The oldest unequivocal evidence of upright walking in the human lineage are footprints discovered at Laetoli, Tanzania in 1978, by paleontologist Mary Leakey and her team. The bipedal trackways date to 3.7 million years ago. Another set of mysterious footprints was partially excavated at nearby Site A in 1976 but dismissed as possibly being made…

Seals and sea lions are fast swimming ocean predators that use their flippers to literally fly through the water. But not all seals are the same: some swim with their front flippers while others propel themselves with their back feet. Seals and sea lions are fast swimming ocean predators that use their flippers to literally…

Researchers have successfully engineered common baker’s yeast to produce D-lysergic acid (DLA), an ingredient used in medicine for dementia and Parkinson’s Disease. In line with the growing number of seniors, the number of people living with age-related diseases such as dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease is also expected to increase exponentially. These age-related…

Cosmochemists have made the first-ever measurements of water contained in samples from the surface of an asteroid. The team’s findings suggest that impacts early in Earth’s history by similar asteroids could have delivered as much as half of our planet’s ocean water. «We found the samples we examined were enriched in water compared to the…

Scientists have shown that orangutan call signals believed to be closest to the precursors to human language, travel through forest over long distances without losing their meaning. This throws into question the accepted mathematical model on the evolution of human speech. The currently accepted model, developed by mathematicians, predicts that human ancestors strung sounds together…

Research on a newly discovered bird fossil found that a unique brain shape may be why the ancestors of living birds survived the mass extinction that claimed all other known dinosaurs. Research on a newly discovered bird fossil led by The University of Texas at Austin found that a unique brain shape may be why…

Images of dinosaurs as cold-blooded creatures needing tropical temperatures could be a relic of the past. Scientists have found that nearly all types of Arctic dinosaurs, from small bird-like animals to giant tyrannosaurs, reproduced in the region and likely remained there year-round. University of Alaska Fairbanks and Florida State University scientists have found that nearly…

New biomaterials reduce the risk of infection and facilitate the body’s healing processes. These nanostructured materials are based on spider silk proteins. They prevent colonization by bacteria and fungi, but at the same time proactively assist in the regeneration of human tissue. They could be used for implants, wound dressings, prostheses, contact lenses, and other…

Dineobellator notohesperus lived 67 million years ago. Dineobellator notohesperus adds to scientists’ understanding of the paleo-biodiversity of the American Southwest, offering a clearer picture of what life was like in this region near the end of the reign of the dinosaurs. Steven Jasinski, who recently completed his Ph.D. in Penn’s Department of Earth and Environmental…