DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Ancient fossils lead to discovery of largest known marine reptile
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Dr. Dean Lomax, Ruby Reynolds, Justin Reynolds and Paul de la Salle (from left) are shown with the fossil discovery in 2020. “To think that my discovery in 2016 would spark so much interest in these enormous creatures fills me with joy,” de la Salle said. I am overjoyed.”Together, the Reynoldses, Lomax, de la Salle and others returned to Blue Anchor to search for additional fragments. The nearly complete giant jawbone is shown along with the jawbone (middle and bottom) found by Paul de la Salle in 2016. Sergey KrasovskiyThe discovery made by the Reynoldses and de la Salle will soon be displayed at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery in the UK.

Persons: Ichthyotitan, Justin, Ruby Reynolds, Marcello Perillo, Dean Lomax, Justin Reynolds, Paul de la, Lomax, De la Salle, “, de, Ruby, ” Lomax, Paul de, ”, ichthyosaurs, Perillo, ” Perillo, Mary Anning, Joseph, Sergey Krasovskiy, ” Ruby Reynolds, Paul Organizations: CNN, University of Bonn, Paul de la Salle, University of Manchester, University of Bristol, Salle, la Salle, de la Salle, Bristol Museum, Art Locations: Somerset, Braunton, England, , Somerset, Germany, United Kingdom, Devon, Lilstock, Canada, China

☆ These small male marsupials give up sleep for sex, then die after intense mating season, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Scientists based in Australia have found that mouse-sized male antechinus trade sleep to leave more time for reproductive activities during mating season, with one male who was monitored halving his sleep time during that period. Non-breeding dusky antechinus spend an average of 15.3 hours of the day asleep, according to the researchers. “Sleep restriction in breeding male antechinus is likely to be an adaptive behavioral response driven by strong sexual selection,” the paper said. To study the semelparous marsupials, researchers examined two antechinus species: dusky antechinus (Antechinus swainsonii) and wild agile antechinus (Antechinus agilis) both captive and wild. Lesku said researchers would next like to examine how male antechinus deal with restricting their sleep for three weeks.

Persons: ” Erika Zaid, ”, Erika Zaid, Francesca Leonard, Zaid, John Lesku, antechinus, ” Lesku, Erika Zaid “, Volker Sommer, ” Sommer, Lesku Organizations: CNN, La Trobe University, “, University College London Locations: Australia, Melbourne

☆ Did syphilis originate in the Americas? Ancient DNA offers some insight
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In France, it was named the “Neapolitan disease” after the French army got infected during its invasion of Naples, Italy, in the first documented syphilis epidemic. A complex disease caused by a complex bacteriumWithout treatment, syphilis can cause physical disfigurement, blindness and mental impairment. Others believe T. pallidum bacteria always had a global distribution but perhaps grew in virulence after initially manifesting as a mild disease. Some bones had marks characteristic of infection with T. pallidum — the bacteria effectively eat away at bones, leaving concave lesions. “The modern tools available for extracting DNA from ancient samples, for enriching the treponemal DNA, and obtaining deep sequencing from samples has rapidly increased our understanding of the Treponema.”

Persons: Christopher Columbus, Treponema pallidum, ”, Brenda J, Baker, Jose Filippini It’s, Molly Zuckerman, wasn’t, ” Zuckerman, “, it’s, Columbus, Europe ’, Sheila A, pallidum, Verena Schünemann, Schünemann, Mathew Beale, Beale, ” Lukehart Organizations: CNN, Research, Arizona State University, Bioarchaeology Laboratories, Mississippi State University, University of Washington, University of Zurich’s Institute of Evolutionary, Wellcome Sanger, Columbus Locations: France, Naples, Italy, Europe, Americas, Brazil, New, Laguna, Santa Catarina, Africa, Columbus, Finland, Estonia, Netherlands, Asia, Cambridge, England

☆ The real Paleo diet was heavy on plants with very little meat, according to a study of early human remains
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewThe popular Paleo diet is based on the belief that we are better off eating like our ancestors by sticking to a largely meat-heavy diet. "One way to think about it is as soon as anybody tells you that the Paleo diet was one thing, you can stop listening," said Pontzer, who wasn't involved in the study. The paleo diet is a high-protein diet that emphasizes unprocessed foods. AdvertisementThere is no one Paleo dietThis isn't the only research that disproves the model often held up by proponents of the modern-day definition of the Paleo diet. What's clear is that a meat-heavy diet isn't reflective of what people ate thousands of years ago.

Persons: —, Randy Haas, Herman Pontzer, Pontzer, wasn't, Haas, Loren Cordain Organizations: Service, Business, University of Wyoming, Duke University, University of Liverpool, BI Locations: Peru, Patjxa, Germany

☆ Migration of Alaska’s earliest people linked to woolly mammoth’s movements
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jenna Schnuer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The tusk belonged to a woolly mammoth later named Élmayųujey’eh or, for short, Elma. Karen Spaleta, one of the new study's coauthors, takes a sample from a mammoth tusk found at Alaska's Swan Point archaeological site. Woolly mammoth tusks grew at a consistent daily rate, with the earliest days of the animal’s life recorded in the tip of the tusks. “The US Geological Survey has done a pretty darn good job mapping rocks in Alaska,” Rowe said. Changing the picture of hunter-gatherersThe new evidence advances more than an understanding of the early relationship between woolly mammoths and humans.

Persons: Audrey Rowe, Matthew Wooller, Wooller, Karen Spaleta, Rowe, ” Rowe, “, ” Wooller, ”, Love Dalén, Dalén, ” Dalén, Julius Csotonyi, Hunter, Jenna Schnuer Organizations: CNN, University of Alaska, university’s College of Fisheries, Ocean Sciences, Geological Survey, Palaeogenetics Locations: Alaska, Canada, United States, Elma, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Swan, Stockholm, Sweden, Anchorage , Alaska

☆ A shark regenerated an entire hole in its fin in under a year and scientists got the amazing transformation on camera
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Chelsea Black | The Conversation | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

I set out to record the migration routes of silky sharks, named for their smooth skin. Instead, in a story filled with twists and turns, I ended up documenting the rare phenomenon of a shark regenerating a dorsal fin. Silky sharks are commonly found in the open ocean and grow to be 10 feet long. In the many shark photos he sent, I noticed a silky shark with an oddly shaped dorsal fin. AdvertisementBased on the healing rate calculated in my study, we just might see his dorsal fin grow back to 100% its original size.

Persons: Tanner Mansell, John Moore, Josh Schellenberg, Josh, John, Chelsea Black Organizations: Service, Business, Chelsea, University of Miami, Local, Marine Ecosystems, Society Locations: Jupiter , Florida, South Florida, Florida

☆ A viral story about a spider laying eggs inside a cruise passenger's toe isn't true, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A man told the BBC that a spider laid eggs in his toe during a cruise ship stop in France. But experts told BI spiders don't lay eggs in bodies, and questioned whether Blake was even bitten. AdvertisementA BBC report about a cruise passenger who said that he was bitten by a wolf spider, which then laid eggs inside his toe, went viral on Monday. "One of the spider eggs hadn't been flushed and must have hatched," Blake said, per the BBC, which added that the spider was identified as a Peruvian wolf spider. Neither were aware of a species called a "Peruvian wolf spider."

Persons: Colin Blake, Blake, —, Lena Grinstead, Sara Goodacre, Goodacre, it's Organizations: BBC, Service, University of Portsmouth Locations: France, Marseille, Peruvian, Grinstead, Goodacre, Europe

☆ A tiny ancient elephant that roamed Sicily 200,000 years ago had babies the size of pet dogs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Over a hundred years ago, in the late 19th century, researchers discovered the bones of an ancient elephant in Sicily, near Syracuse. AdvertisementExtreme elephant evolutionThe juvenile Sicilian dwarf elephant. AdvertisementWhy did this ancient elephant get so tiny? One group of giant straight-tusked elephants moved to Sicily about 200,000 years ago. Understanding cases like the Sicilian dwarf elephant helps scientists better understand evolution as a whole, Van der Geer, said.

Persons: —, might've, Alexandra van der Geer, It's, Van de Geer, Ross MacPhee, MacPhee, there's, Van der Geer Organizations: American Museum of, Service, Leiden University Locations: Sicily, Syracuse, NYC, Netherlands, Europe, European

☆ What an isolated community in Africa may be able to teach about child care
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The children had a high degree of physical contact and care for most of time they were observed. Nikhil ChaudharyResponses to cryingWhat was notable, Chaudhary said, wasn’t necessarily the amount of care children received, but that mothers weren’t responsible for all of it. Other caregivers — fathers, older siblings and nonrelatives — were responsible for 38% to 46% of close care, according to the study. The mean number of caregivers other than a child’s mother was 14.4, but these weren’t all adults. “How representative would a day care center with 18 children in inner-city London be of childhood … anywhere?” he asked.

Persons: “, ”, Nikhil Chaudhary, ” Chaudhary, Chaudhary, ’, —, reexamine, wasn’t, nonrelatives —, …, Jennifer Lansford, Malcolm Gillis, ” Lansford, Carlo Schuengel, ” Schuengel, ” Marc Bornstein, we’re Organizations: CNN, Leverhulme, University of Cambridge, “, Central African, Center for Child, Duke University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Locations: Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, North Carolina, London

☆ Opinion: This Nicolas Cage movie is a hard lesson in being human
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Opinion Noah Berlatsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Across the political spectrum, there’s a consensus that social media is dangerous. Director Kristoffer Borgli’s latest film, “Dream Scenario,” half builds on, half parodies those fears and anxieties for its absurdist plot. It also suggests, though, that the dynamics and dangers of online existence aren’t exactly new and aren’t exactly about social media at all. “Dream Scenario” is about how, even before we could see short hip hop dance videos on loop, we’ve always been in each other’s skulls. As “Dream Scenario” suggests, for better and worse, to be human is to dream together.

Persons: Noah Berlatsky, Critics, Noah Berlatsky Noah Berlatsky, Kristoffer Borgli’s, Paul Matthews, Nicolas Cage, Paul, Paul doesn’t, ”, Janet, Julianne Nicholson, It’s, they’re, you’ve, he’s, Carl Jung’s, “ antelligence, stigmatize, isn’t, you’re Organizations: CNN Locations: Chicago, Swiss

☆ Think Your City Mouse Has an Attitude? These Scientists Want to Find Out.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Brittany Loggins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Anna Colliton has lived in her apartment in Pelham Parkway in the Bronx for five years, but she suspects the mice have been there far longer. They also seem to have an unusual favorite food: the spare packets of ketchup she keeps alongside takeout menus in a kitchen drawer. Mice are commonly used in medical research because of their physiological and genetic similarities to humans. But their evolutionary changes can also be observed over a relatively short period, making them an ideal subject for research into how wild animals adapt to, say, urbanization. The Drexel researchers are studying the effects of urban environments on the evolution of house mice in New York, Philadelphia and Richmond, Va.: relatively old cities, where time and development may have caused differences to accumulate between the mice in each city and those in surrounding areas.

Persons: Anna Colliton, ”, Colliton Organizations: Drexel University, Drexel Locations: Pelham, Bronx, New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, Va

☆ Opinion: Musk, McCarthy and Romney are three kinds of leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. A vain and ambitious cigar-smoking bully who wore riding breeches, a polished helmet and boots and carried ivory-handled revolvers, he led troops on successful lightning strikes through German-held territory near the end of World War II. Musk has repeatedly been criticized for enabling and boosting antisemitic content on the platform.”“Isaacson tries to square these two Musks. During Trump’s first impeachment, Romney became the first senator in US history to vote to remove a president of his own party from office. He has been willing to do what he believes to be right — consequences be damned.”The differences between Romney and Trump were many.

Persons: CNN — “ Troy, Hadrian, …, ”, George S, Patton, “, Stephen D, Clay Jones, Elon Musks, Elon, Nicole Hemmer’s, Walter Isaacson, Musk “, Musk, ” “ Isaacson, Isaacson, ” Hemmer, Walt Handelsman, Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump, McCarthy, Joe Biden, “ Trump, impeaching Biden, Norman Eisen, Trump, ” Eisen, Biden, James Antle III, ’, Hunter, McCarthy “, John Avlon, Dennis Aftergut, Lindsey Graham wasn’t, Michelle Lujan Grisham, she’s, Hunter Biden, Robert J, Spitzer, It’s, ” Vladimir, Kim, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Frida Ghitis, Putin, vaingloriously, Peter the Great, Sébastien Roblin, Don’t, Romney Francis Chung, AP Sen, Mitt Romney, Romney, Sen, John McCain, Trump’s, Lanhee J, Chen, Lisa Benson, Kate Bahn, ’ I’m, —, Dana Peterson, Erik Lundh, ” Dana Summers, Kunis Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Danny Masterson, Jill Filipovic, “ Kutcher, Kunis, Kutcher, Masterson, Danilo Cavalcante, Arick, Scott Stantis, Jeff Yang, Jets Phil Hands, Julian Zelizer, Aaron Rodgers ’, ” Don’t, Nick Anderson, Tess Taylor, Tommy Tuberville, Mahnaz, Roxanne Jones, Coco Gauff, Amanda Tyler, Lara Setrakian, Paul Hockenos, Don Lincoln, Sophia Nelson, Tim Scott, Kenneth Branagh, Agatha Christie’s, Hercule Poirot, Noah Berlatsky, Poirot, Branagh, Sara Stewart, Winona Ryder Organizations: CNN, US, Marine Corps, Third Army, Vostochny, Twitter, Defamation League, Agency, Caucus, Republicans, Democrats, White, North, Putin, AP, Senate, Hollywood, Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Peugeot, United Auto Workers, UAW, “, Federal Reserve, Conference Board, Ninth, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, REUTERS, Reuters, Apple, European Union, Jets, Boston Red Sox, The Chicago Cubs, The New York Jets, New York Jets, MetLife, Tribune, Studios Locations: China, Washington, New Mexico, Detroit, Russia’s, South Africa, Hunter Biden’s, Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, Russia, Ukraine, ”, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Aude, Pennsylvania, Brazil, Cupertino , California, Iran, New Texas, Venice

☆ Strange ‘earthquake lights’ explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —I once felt the immense force unleashed by an earthquake in 1999 when I was living in Taipei, Taiwan. It was a feeling I was reminded of again this week when writing about a mysterious seismic phenomenon witnessed during Morocco’s recent devastating earthquake. Force of natureReports of multicolor “earthquake lights,” such as the ones seen in videos captured before Morocco’s 6.8 magnitude quake on September 8, go back centuries to ancient Greece. Researchers are beginning to understand the different forms the lights take and where they might appear. One 2014 study found the mystery lights could result from certain rocks when put under stress, but there is still no consensus on exactly what causes these outbursts.

Persons: CNN —, James Webb, Rhea Seddon, Anna Fisher, Judy Resnik, Shannon Lucid, Sally Ride, Kathy Sullivan, dryly, Arabella, Anita, Miss Baker, wasn’t, Jesse Rorabaugh, ”, Mattia Menchetti, Frank Rubio, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, NASA, United, of Evolutionary, CNN Space, Science Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Greece, Mexico City, Thailand, Africa, Guam, North America, United Nations, Europe, Italy, Spain

☆ New Covid variant: EG.5 is on the rise as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations go up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —There’s a new coronavirus variant topping the leaderboard in the United States: EG.5. And it represents another incremental tweak to the virus rather than a major evolutionary leap like the original Omicron strain. This mutation has appeared in other coronavirus variants before. EG.5 also now has its own offshoot, EG.5.1, that adds a second mutation to the spike. Topol says the US can’t afford to delay its Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

Persons: CNN —, it’s, David Ho, ” Ho, ”, Eric Topol, Anne Hahn, Dan Barouch, virologist, ” Topol, Mandy Cohen, Topol, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, EG, US Centers for Disease Control, Columbia University, Scripps, Research, World Health Organization, Yale School of Public Health, Harvard University, US Food and Drug Administration, CDC, CNN Health, FDA Locations: United States, Northeast, FL, Ireland, France, Japan, China, Boston

☆ Fossils show ancient long-necked sea beast's 'gruesome' decapitation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The researchers studied neck and head remains of two species of Tanystropheus, detecting bite marks and other signs of trauma indicating decapitation. The larger species, the one that ate fish and squid, reached 20 feet (6 meters) long, though this individual was about 13 feet (4 meters). The smaller species was about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long, with teeth indicating a diet of soft-shelled invertebrates like shrimp. Useful in hunting, extreme neck elongation was common among marine reptiles spanning about 175 million years during the age of dinosaurs. Sure, there are other animals with a very long neck, but not a neck that is this long, this stiff and this lightweight, with very long, string-like neck ribs.

Persons: Tanystropheus, Stephan Spiekman, Spiekman, Eudald Mujal, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: State Museum of, Museum of, Thomson Locations: Switzerland, San Giorgio, Stuttgart, Germany

☆ What makes us human? Primate genome study offers some clues
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While some genetic variations previously thought to be exclusive to people were found in other primate species, the researchers pinpointed others that were uniquely human involving brain function and development. They also used the primate genomes to train an artificial intelligence algorithm to predict disease-causing genetic mutations in humans. Human-related threats such as habitat destruction, climate change and hunting have left about 60% of primate species threatened with extinction and about 75% with declining populations. "The vast majority of primate species have significantly more genetic variation per individual than do humans," said genomicist and study co-author Jeffrey Rogers of the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. The genome data can help identify the primate species in the most dire need of conservation efforts.

Persons: Thomas Mukoya, genomicist Lukas Kuderna, gibbons, Kuderna, Jeffrey Rogers, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park's Institute, Evolutionary, Illumina Inc, Baylor College of Medicine, Thomson Locations: Kinigi, Rwanda, Barcelona, Spain, Americas, Africa, Madagascar, Asia, Texas, China, Laos, Vietnam

☆ The 'mammoth meatball' grown in a lab probably doesn't taste like woolly mammoth at all
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It probably doesn't taste like woolly mammoth, a meat specialist and mammoth DNA researcher said. The Belgian startup Paleo says it added woolly mammoth myoglobin to a plant-based burger. The mammoth meatball doesn't have either of those elements from woolly mammoth. Mammoth myoglobin doesn't necessarily bring mammoth flavorThough he didn't taste it, Ryall said everyone could smell the meatball while it was cooking. So why make a mammoth meatball that doesn't taste like mammoth?

☆ From McDonald's $200 million Arch Deluxe to Colgate's frozen lasagna: Here are 5 of the biggest food 'failures'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

For every massive hit like the Popeye's chicken sandwich, the food industry produces countless duds. At the museum, visitors can see failed products ranging from the once-promising 3D TVs to the infamous MoviePass. "What I really appreciate with the food and beverage industry is that they have this sort of evolutionary approach," West says. "If we don't accept the failures, we can't have the good stuff," West says. These are five of the biggest culinary duds at the Museum of Failure.

☆ Guest view: Protecting Earth’s underground heroes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Tokiers Mark Tercek | Mark Tercek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

This activity seals and traps hidden underground ecosystems and their carbon-capturing capabilities. A recent estimate published by Nature found that more than 70% of the Earth’s known soil biodiversity hotspots are unprotected by current conservation schemes. The first step is to incorporate underground ecosystems into global conservation and climate schemes. We should also begin systematically mapping and monitoring underground biodiversity hotspots across the Earth. Researchers are starting to record, analyse and use soundscapes to identify underground biodiversity hotspots.

Search resuls for: "of Evolutionary"

19 mentions found