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‘Pormose man’, whose skull was punctured by an arrow thousands of years ago, lived in today’s Denmark. Analysis of DNA from him and other ancient humans has revealed waves of migration to Europe over the past 45,000 years.Credit: The Danish National Museum
European traits come from ancient migrants
A huge cache of ancient genomes spanning tens of thousands of years has revealed that many traits of modern Europeans had their roots elsewhere. Researchers identified characteristics brought by three main waves of human migration into the continent — hunter-gatherers from Asia around 45,000 years ago; farmers from the Middle East 11,000 years ago; and animal herders from the steppes of western Asia and eastern Europe 5,000 years ago. The latter brought genes for greater height and lighter skin to Northern Europe, as well as a heightened risk for multiple sclerosis. Northeastern Europeans, who tend to have the most hunter-gatherer ancestry, have variants that put them at higher risk of diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
Reference: Nature paper 1, paper 2, paper 3 & paper 4
Norway approves seabed mining
Norway has become the first country to approve seabed mining for valuable minerals — an approach that could irreversibly damage biodiversity and ecosystems. Norwegian scientists say that the government ignored their scientific advice and that of the nation’s environment agency. Companies will be allowed to explore a reported 281,000 square kilometres of the seabed. Permission to extract minerals for commercial activities will require a further parliamentary vote. “This is about greed not need and will come at a significant cost to our environment for present and future generations,” says conservationist Matthew Gianni.
What happened to the world’s largest ape?
The largest primate to ever roam Earth went extinct because it could not adapt when its environment changed, reveals a detailed study of its teeth and the caves they were found in. Gigantopithecus blacki was around twice the height of a person and weighed up to 300 kilograms. Pollen analysis shows that around 700,000 years ago, the dense forests that it relied on gave way to more grassland. Trace elements in G. blacki’s teeth show that it was forced to consume a less nutritious, more fibrous diet. It might have been too heavy to climb trees to reach more nutritious fruit, say researchers.
Infographic of the week
Source: Ref 1.
The world’s oceans absorbed more heat in 2023 than in any other year since records began, finds a study that looks at data from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and the National Centers for Environmental Information at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States. Ocean heat content is a particularly robust indicator of global climate change, says oceanographer and co-author Cheng Lijing, because it is much less affected by natural fluctuations in the Earth’s system than are air temperatures and sea surface temperatures. (Nature | 4 min read)
Reference: Advances in Atmospheric Sciences paper
Features & opinion
We need a truly global microbiome science
Most of what we know about the bacteria, fungi and viruses that live on and in our bodies comes from studies in rich nations, note eight early-life microbiome researchers. Children from poorer nations are especially overlooked. This can have life-or-death consequences: one study showed that a microbiome-focused supplementary food given to malnourished babies in Bangladesh increased their growth more than a commonly used alternative that contained more calories. The authors recommend sponsoring regional centres of excellence and establishing microbial culture collections to support researchers in low- and middle-income countries with the training and tools they need.
Epidemic of sexual harassment in Brazil
A report from the Brazilian Academy of Sciences finds that 47% of female researchers have dealt with sexual harassment in Brazil, compared with one in 10 men. The report is based on a 2022 survey of early and mid-career scientists in a country that rarely collects data on academic careers. Denise Dau from Brazil’s Women’s Ministry says universities must introduce structures “to make sure victims feel safe to file complaints and an ethics committee to investigate and hold harassers responsible”.
Video: how sharpshooters stay dry
High-speed cameras reveal that sharpshooters (Cicadellidae) use a clever physics technique called super-propulsion to flick droplets of pee away from their bodies. The minuscule insects drink a lot of fluid from plants and have to avoid drowning in their own urine. Super-propulsion has never before been seen in a natural system. Researchers say this energy-efficient technique could provide inspiration for keeping mobile tech, like smartphones or watches, dry.
Reference: Nature Communications paper
