Month: June 2020

Humans and monkeys may not speak the same lingo, but our ways of thinking are a lot more similar than previously thought, according to new research.

Source: Humans and monkeys show similar thinking patterns: The neural computations of human and non-human primates shed new light on the evolution of language — ScienceDaily

Sled dogs are much older and have adapted to Arctic conditions much earlier than previously thought. Researchers show that ancestors of modern sled dogs have worked and lived with humans for over 9,500 years.

Source: Sled dogs are closely related to 9,500-year-old ‘ancient dog’ — ScienceDaily

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Emily McFarlan at the Religion News Service explores the controversy over depictions of Jesus as …

Source: Tear them down? “White Jesus” statues have an Unsavory History in Aryan Racial Theory that also Influenced Nazi Theology

Why do people like Hossenfelder feel they need to honor Darwinism’s rotting carcass?

Source: Science vs pseudoscience? – Sabine Hossenfelder edition – Uncommon Descent

What did the very first proteins look like — those that appeared on Earth around 3.7 billion years ago? Prof. Scientists have reconstructed protein sequences that may well resemble those ancestors of modern proteins, and their research suggests a way that these primitive proteins could have progressed to forming living cells.

Source: Origin of life: Which came first? An experiment in recreating primordial proteins solves a long-standing riddle — ScienceDaily

New research suggests that the first dinosaurs laid soft-shelled eggs — a finding that contradicts established thought. The study analyzed the eggs of two vastly different non-avian dinosaurs and found that they resembled those of turtles in their microstructure, composition, and mechanical properties. The research also suggests that hard-shelled eggs evolved at least three times independently in the dinosaur family tree.

Source: First dinosaur eggs were soft like a turtle’s: New study suggests that hard eggshells evolved at least three times in dinosaur family tree — ScienceDaily

Four million tonnes of poison a year, most produced by four agribusiness giants, are killing essential insects everywhere. One-third of species face extinction.

Source: Industrial farming is driving global insect collapse

An anthropologist responds to the suggestion that older people sacrifice themselves for the sake of the economy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Covid Elders – How Elders Make Us Human – SAPIENS

Scientists estimated how many alien societies in the Milky Way can send interstellar messages. But just because they can talk does not mean we will hear them.

Source: The Milky Way Contains 36 Contactable Alien Civilizations, Scientists Estimate – VICE

Researchers have discovered antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease, when tested in animals and human cell cultures.

Source: Super-potent human antibodies protect against COVID-19 in animal tests: Scientists isolate powerful coronavirus-neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients and successfully test in animals — ScienceDaily