Water in Earth's mantle key to survival of oldest continents
20:31 02-09-2010; source: www.sciencedaily.com
Earth today is one of the most active planets in the Solar System, and was probably even more so during the early stages of its life. Thanks to the plate tectonics that continue to shape our planet's surface, remnants of crust from Earth's formative years are rare, but not impossible to find. A new paper examines how some ancient rocks have resisted being recycled into Earth's convecting interior.
Brainy worms: Scientists uncover counterpart of cerebral cortex in marine worms
20:31 02-09-2010; source: www.sciencedaily.com
Unexpectedly, scientists have now discovered a true counterpart of the cerebral cortex in an invertebrate, a marine worm. Their findings give an idea of what the most ancient higher brain centers looked like, and what our distant ancestors used them for.
Listening to ancient colors: New technique may help restorers identify decades-old pigments
18:31 02-09-2010; source: www.sciencedaily.com
A team of chemists has discovered that a technique known as photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy could be used to identify the composition of pigments used in art work that is decades or even centuries old. Pigments give artist's materials color, and they emit sounds when light is shone on them.
Ancient brew masters tapped antibiotic secrets
16:31 02-09-2010; source: www.sciencedaily.com
A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer. The finding is the strongest evidence yet that the art of making antibiotics, which officially dates to the discovery of penicillin in 1928, was common practice nearly 2,000 years ago. The study finds that it's likely this prehistoric population was using empirical evidence to develop therapeutic agents.
Lima beans domesticated twice
05:31 01-09-2010; source: www.sciencedaily.com
Lima beans were domesticated at least twice, according to a new genetic diversity study. Big seeded varieties known as "Big Lima" were domesticated in the Andean Mountains, while small seeded "Sieva" and "Potato" varieties originated in central-western Mexico.
Evolution rewritten, again and again
02:31 01-09-2010; source: www.sciencedaily.com
Palaeontologists are forever claiming that their latest fossil discovery will "rewrite evolutionary history." Is this just boasting or does our "knowledge" of evolution radically change every time we find a new fossil?
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