Even More Related to Orangutan's Than We Thought

In a new study conducted by researchers at the Indianapolis Zoo, the exact pitch and tone of human sounds were observed in the mimicry of an Orangutan. The research team on this study say that this discovery gives us incredible insight into the "evolutionary origin of human speech". It was commonly thought that speech originated in humans but with this new discovery, it may just be our great ape ancestors that originated speech patterns.

Rocky the Orangutan who was able to mimic human vocal patterns 

Its believed that rocky picked up on this ability during his time spent in entertainment. (follow this link to see Rocky with fergie.)The researchers observed that Rocky's noises are proof that great pass have the ability and brain capacity to control their muscles in order to create sounds in a somewhat conversational manner.

Crazy to think we share 97% of DNA with these creatures and yet no one has ever documented such a close relationship to human speech patterns and Orangutan mimicry!

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/30/science/rocky-the-orangutan-mimic-sounds.html?action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0 

Bye Bye Bees

In recent studies of male honeybees it is shown that two insecticides can drastically reduce the male's ability to reproduce due to a reduction in the living sperm. These two chemicals, thiamethoxam and clothianidin, that are banned in some nations are responsible for a 40 percent reduction of sperm. The insecticide exposure is immediate. This male reproductive issue is responsible for a decline in the honeybee population. For example, bee keepers in the United States have lost 44 percent of their honeybee colonies. The decline in bees is a bigger problem than it seems as many plants that require bee pollination are the basis of the world's food supply which poses an ecological danger. Studies are being done to investigate the other stressors that can affect a honeybee's health other than pesticides in order to help increase population growth.

Alcoholic Lemurs

Researchers have found a specie of lemur, the aye-aye, that prefers to drink fermented nectar. While the animal isn't out to get drunk, they prefer the fermented nectar for its increased caloric content. The study does show that the taste of alcohol is possibly widespread throughout the primate lineage, and it may have even be linked to genetic factors responsible for early human diets. Humans were genetically adapted to consuming alcohol long before we figured out how to make it.

                                     

http://www.livescience.com/55470-aye-ayes-adore-alcohol.html

Ancient air bubbles and Earth's Oxygen levels

Researchers have discovered ancient air bubbles trapped in inclusions found with rock salt. The chemical makeup of the air bubbles revealed that Earth's atmosphere was made up of roughly 11% oxygen 815 million years ago. This discovery puts an oxygenated atmosphere 200 million years ahead of when animals first began to appear. Scientist had previously thought oxygen didn't reach such high levels until approximately 600 million years ago at a similar time as when animals began to emerge. The new finding also puts the evolution of animals into question. There is now the question of whether or not the high oxygen levels had excelled the evolution of animals. Some scientists and universities are already disputing the evidence found claiming there must have a form of outside contamination within the samples.

DNA Study Reveals the One and Only Wolf Species in North America

Studies have shown that the genomes of North American wolves only have one type of species, known as the gray wolf. The other species of wolves in North America are the Eastern wolves and the red wolves, which are known to be a mixture of the grey wolf and the coyote. Coyotes developed the role of preying on small predictors, while the grey wolves preyed on the larger prey and development of rapid speed. Over the course of evolution, the grey wolves interbred with the coyotes in order to produce these hybrid offsprings. 

    

Scientist had examined the genomes of the Eastern and red wolves and explain how closely related they are but differentiated by the amount of coyote DNA they contained. Results have shown that the genome of the Red wolf contained 75% coyote and just 25% of the grey wolf. The genome of the Eastern wolf contained 75% of the grey wolf and 25% coyotes. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/28/science/red-eastern-gray-wolves.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

http://en.yibada.com/articles/146092/20160728/one-true-wolf-north-america-three-gray.htm

"Too Many Deer on the Road? Let Cougars Return"

The problem: White-tailed deer frequently jump out in front of motor vehicles resulting in more than one million collisions a year, more than 200 of them end in death. The solution: reintroduce the Cougar to their historic region. 

Wildlife experts argue that if cougars are reintroduced into their historic range, over the course of 30 years, approximately 155 of those 200 deaths could be prevented as well as 21,400 injuries and $3.2 billion could be saved. There is the possibility of cougars killing humans, however, the deaths of humans by Cougars is fewer than 30. 

Nineteen states have already been studied to discover if introducing the cougar to control the deer population could be successful. These states include Maine, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Four states that are part of the cougar’s historic range are Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, and Rode Island. However, those states do not have the proper forestry to support the cougar population. 

Scientists are still continuing to study the cougar solution to the deer population problem.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/science/too-many-deer-on-the-road-let-cougars-return-study-says.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=10&pgtype=sectionfront

http://www.newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/2016/07/study_bringing_cougars_back_to_ny_to_kill_deer_could_save_lives.html

The Wipe Out of Invasive Predators in New Zealand

New Zealand has recently announced that they have decided to eliminate invasive predators by the year 2050. These predators, such as rats and weasels, are responsible for killing 25 million native birds each year. The pests also disrupt other native species and the environment as a whole. Killing these predators will also help to protect the livestock by controlling the spread of disease because they are the main carriers of a harmful disease for cattle and deer called bovine TB.

Shown in the picture above is the flightless Kiwi, New Zealand's beloved native bird that is now on the endangered list due to these invasive rats and weasels. New Zealand has already started techniques to kill off the predators with the use of traps and poisons dropped by air. The country is in the process of developing stronger techniques, but these treatments come with high costs, both environmentally and financially. Animal rights activists are very much against New Zealand's plans. Prime Minister John Key states that this is "the most ambitious conservation project attempted anywhere in the world".

Gene Activity After Death

Studying dead organisms for signs of activity during life may seem like a back story for The Walking Dead, but in reality the topic is bringing forth some interesting information.  Peter Noble from the University of Washington in Seattle and a few of his colleagues have been looking into the activity of genes after the death of mice and zebrafish.  There has been evidence of activity in mice 2 days postmortem, and 4 days in the zebrafish.  Though this may seem a bit morbid, the findings are fascinating!  Some of the genes that show activity are responsible for spurring inflammation, firing the immune system and counteracting stress.  An interesting finding is the evidence of developmental genes turning on, even though they are not needed after birth.

Explanations for these genes turning on after death include that genes that were responsible for keeping them silent had turned off in death.  Learning more about what happens after death could benefit a few different professions.  This could assist in preserving organs for transplant during travel or could also help criminal investigators pinpoint a more accurate time of death.

“The headline of this study is that we can probably get a lot of information about life by studying death.” - Peter Noble

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-genes-remain-alive-days-after-body-dies-180959552/?no-ist

Dinosaur Fish Doomed To Extinction

The Pallid Sturgeon is a fish that lives in the Missouri River, which flows from Montana to where the river empties in Mississippi River. These fish are considered "dinosaur fish" and have survived for millions of years. They have no teeth, no rib cage, and are covered in bony scales, yet have managed to survive longer than dinosaurs have.

However, due to the recent installation of dams along the river, their population has dwindled down to about 125 fish. The fish deposit eggs into the water, that must move along with the current. The dams, however, do not allow the eggs to continue on their travels and they get caught in reservoirs, that are filled with bacteria and don't allow the eggs to get oxygen. In turn, the eggs suffocate and eventually die. This has had a serious effect on the population of pallid sturgeons, which has been been very concerning. The only way to save these creatures is to change the dams into an pump irrigation system. This switch is anywhere from $80 to $138 million. With that cost the fate of these dinosaur fish is left up to the court. 

Paleo Gut Used To Study Evolutionary History

Biologists have began to study gut bacteria in order to study the evolutionary history of mammals. This was done in hopes of following gut bacteria all the way back to the to carnivorous creatures 100 million years ago. Gut bacteria is considered microbes, and they have been found to be co-evolving with humans for a long time. They have been found to train our immune systems to fight pathogens and guide development of intestines. Andrew Moeller, a Fellow in UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, decided to study feces of different species. Moeller and a couple colleagues obtained feces from gorrillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and people. Then they isolated and amplified the DNA of bacteria in order to study it. They found three families of bacteria that composed about 20% of the human gut. The bacteria found are Bacteroidaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae, and Lachnospiraceae. Lachnospiraceae was found to be transferred between host species due to their ability to grow spores and survive outside of a host. Bacteroidaceae and Bifodobacteriaceae were found in both the apes and humans, with more diversity in the ape species. 
Their study concluded: 

"Once we calibrated the molecular clock, we were able to date the split of human and chimp bacteria at around 5.3 million years ago, and the human-gorilla gut bacteria split at around 15.6 million years ago, which are roughly in line with what we know from fossil and genomic data of the hosts," Moeller said. "It is one more line of evidence that gut bacteria have cospeciated with humans."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2649005/

Ducks Are Smart Too

The common assumption that many people have is that birds are rather dumb animals, however, a recent experiment proves that birds are actually fairly smart. Zoologists Antone Martinho III and Alex Kacelnik performed a study on 1-day-old ducklings to test their ability to establish abstract relationships between sensory inputs such as color and shape. After just being born, these ducklings were able to simply move towards the color or shape of the object that they had been shown prior to the experiment. 

This ability to establish relationships comes from the ducks' ability to imprint which allows them to recognize and follow their mothers. This study is quite important because it shows, for the first time, that a nonhuman animal can connect these types of abstract relationships without any training. These animals, that are normally associated with the inability to undergo intelligent thought processes, are now viewed differently. The experiment shows us that animals' minds are full of complexities that we have yet to discover.

Algae Overload

Currently, Florida is in their heart of their tourism season. A season that brings in tourists from all over the world who come to visit Florida's beautiful beaches and walloping water ways. However, just last week a stench arrived, surrounding beaches and water ways all over the coast, offending tourists and even locals. Shortly after the stench arrived, officials declared a state of emergency due to the toxic algae that covered the water.

more pictures of algal blooms:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/04/pictures/130423-extreme-algae-bloom-fertilizer-lake-erie-science/

Unfortunately there was not much to be done when this algal bloom occurred. The algae had been building for weeks with no signs of leaving any time soon."The mess in Florida is only the latest in a string of algal blooms that some experts believe are increasing in frequency and in severity." Although, these algal blooms occur naturally it has been shown more frequently that human activity has been increasing the frequency and intensity of them. The activity spoken of in the article includes runoff from farms, feedlots and municipal sewer systems. Hopefully, scientist and locals can get a grasp on these algal blooms to prevent from loosing tourists and consequently economic growth.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/science/algae-blooms-beaches.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0

Bird Brains Have as many Neurons as Primates

Birds are far more intelligent and impressive creatures than some may realize. Even with small brains birds are capable of making complex cognitive decisions and actions. How is this possible? These avian creatures have a high neuron density. Though the brain is small the amount of neurons is near that of a mid sized primate. The study comes from universities out of Austria, Czech Republic, and Brazil. It was one of the first studies of its kind in the methods used to calculate the amount of neurons. Over twenty different species were sampled and brains dissected. The findings of the study were overall expected in the science community. As such, behaviors like tool building found in crows, and majestical vocal abilities found within songbirds, require higher cognitive function.

New Bio-Ink Allows for 3D Printing of Living Tissue

A new stem cell-laden bio-ink created by scientists at the University of Bristol allows for the 3D printing of living tissue, or bioprinting. This development could lead to the printing of complex surgical bones and cartilage implants using a patient’s own stem cells in the future.

An artist’s impression of a 3D living tissue bioprinting. (Image courtesy of University of Bristol)

The bioink is composed of two different polymers: a natural extract from seaweed, and a synthetic polymer already in use in medical surgeries. The synthetic polymer converts from a liquid to a gel at exactly 37°C, while the seaweed polymer provides structural support once cell nutrients are absorbed. Amazingly, once cell nutrients are introduced, the synthetic polymer dissolves away, while the stem cells and seaweed polymer remain. The stem cells in the ink are osteoblasts (a cell that secretes the bone material) and chondrocytes (a cell that secretes the matrix of cartilage).

Dr. Adam Perriman, lead researcher from the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Bristol, stated:

Designing the new bio-ink was extremely challenging as it required a material that is printable and durable enough to maintain its shape if immersed in nutrients and does no harm to the cells. There was a lot of trial and error tests before they were able to formulate a working method.

External Link: http://www.explainingthefuture.com/bioprinting.html 

The Call of the Sea: Mammalian Evolutionary transitions back to the sea

According to a new study by Maria Chikina and Nathan Clark evidence has shown that during main evolutionary events land animals made their way back into the sea. One of these marine animals is the modern day mannatee. The call for these creatures to go back to the sea stemmed from certain genes that had evolved charactistics that preferred a marine environment. The evolved genes had led to new functions for skin and connective tissue formation as well as a diminished sense of taste and smell. The study also found the specific genes responsible for such function. A gene coding for a lung surface protein evolved to increase lung capacity and diving depths.  These land creatures that went back to the sea evolved and adapted to their environment efficiently and quickly.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160622164320.htm
http://www.manatee-world.com/manatee-evolution/

How Did Farming Expand?

Farming has brought numerous benefits to various societies across the globe.  Scientists have been trying to figure out how exactly how farming spread to different societies.  They are specifically paying attention to the comparison between the ideas of farming having been developed initially in the Fertile Crescent and spread through society or if it was developed individually in various areas around similar time frames.

A single group did carry farming to Europe: DNA from ancient farmers in western Anatolia shows that they were the direct ancestors of Europe’s first farmers, known as the Linear Pottery culture; present-day Sardinians share the most DNA with these ancient Anatolians. But the trail of the first farmers went cold in the hot climate of the Middle East, which destroys DNA.

 Though there is evidence of farming being taught, there is still debate as to how the techniques initially began to grow and spread.  Various local societies used different tools in their farming suggesting that it was independently developed.  Though there is also evidence that these various local societies traded obsidan (a volcanic glass), so there is a high possibility that seeds and farming knowledge was also traded.  Of course there is a third option of both occurring! 

A Swordfish's Best Kept Secret

Reaching unofficial speeds around 60mph, a swordfish can impress almost anyone with its great speed.  Scientists recently have identified one aspect of the fish that may contribute to this ability.  A specific type of oil is secreted and covers the head of the fish allowing it to be even more hydrodynamic than originally designed.

Dutch researchers examining two frozen swordfish discovered that there is an oil-producing gland at the base of the sword, connected by capillaries to pores in the skin of the head.

Scientists believe that this advantage assists the speed of the swordfish by 20%.  The oil is secreted from the glands as the water goes past the skin of the fish giving it the advantage it needs to escape a predator and catch its prey!

Fight or Flight: The Red Eyed Tree Frog

A new study conducted by Scientist at the University of Scranton, found that the developing red-eyed tree frog in cases of stress is able hatch itself prematurely in order to escape harms way.
"The frogs normally lay a mass of 40 or so eggs on a twig or leaf over a freshwater pond. If all is well, the eggs hatch at 6 or 7 days old and the tadpoles fall into the pond. But if the eggs are attacked by a snake or a wasp during the last couple of days of development, the embryos can launch early. They wriggle out and drop to the water in less than a minute, sometimes in less than 10 seconds."

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/red-eyed-tree-frog/

The Scientists conducted a fake "attack" by poking the embryo enough to simulate a possible predator. They then discovered that the tadpole in response to the stress released enzymes which consequently broke down the embryonic wall and hatched the egg allowing the tadpole to escape harms way.

The fight or flight response has always fascinated me in the sense that not one creature responds in the same way. This tree frog definitely has a unique and efficient way of responding to predators.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/27/science/hatching-frogs.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fsciencetake&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection