at 142,000 years ago
It’s fair to say that all clothing is a form of communication. True, we need clothing for warmth and protection but few people would wear tea cozies or aluminum siding, even if they theoretically work. Even back when most clothing was animal products, the type of skin or leather and any adornments thereon could probably tell us a lot. And beads? They serve no purpose except communication.
Huge sandstone camel sculptures in Saudi Arabia are much older than thought
At 7,000–8,000 years old, they predate the domestication of camels (so far as we know). Ancient people get smarter every time we run into them.
Evidence of clothing from 90 000 to 120 000 years ago
The researchers came across the bone tools unexpectedly. They were looking for animal bones in order to recreate the human diet.
World’s oldest art raises question: Is it art?
Researchers would not be asking if it is art if it were not so old (between 169,000 and 226,000). The underlying assumption seems to be that humans did not think imaginatively in those days. The evidence seems to contradict the evolutionary assumption.