Science

https://archive.ph/MoFmJ

https://archive.ph/ueh8z

Funding actionable science: Advancing mission-oriented research for sustainability

@science

https://council.science/news/funding-actionable-science-2025/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=funding-actionable-science-2025

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/9216258

This article reports new scientific research into a Neanderthal-Human hybrid child.

Key excepts from the short article:

A recent study has used advanced radiocarbon dating to present a more precise age for the Lapedo Child, a significant archaeological find that reshaped our perception of the interaction between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.

MAIN CONCLUSIONS The remains show both Neanderthal and modern human traits, and they have been dated to about 28,000 years ago, upending the earlier date range.

The dating of the Lapedo Child thus expands the debate on the extent and duration of human-Neanderthal interactions.

Another striking conclusion from the study is the idea that the site was abandoned following the child’s burial. The child’s death might have led to the site being marked as taboo.

GENETIC DETAILS Genetic evidence suggests interbreeding began at least 49,000 years ago and continued for roughly 7,000 years. However, if the Lapedo Child, a hybrid individual, lived around 28,000 years ago, then questions arise as to whether genetic exchanges lasted longer than previously thought or whether hybrid traits appeared in later generations.

NEANDERTHAL BURIAL DETAILS They studied bones from a young rabbit, found atop the child’s remains, red deer bones located near the child’s shoulder, and charcoal beneath the legs, thought to be remnants of a ritual fire.

The results revealed that while the rabbit bones were contemporaneous with the child, the red deer bones and charcoal were significantly older, indicating that they were not placed intentionally as part of a burial offering.

Instead, the rabbit skeleton is believed to have been part of a symbolic offering before the grave was sealed, as it bears a red ocher pigment similar to that of the burial shroud.

Building a database for ISC Member focal points to foster Member-Member engagement

@science

https://council.science/news/database-isc-member-focal-points/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=database-isc-member-focal-points

A call to ISC Members to propose working groups

@science

https://council.science/news/call-to-isc-members-propose-working-groups/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=call-to-isc-members-propose-working-groups

Call for experts for IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments | deadline: 17 April

@science

https://council.science/news/call-ipcc-task-group-data-support-for-climate-change/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=call-ipcc-task-group-data-support-for-climate-change

Call for nominations: Coordinating lead authors, lead authors, review editors for the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report | deadline: 10 April

@science

https://council.science/news/call-authors-review-editors-ipcc-ar7/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=call-authors-review-editors-ipcc-ar7

Call for experts for IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments | deadline: 10 April

@science

https://council.science/news/call-for-experts-for-ipcc-task-group-on-data-support-for-climate-change-assessments-deadline-10-april/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=call-for-experts-for-ipcc-task-group-on-data-support-for-climate-change-assessments-deadline-10-april

ISC Science Missions for Sustainability endorsed as an official programme of the UN International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development

@science

https://council.science/news/isc-science-missions-un-decade-sustainability/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=isc-science-missions-un-decade-sustainability

Abstract: Evolution in profound darkness often leads to predictable, convergent traits, such as the loss of vision. Yet, the consequences of such repeated evolutionary experiments remain obscure, especially regarding fundamental regulatory behaviors like circadian rhythms. We studied circadian clocks of blind cave spiders and their sighted relatives. In the field, cave spiders exhibit low per expression and maintain constant activity levels. Curiously, their clocks are not permanently lost; exposure to monochromatic blue light restores both circadian gene expression and behavioral rhythms. Conversely, blocking blue light in sighted relatives induces an arrhythmic “cave phenotype.” Our RNA interference experiments suggest that clock genes regulate the rhythmicity of the huddle response, establishing a link between circadian gene networks and this behavioral rhythm. We demonstrate that circadian regulation is readily toggled and may play a latent role, even in constant darkness. Overall, our study expands understanding of circadian clock variations and paves the way for future research on the maintenance of silent phenotypes.

How bad can a solar storm be? Just ask a tree. Unlike human records, which go back hundreds of years, trees can remember solar storms for millennia.

Nagoya University doctoral student Fusa Miyake made the discovery in 2012 while studying rings in the stump of a 1900-year-old Japanese cedar. One ring, in particular, drew her attention. Grown in the year 774–75 AD, it contained a 12% jump in radioactive carbon-14 (14C), about 20 times greater than ordinary fluctuations from cosmic radiation. Other teams confirmed the spike in wood from Germany, Russia, the United States, Finland, and New Zealand. Whatever happened, trees all over the world experienced it.

Abstract: Experiencing negative content through art has a unique power to transform our perceptions and foster engagement. While this idea has been widely discussed, empirical evidence is scarce, since experimental testing of art experiences poses significant challenges. Here, we aimed to fill this gap by quantifying and comparing individuals’ preference for engaging with art and nonart depicting matched negative content via two behavioral measures: the choice to engage vs. avoid and the duration of engagement.

Science Magazine: This RNA-pesticide targeting the Colorado potato beetle could offer a safer, more targeted alternative to chemical pesticides

However, the authors observed that some of these antibody responses in the skin originated from de novo germinal center–like structures that centered around hair follicles. Thus, the skin has the capacity to independently facilitate B cell maturation and generate an immune response to bacterial colonization.

North America’s largest bird disappeared from the wild in the late 1980s. Reintroduction work in the United States and Mexico has brought this huge vulture back to the skies. This is the story of its comeback.

We all encounter gels in daily life – from the soft, sticky substances you put in your hair, to the jelly-like components in various foodstuffs. While human skin shares gel-like characteristics, it has unique qualities that are very hard to replicate. It combines high stiffness with flexibility, and it has remarkable self-healing capabilities, often healing completely within 24 hours after injury.

• A study led by Dr. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga has demonstrated how neurons in the human brain generate memories and establish narratives. The research is published in the journal Cell Reports.

• For the first time, it has been confirmed that, contrary to previous beliefs, individual neurons represent the concepts we learn, regardless of the context in which we encounter them.

• This allows humans, unlike other animals, to establish higher and more abstract relationships, which lays the foundation of human intelligence.

This from the same guys who got neurons in a petri dish to successfully play pong. The CL1 is a box with biological neurons inside that can be controlled and programmed with an API. They've been working on this for quite a while and just made their first public release.

Its expected the CL1 will be extremely helpful for researching Alzheimer's and other neurological based disorders, including neuron response to medicine for faster drug testing.