So Does This Mean Australopithecines Walked On Their Hands?

Those paleontologists are always one methodological and theoretical step ahead of paleoanthropologists. Consider this new discovery about dinosaurs: “Basically they scooted around by grabbing nearby vines with their mouths and pulling their bodies. Almost like a snake. What we used to think were legs were actually big flippers that flapped about in the air, driving [...]

Know Your Primate: Chiropotes satanas

Order: Primates Suborder: Haplorrhini Family: Pitheciidae Subfamily: Pitheciinae Genus: Chiropotes Species: Chiropotes satanas There are two species of Chiropotes, the other being C. albinasius. C. satanas has two subspecies C. s. satanas and C. s. chiropotes. The species occurs in Brazil, southern Venezuela, and Guianas living primarily in the middle and upper canopies of rain [...]

Interesting Science Picture: Part VI

FIG. 1. Representation of the amino acid relationships of the minimal pore regions of the voltage-gated ion channel superfamily. This global view of the 143 members of the structurally related ion channel genes highlights seven groups of ion channel families and their membrane topologies. Four-domain channels (CaV and NaV) are shown as blue branches, potassium-selective [...]

The Destructive Power of Luxor and Karnak

IPS has an interesting article on Luxor and Karnak. In many ways it reminded me of this post on the destructive power of the Parthenon (hence the title of this post). A couple of quotes will reveal why:

Interesting Science Picture: Part V

Fig. 3. Independent, adaptive molecular evolution in the skeletal muscle sodium channel (Nav1.4). Amino acid replacements at sites important in TTX ligation in the P loops of Nav1.4 are found only in TTX-resistant garter snakes and appear uniquely derived. (A) Structure of the-subunit of Nav1.4 showing the 4 domains (DI–DIV), their 6 transmembrane segments (S1–S6), [...]

Two Million Year Old Artifacts on Sulawesi: The Return of Hominid Catastrophism

That is what this article in the Guardian claims!

The Carthaginians And Human Sacrifice: Carthage Got A Bum Rap

The victors always write the history and the case of Carthage was no exception. Consider this from Wikipedia: Later commentators have compared the accounts of child sacrifice in the Old Testament with similar ones from Greek and Latin sources speaking of the offering of children by fire as sacrifices in the Punic city of Carthage, [...]

Know Your Primate Returns: Pseudopotto martini

After a lengthy hiatus I am resurrecting Know Your Primate. Hopefully it will appear every Saturday like clockwork (yes I know, today is Sunday).

Private Healthcare Spending Accounts Being Ripped Off!

NPR has an interesting story on private healthcare spending accounts. Seems money is missing from thousands of accounts: Thousands of people are learning that money they squirreled away in health savings accounts is gone. Many thought the money was sitting safely in banks. But now it appears it was stolen. Federal investigators have released few [...]

Interesting Science Picture: Part IV

A: Longitudinal/buccolingual thin-section of a human upper deciduous central incisor (Urn no. 5817) with a 9.7 µm-thick NL on the buccal (right) side, close to the external enamel margin; the relatively thin postnatal enamel and the distance of the NL from the tooth apex (5.222,5 µm) suggest that the individual survived postpartum at least 10 [...]

Good Lord! I Hope They Don’t Team Up With The Cows!

Apparently, Chi ckens have better color vision than humans: Scientists mapped five types of light receptors in the chicken’s eye. They discovered the receptors were laid out in interwoven mosaics that maximized the chicken’s ability to see many colors in any given part of the retina, the light-sensing structure at the back of the eye. [...]

Another Accidental Taser Death

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the individual was hiding in a crawlspace and refused to come out. He was bitten by a police dog then tasered and later died at a hospital. The medical examiner says weak heart muscles/irregular heart beat and toxic levels of methamphetamine contributed to the death, which absolutely, positively had [...]

Paleopathology of King Tutankhamun And His Relatives

As mentioned in a previous post Jama has published the results of some interesting research on Tutankhamun and his family.

Steve Martin: King Tut

Yes, I know but I can’t resist… I’m reading the Jama paper so just keep watching the above until further notice…or until you go insane….whichever. Here is another from the comments:

Levee Expert Let Go By LSU

I’m surprised that this story isn’t attracting more attention. Ivor van Heerden the levee expert who studied the levee collapse in New Orleans has been let go by LSU. van Heerden was only an associate professor so he did not have tenure. According to PhysOrg.Com he is suing LSU.