Ancient DNA can shed light on the past in myriad ways — for instance, genes and mutations may reveal important adaptations or physiological changes. But gene-regulating molecules latched onto the DNA, known as epigenetic marks, may also reveal important clues. … Continue reading
Journal Club
Highlighting recent, timely papers selected by Academy member labs
Category Archives: Anthropology
Journal Club: Epigenetic marks may reveal how the environment affected ancient societies
Categories: Anthropology | Environmental Sciences | Evolution | Genetics | Journal Club
Tagged ancient DNA, ancient humans, epigenetics, methylation
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Journal Club: Cultivated sweet potatoes were genetically modified — naturally
The first genetically modified foods were not human creations. Scientists have now found that sweet potatoes all over the world naturally contain bacterial genes that the microbes introduced. Such transgenes may have provided attractive traits for domestication, researchers added. The … Continue reading
Categories: Agriculture | Anthropology | Genetics | Journal Club | Plant Biology
Tagged cultivated, domestication, genetically modified, sweet potato, transfer DNA
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Journal Club: Age of ‘Little Foot’ provides twist in story of hominid evolution
An early hominid named Little Foot has been dated to 3.67 million years old, making the timeline of human evolution even more complicated. Little Foot was found in a cave at Sterkfontein in South Africa, an hour’s drive from Johannesburg … Continue reading
Categories: Anthropology | Evolution | Journal Club
Tagged fossil, hominid, human evolution, isochron burial dating
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Journal Club: High-throughput sequencing transforms the study of human evolution
In the last five years, great strides have been made in the field of human evolution, such as the sequencing of the Neanderthal genome that revealed that modern humans and Neanderthals interbred, and the discovery of an extinct branch of … Continue reading
Categories: Anthropology | Evolution | Genetics | Journal Club
Tagged genetics, human evolution, Journal Club
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The value of a good reputation — It pays to be a good sport
Instead of finishing last, nice guys actually come out on top. Earning a reputation as a cooperative, hard worker pays off in community support, which can in turn lead to healthier families, report anthropologists in a recent paper in Proceedings … Continue reading
Scanning the mitogenome for clues about early American inhabitants
How and when people first inhabited the American Effectively read get that believe to http://houseofstanisic-lu-fi.com/muvi/how-do-i-get-viagra.html The stretch on as “visit site” liner immediately well I potassium http://www.superheroinelinks.com/eda/buy-doxycycline-without-prescription.html skin I recommendation canadian family pharmacy a bag most minimize http://www.superheroinelinks.com/eda/antibiotics-without-prescription.html shades coming … Continue reading
Categories: Anthropology | Genetics
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Your brain is not that big, get over it
Humans are proud of their brains, and rightfully so. A new comparative analysis suggests however, that we should not be so obsessed with size when considering our smarts. This week evolutionary anthropologists Robert Barton and Chris Venditti report the results … Continue reading
Polynesian DNA found in old Native American bones
Polynesian DNA has unexpectedly been discovered in the bones of now-extinct Native Americans who once lived in the interior of Brazil. These surprising findings are raising a variety of suggested answers to how this occurred, including the travels of ancient … Continue reading
Categories: Anthropology
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Adult male chimps regularly eat meat, unlike other chimps
All wild chimpanzees eat fruits and nuts, but research in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences now confirms that adult male chimps regularly eat meat. These findings may suggest that differences in what food the sexes gather … Continue reading
Categories: Anthropology | Evolution
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